FULL THROTTLE
Sexy sells, which is what the Escape is all about
Sexy sells, which is what the Escape is all about
It’s not exactly Fifty Shades of Grey, but there’s certainly something steamy about the new Ford Escape. It could be that long and sensual body crease. Perhaps it’s the finely sculpted wheels. Or, maybe the seven-sided taillights inset into a beveled recess. Then again, maybe it’s how all of it comes together.
Inside, the optional leather seats are stitched like the tidy handbag that rests against my hip. They don’t look like baggy, overstuffed office chairs. Shiny silver pieces, chrome-trimmed buttons and knobs — it’s just plain sexy, inside and out.
Certainly, if you want to appeal to people on the basis of style and detail, then the Escape draws the straightest possible line to my bank account.
And the “mommy bloggers” at a recent Ford press event would appear to agree. For women who are tired of the “soccer mom” stigma attached to minivan ownership, and for growing families who need more room and capability than a regular four-door car, the Escape joins others in this class such as the Hyundai Tucson, Kia Sportage and Mazda CX-5.
They offer a command view of the road (a.k.a. visibility), down-to-earth base prices, optional all-wheel drive, a place to plug-in an iPod and, a growing priority in Mommyland, fuel bills that don’t rob the kids’ university fund. Where’s the downside here, exactly?
Remember when car companies began using focus groups to come up with vehicles “built for active living,” to hold bicycles, surf boards, rappelling gear and hang gliders and stuff? The Escape is built for a slightly different lifestyle.
At the rear is an optional feature that’s really aimed at moms. With an armload of groceries or other bags — and presumably a child or two — just wave your foot under the bumper and, voila, the tailgate magically opens all by itself. (Actually, it’s more of a forward kicking motion, which might be more in line with some mommies’ daily routines.) When you go to unload, presumably with equally full arms, the kicking motion closes the tailgate, too. It’s pure genius.
For shorter drivers, the tailgate opening height can be set so you don’t always have to stand on your tip-toes if you want to close it by hand. The feature is also handy for low-ceiling carports and parking garages.
There’s also park-assist for drivers who would rather park in a lot than on the street because parallel parking scares them too much (c’mon, you know who you are). When activated, the Escape scans a parking spot to see if it’s big enough and then tells you when to stop and when to put the vehicle in reverse. Take your hands off the wheel (in utter terror, the first time you try it) and use the brake pedal to stop when you’ve backed far enough into the space. The Escape gets you exactly the right distance from the curb, every time, no muss, no fuss. No doubt this is a handy feature when the kids are being distracting and rambunctious.
The Tucson, Sportage, Mazda CX-5 and the Escape make do just fine with four-cylinder engines, in the interest of fuel economy, of course. Nothing too fast or powerful. Even the 231-horsepower 2.0-litre turbocharged Ecoboost engine, which is at the top of the Escape’s food chain, feels peppy, but not sporty. It’s plenty, though, to negotiate city traffic, while the smaller 1.6-litre turbocharged Ecoboost is the predicted fuel miser.
Yet since I’m not a mommy blogger and I don’t have kids, where does that leave me or perhaps you? Well, I would buy the Escape, Tucson, Sportage or CX-5 simply because they’re sexy machines. No shades of grey, here.