My 2025 Ford Expedition Tremor towing test started with a simple question: How would this SUV feel with my camper attached and the weight-distributing hitch bars disconnected? The answer was uncomfortable enough that I cut the first drive short and went home to reconnect them.
That does not make this a verdict on every Expedition and trailer combination. It is a look back at my October 2025 test, including the limits of the setup, what improved and which cabin controls frustrated me. Cory Fourniquet’s separate off-road review supplies another perspective on the Tremor’s compromises.
The camper setup mattered more than the headline tow rating
In the video, I described the camper as roughly 5,200 pounds dry and about 7,000 pounds loaded. I also reported approximately 1,300 pounds of payload for this particular Expedition. Those were the figures discussed during the test, not a published set of scale tickets proving the exact trailer, tongue and axle loads for each run.
Ford’s launch information for the redesigned 2025 Expedition allowed up to 7,000 pounds without load-leveling bars when properly equipped. Its higher advertised maximum required a weight-distributing hitch. That distinction matters: permission to tow a particular weight is not a promise that every trailer will feel equally settled.
The rear of my test SUV visibly dropped with the camper attached. I measured roughly 4.5 inches between the top of the tire and the wheel opening without the bars, versus roughly 6.5 inches after reconnecting them. That was a rear clearance comparison, not a complete hitch adjustment procedure. I did not document the full front-axle restoration measurements or scale weights needed to validate the setup.
Reconnecting the bars made the drive feel substantially better
On the first drive through Nebraska’s Wildcat Hills, the combination felt loose at the rear. Sweeping turns and downhill sections demanded more attention than I wanted to give this familiar camper. I slowed down and returned home rather than continuing the planned route.
With the weight-distributing bars connected, my reaction changed. The combination still moved more than I preferred in some situations, but I felt substantially calmer through the same general area. In the video, the difference is apparent in my commentary as well as my willingness to continue.
There is an important limit to that observation. This was a short, subjective road comparison, and I acknowledged that I had not completed a full hitch setup. It does not establish a suspension defect or prove which individual adjustment caused every change. It does show why I would not choose a towing setup solely because a brochure says the bars can be omitted.
The cabin controls added frustration while towing
My aftermarket trailer-camera monitor needed power, and its cable ran across the cabin to the outlet near the moving center console. I wanted an outlet closer to the dashboard mounting location. The camera also depended on the camper’s running-light circuit, which sent me into the Expedition’s touchscreen lighting controls.
The gear-selection interface was another annoyance. My initial press brought up the gear display rather than producing the immediate downshift I expected. Learning a new interface is one thing in the driveway; finding it unfamiliar on a descent with a camper behind you is another.
I also initially questioned the lack of familiar seat-memory buttons. After checking with Ford, I explained the personal-profile system: the vehicle can store seat, mirror, steering-column and pedal positions and associate the profile with a key fob. The capability exists, but its setup differs from the door-mounted buttons many owners know.
My takeaway: match the Expedition to the actual trip
The seats were comfortable and outward visibility was generally good. The displayed fuel economy reached 14.6 mpg during the repeated hill runs, but that was not a controlled, hand-calculated towing-economy test. I would not use it to promise an owner a particular result on a vacation route.
Cory’s separate December 2025 Tremor review adds useful context. At Barnwell Mountain in Texas, he appreciated the 18-inch wheels, available camera views and off-road hardware, while noting a firm ride at road tire pressures and the challenge of placing a full-size SUV on narrow, muddy trails. His drive was a different vehicle and setting, not part of my towing comparison.
For my camper, reconnecting the bars was the better experience. Before taking a similar combination on a trip, I would verify loaded trailer and tongue weights, payload and axle limits, then have the hitch adjusted to the vehicle and hitch manufacturers’ instructions. A level-looking rear end alone does not answer those questions.
The towing video includes a ScreenProTech promotional segment. This article’s towing observations come from the drive, not that promotion.
Watch Tim’s original Expedition towing test and Cory’s separate Tremor off-road review. Ford’s 2025 Expedition launch information explains the different hitch requirements.
