FORD ESCAPE IS POPULAR, VERSATILE AND THIRSTY
Ford’s recent decision to soon get out of making sedans and coupes — with the exception of the Mustang — to concentrate on crossovers, trucks and SUVs may be largely due to the success of the Escape.
Every day, on average, about 150 Escapes are sold at Ford dealerships in Canada, making this compact SUV Ford’s secondbest-selling product in Canada. In 2017, there were 47,880 Escapes sold in Canada, behind only the F-150 pickup (155,290).
The Escape finished close to two rivals, the Honda CR-V (50,433) and the Toyota RAV4 (50,894) in the sales race during 2017.
There’s no question the Escape is versatile. There are plenty of choices for poshness, power and price.
There are four trim levels: S, SE, SEL and Titanium.
In its most basic form — starting at $23,699 for the S model — the Escape is an economical vehicle that fits the needs of many people, and its size makes it ideal for a city vehicle. Many compact SUV buyers are not looking for huge hauling capacity, but something small and economical for getting groceries and getting to and from work, and perhaps an alternative to a sedan or coupe.
The Escape offers three engine choices, all four-cylinders: a 2.5 L, a 1.5 L EcoBoost and a 2.0 L EcoBoost.
The Escape’s trim size makes it a breeze to handle in the city. Small parking spots or low underground parkades are no concern in an Escape — which can be an issue with larger
SUVs. (Ford recently introduced a crossover smaller than the Escape called the EcoSport. It’s advertised as an SUV for the city.)
The media test vehicle that was provided to me was the top-end Titanium all-wheel drive Escape and came in at $43,634 — well up from the base price of a Titanium of $37,199. Among the extras: the $1,750 panoramic vista roof and the $1,195 Safe and Smart package, which includes adaptive cruise control, lane keeping system, collision warning system and blind spot information system (BLIS). It also had the trailer towing package and the larger 19-inch wheels.
The optional collision warning system kicked in for me on the Ring Road, when the person in front of me slammed on the brakes.
Sensors in the front of the Escape detected this before I did — and a row of red lights flashed at eye level on the windshield and an alarm went off. That sure caught my attention and I immediately hit the brakes. Selfdriving cars are not yet here, but these and other driving “assists” are making our vehicles safer.
Storage space is above-average for a compact SUV.
However, this Escape’s Titanium price tag is in the range of a mid-level version of a larger Ford Explorer — which has almost double the towing capacity, more storage space, and three-row seating, while the Escape only had two rows of seats.
Visibility in the Escape — especially out the back — is not as good as some other SUVs I’ve tested. However, cameras front and back sure help.
The 2.0 litre EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, mated to a six-speed automatic transmission, provides 245 hp. It’s fast, smooth and quiet. Handling is precise — even a bit sporty — and it’s fun to drive.
However, I was surprised that the fuel economy was not as good as expected for a small vehicle with an engine branded as an EcoBoost. This Escape also had the automatic start/stop function. The engine shuts off at stop lights when the brakes are applied, then automatically starts up when the gas pedal is pressed. This saves fuel and helps the environment. However, during the week I drove the Escape, mainly in the city with a bit of highway driving, I got 12.7 litres per 100 kilometres.
Based on the sales success of the Escape, it’s attractive to lots of people, and the less-than-stellar fuel economy is apparently outweighed by the size, versatility and price.