Two new models of Ford’s big Expedition SUV add a more powerful engine for the 2022 model year, and one delivers an off-roading feature borrowed from the hot-selling Bronco.

The Expedition Timberline and Stealth Performance models are rolling into dealerships now.

Prices start at $69,695 for the off-road-focused Expedition Timberline.

The Stealth Performance package emphasizes sporty looks, with gloss black grille, mirror caps, running boards, red brake calipers and 22-inch black aluminum wheels. It’s a $9,800 option on the Expedition Limited, for a starting price of $74,095. Prices for the 2022 Expedition start at $52,620.

All prices come from Edmunds.com and Ford. They exclude $1,795 in destination charges and the markups some dealers are charging due to COVID-19-related vehicle shortages.

I recently spent a day driving both, including taking the Expedition Timberline off-road at the popular Holly Oaks ORV park north of Detroit.

They both feature a high-output version of Ford’s twin-turbo 3.5L V6 that produces 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque. A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard. All Timberlines have four-wheel drive, while Stealth Performance offers rear- and four-wheel drive.

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The Expedition has been on sale since the 1997 model year. The current model went on sale as a 2018 model. The Timberline and Stealth Performance models joined the lineup for 2022.

Target: Jeep Grand Wagoneer

The Timberline clearly targets the popular new Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer, the first SUVs from the legendary SUV brand that’s big enough to compete directly with Ford’s Expedition.

Big SUVs like the 210-inch-long Expedition and 221.9-inch Expedition Max don’t get used off-road as much as smaller vehicles like the Bronco. Towing is more likely to be the make-or-break feature for their well-heeled owners, many of whom haul boats, campers and horse trailers. The Timberline's EPA fuel economy estimate is 16 mpg in the city, 19 on the highway and 17 in combined driving.

The Jeep Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer are 214.7 inches long.

The new Expedition models claim several wins versus the Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer:

• Timberline has the most ground clearance in its class, 10.6 inches, compared with a maximum 10 inches for Wagoneer.

• Timberlines weigh 4% less than the Jeep Wagoneer SUV and boast  a better power-to-weight ratio.

• Ford’s high-output 3.5-liter EcoBoost engine tops the output of the Jeep SUVs' 5.7L and 6.4L Hemi V8s.

The upcoming Wagoneer and Grand Wagoneer L models will measure 226.7 inches when they go on sale as 2023 models, probably in the second half of 2022. Jeep says they will increase towing capacity to a class-leading 10,000 pounds.

Don’t forget Chevy

The Expedition’s traditional prime competitors, the Chevy Tahoe and Suburban, are 210.7 and 225.7 inches long, respectively. Their base engine is a 5.3L V8 that produces 355 hp and 383 pound-feet of torque.  A 10-speed automatic transmission is standard.

The sporty-looking Expedition Stealth Performance targets the Tahoe RST model with 85 more horsepower and 127 pound-feet more torque than Chevy’s 5.3L V8.While the Jeep badge implies the Wagoneers have strong off-road capability, Chevy doesn’t have a trim level to compete with the Timberline. Yet.

All the vehicles have three rows of seats to carry up to eight people. They are among their manufacturers’ most profitable vehicles.

The Toyota Sequoia and Nissan Armada large SUVs compete with the Expedition on paper, but they’re not major focuses for Ford.

The Expedition is built in the same Louisville, Kentucky, plant as the Lincoln Navigator and Ford F-series heavy-duty pickups.

You’re taking THAT off-road?

You don’t often see vehicles the size of an Expedition or Chevy Suburban on off-road trails because they don’t fit. Driving across a muddy field to grab a hay bale is one thing; snaking around boulders and trees on tight two-tracks through the desert and forest is something else altogether. Long wheelbases, big overhangs and tight switchbacks don’t mix.

Usually. Trail turn assist, a feature Ford introduced on the Bronco last year, allowed the Expedition Timberline to get in and out of jams that would stymie its competitors. Trail turn assist locks the rear right wheel when the steering wheel is cranked for a very tight corner. It turns that wheel into an anchor around which the big SUV pivots, executing turns much more tightly than would be possible otherwise.

It allowed the Expedition Timberline to negotiate tight spaces with ease.

The Expedition also has a feature Ford calls trail control, which allows the driver to select a speed — let’s say 3 mph — when off-roading. The throttle, brake and transmission controls all work together to maintain that speed — whether going up, down or on level ground. The driver is free to concentrate on steering. Surround view cameras help with that, but the Expedition’s front view shuts off at 7 mph and requires the driver to locate a touch point on its infotainment screen to reactivate.

As a result, I was continually discovering myself unsighted at exactly the moment you want the front camera most: when you top a steep incline and nothing but sky is visible through the windshield.

Ford can fix that with software. Perhaps a line of code so the front camera remains active at slightly higher speeds when the Expedition’s transfer case is locked in 4WD low, a gear range generally used only in severe conditions.

Other than that, the Expedition Timberline proved surprisingly capable on several off-road surfaces and inclines.

Ford Expedition Timberline key features

• Four-wheel drive

• Electronic limited slip rear differential

• Ford Raptor skid plates

• 440 hp/510 lb-ft 3.5L biturbo V6

• Revised steering, suspension and stabilizer

• Unique electronic calibrations for driveline and brakes.

• Trail control

• Trail turn assist

Stealthy, for a 2 ½-ton SUV

The word “stealth” might be described as aspirational in the Expedition Stealth Performance, but the hulking SUV’s performance is real. Gloss black trim and 22-inch wheels don’t make the Expedition blend into the scenery, but the 3.5L V6’s 510 pound-feet of torque delivers surprising acceleration.

An adaptive suspension and unique steering calibrations tighten up handling, making the model feel reasonably responsive.

The B&O audio system delivered exceptional sound, bringing forward some instruments I’d forgotten in songs I know well.

Ford Expedition Stealth Performance key features

• Available in rear- or four-wheel drive

• 480 hp/510 pound-feet of torque, 3.5L biturbo V6

• Black interior

• Gloss black grille, mirror caps, running boards

• Red brake calipers

• 22-inch gloss black wheels

• Unique steering and brake tuning

• Variable damping control

• Road-previewing adaptive suspension

Contact Mark Phelan at 313-222-6731 or  mmphelan@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @mark_phelan.

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This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: '22 Ford Expedition borrows Bronco feature to gain off-road credibility