Ok, so the Excursion is going to die. So what? I am a hard-core FORD man, and couldn't imagine paying money for anything else. I drive a Ranger that suits my needs just fine. Honestly though, if you need anything as big as an Excursion, (and are actually going to use its full potential) you should probably look into a class B liscence. As a "Medium Duty" Truck, it doesn't have to comply to the EPA fuel economy restrictions.
I know a millionare who got rid of his Excursion because he loathed putting gas in it. You want utility? Get a van! You want sport? Get a car! You want a vehicle? It doesn't matter, as long as it is a FORD!
Not only that, but despite being exempt from EPA fuel economy restrictions as a medium duty truck, but the gas powered Excursion (both 5.4 liter V8 and 6.8 liter V10) have the lowest emissions of any medium-duty truck manufactured for every year the Excursion has been produced. It may not be friendly to the gas pump, but is definitely a good environmental steward. If you want decent fuel mileage, the Powerstroke diesel version of the excursion out does every full and midsize SUV in that category for each year--and although it has somewhat more emissions that a gasoline motor, they have cleaned up the pollutants on the current generation Powerstroke... If I had the money I would get precisely that (don't because I'm pouring $$$ into my 455 powered 83 Cutlass)...