After dropping the King Ranch in 2015, Ford has brought it back the for the Expedition Tested: 2020

As Texas and California account for almost a quarter of the country's annual light-vehicle sales. That's approximately two million a pop. But one state is a more fun and laid-back place to sell cars and trucks - especially trucks. Texas pays little attention to smaller vehicles. So, one of every five vehicles on Texan roads is a pickup truck, next to that, sports utilities. Nearly 25 percent of all new trucks sold in America are shipped to Texas. The only exception being Toyota, which builds Tacomas and Tunduras at its San Antonio plant.

I first witnessed the 2020 Expedition King Ranch at Gilleys’ in Dallas, back in September 2019, leading up to the State Fair of Texas. It was presented with a refreshed Platinum model. And this model couldn’t have come at more opportune time, given that the Chevrolet Tahoe and Suburban, as well as the GMC Yukon/XL have been refreshed for 2021, and are making their debut on dealer lots in a matter of weeks (sans Cornoavirus) . Of course, GMC has its high-lux Denali and Chevrolet has developed a High Country edition for its full-size SUVs, however the King Ranch goes head-to-head with the Denali (forget the High Country).

Texans may see through special-edition trucks such as the 2020 Ford Expedition King Ranch, with its saddle brown leather and distinguishable badging, as marketing a ploy seizing on its frontier heritage; but by all appearances they love them anyway. This two-tone SUV is a tourism billboard rolling on 22-inch alloys - and guarantees Ford , along with its F-150, as one of its highest profit margins.

Ford says the take rate of Expedition top-end Platinum is 20 percent greater, with 40 percent more choosing the next level down, the Limited. With Expedition sales up 56 percent since the 2018 redesign, I see why Ford wanted to resurrect an even fancier King Ranch.

Why Ford originally cancelled the King Ranch trim on its Expedition lineup for the past five model years, while it left that badge for the F-series, is a head scratcher. It chose Platinum as the top trim instead. But now it’s back, with its origin story from the name of a real working South Texas ranch the size of the state of Rhode Island, and a name and logo that Ford has licensed exclusively for the past 20 years. So of course, it's branded on every seatback and floor mat and on the center console. It's plastered to every wheel center cap, plus on three more Texas-belt-buckle-sized badges on the fenders and tailgate.

Gray paint on the grille, lower bumpers, mirrors, power-deploying running boards, trailer hitch cover, and roof-rack side rails comes standard no matter what color the exterior paint is. Inside, brown leather adorns the dash, steering wheel rim, and doors, along with more brown piping and stitching including for the second-row captain's chairs. Zircote wood and more King Ranch aluminum sill plates dress up the Expedition to the max - well, not entirely Max, as that's the extended-wheelbase version (such as my tester), also available. It’s the Mac Daddy to the Suburban and Yukon XL.

I did enjoy the memory seats and power tilt-telescopic steering wheel, along with Ford’s unique backup trailer towing feature and parallel self-parking. I also appreciate Ford’s retractable running boards, which makes ingress/egress a snap. The interior cabin is spacious beyond belief, with power middle and rear folding seats.

The King Ranch editions (both regular and Max) come in an array of color choices: My tester came in a Agate Black Metallic with Ebony Del Rio Leather appointments.

If I had to nic pix, these would be my two wants. First is the powerplant, which the 3.7-liter EcoBoost does do an admirable job. But I’d love to see the F-150’s Coyote 5.0-liter as an option, for its simplicity and optimum towing, if towing is a priority. Secondly, would be an Heads Up Display (HID), since this feature is found on other vehicles in its segment. I’d love to see this on the upper-lux F-Series as well.

Pricing starts out at $78,715 for the King Ranch Max. Needless to say, the King Ranch comes with just about every conceivable option and accessory one can imagine. The only option was a 400A package ($1,570) that gave you 22-inch Mach aluminum wheels, trailer tow package, and 3.73 rear axle. So, with designation charges ($1,395) brings the total sticker to $81,680.

So, where does the Expedition go from here? With Ford coming out with a 2021 mid-cycle refresh for its F-150, the same enhancements would be appreciated. However, it might be at least another model year before we see that. Then again, with the all-new 2021 GM full-size Utes, maybe not. One thing nice would be the larger navigational screen expected in the F-150. The other would be an EV version, much like the F-150 and Rivian R1T/R1S. Afterall, Ford did drop $500m for a stake in Rivian.

Perhaps it doesn't match the decadence of Ram Laramie Longhorn pickup. Nor is it as fashionable and as its darling sister, the Lincoln Navigator. But even if you're not a Texan, you now have more of a choice if you're hung up on these ginormous land yachts.