Compact SUV deserves a test-drive
Revamp on way, but 2019 model still a contender
In the wildly popular compact sport-utility segment, you’ve got to get it right, and that’s what Ford has pretty much always done with the Escape. There are several tightly matched contenders, a couple of which usually outsell it, but the Escape’s no slouch.
It has a couple of minor issues, but overall, it’s right up there with the competition. An all-new 2020 Escape will be unveiled later this year, so the current model — updated in 2017 — carries over into 2019 with only a couple of minor changes to its features and options.
It comes in four trim levels, starting at $26,399 for the base S, in front-wheel drive only. The mid-level SE ($29,349) and SEL ($30,849) can be optioned with allwheel drive. I drove the toplevel Titanium trim, which comes with standard AWD and begins at $37,699.
There are three engine choices, dependent on the trim level, all of them fourcylinders. The base is a 2.5-litre, making 168 horsepower. The other two are turbocharged, known as EcoBoost in Ford-speak: a 1.5-L making 179 hp, and my tester’s 2.0-L, making an impressive 245 hp and 275 poundfeet of torque. All engines are mated to a six-speed automatic transmission.
The EcoBoost moniker describes the reason so many automakers are switching to tiny turbocharged engines, even in larger vehicles: they provide the inherent fuel saving that you get with a small engine, but when you want power, the turbocharger kicks in to provide it. The 2.0-L engine certainly gives you plenty of that — it scoots when you ask it — but the turbo is pushing in both more air and more fuel when you do. Keep in mind that if you like to go fast, you’re not going to get the advertised fuel efficiency. And while the 2.0-L will accept regulargrade fuel, it wants premium gas if it’s going to deliver its maximum horsepower and torque, which of course will add to your operating costs.
The Escape’s a decent driver, with steering that’s light enough for easy parking-lot manoeuvres but with enough heft at higher speeds. Visibility is very good — if a little like a fish bowl, thanks to its large windshield — and a fairly tight turning circle helps in tight spots. The top-level trim includes a self-parking feature that turns the wheel to guide the Escape into parallel or perpendicular spots, but like all of these systems, it’s faster just to park it yourself.
The all-wheel-drive system runs primarily in frontwheel drive, but automatically sends power to the rear wheels as needed when extra traction is required. Should you want to tow some toys to the cottage, Escapes equipped with the 2.0-L engine can be optioned with a towing package that’ll allow you to pull up to 3,500 lbs (1,587 kg). It adds a Class II receiver and transmission cooler, along with trailer sway control, a program within the electronic stability control that helps keep everything straight if what you’re towing takes on a mind of its own. Keep in mind the package is a pricey option, ringing in at $800. Without it, you get a maximum of 2,000 lbs (907 kg).
The Escape isn’t a large vehicle, and it dedicates a fair bit of space to both frontseat passengers and cargo. As a result, those in the rear seats don’t get a lot of legroom. If that fairly generous cargo compartment isn’t enough, the back seats fold flat for extra space.
I like the simplicity of most of the controls, save for the climate fan speed, which involves tapping a button on one side of the display to turn it up, and then tapping another on the other side to turn it down. It’s a minor complaint, but a single toggle or dial is easier and less distracting.
Another fiddly thing is the centre touch screen, where Ford’s Sync 3 software program takes care of the connectivity, audio, and on my Titanium tester, the navigation system. The system itself is fairly easy to use, but it requires that you tap the icons at the bottom of the screen to get to each function — and because that screen is set deep in the dash, and with a little joystick for the stereo stuck in front of it, it’s difficult to get your hand in there to tap them. You can use voice commands for many of the functions, and it works quite well, but you shouldn’t have to default to one controller because the other is awkward to use.
The Titanium comes with numerous higher-end features — auto-dimming mirror, heated steering wheel, 10-way adjustable leather seats, and bi-xenon headlamps — but optioning a package of adaptive cruise control, lane-keeping assist and blind-spot monitoring adds $2,500, because a panoramic sunroof is bundled in with it. Shoppers who just want the safety items — and especially if, like me, they don’t like glass roofs — shouldn’t have to fork over that much to get them.
We’ll have to wait to see how the all-new Escape stacks up, but the one it’s replacing is still very much in the game. If you’re shopping in this segment, it should be on your test-drive list.