Car Sight

The Escape is a 4-door, 5-passenger sport-utility, available in 11 trims, ranging from the XLS FWD Manual to the Limited 4WD V6. The Ford Escape is revamped with improved power, improved safety and added content to attract buyers into this elegantly aging vehicle.

The Ford Escape is an attractive and competent compact SUV that has a spacious interior which comes in handy when driving through Boston Massachusetts or the the Watertown area, and now with proficient improved performance. Headlining the list of upgrades to the Escape models is a new powertrain lineup.
Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV that comes in three trim levels: XLS, XLT and Limited. The XLS comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, air-conditioning, keyless entry, cruise control, full power accessories, a CD player and an auxiliary audio jack. The XLT adds privacy glass, automatic headlights, foglights, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, keypad entry, a power driver seat and upgraded cloth upholstery. The top-of-the-line Escape Limited has those features plus color-keyed grille and side mirrors, leather seating, ambient cabin lighting and the Sync system.

Options include a sunroof, an upgraded 320-watt audio system with a subwoofer, a navigation system and, for the XLT, a Sun and Sync package that bundles the moonroof with Sync. For the Limited only, you can get a chrome accent package as well as a luxury package, which includes heated front seats, dual-zone automatic climate control and reverse parking sensors.
Powertrains and Performance

All trim levels of the Ford Escape can be had with either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. A 171-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine powers all but the Limited, which comes with a 240-hp 3.0-liter V6. The V6 is optional on the XLT. The 2.5 can be fitted with either a five-speed manual transmission (XLS only) or a six-speed automatic. The V6 comes only with the automatic transmission. Properly equipped, the V6 Escape can tow up to 3,500 pounds.

Fuel economy with the four-cylinder, six-speed auto and front-wheel drive is 20 mpg city/28 mpg highway and 23 mpg combined. All-wheel drive drops that to 19/25/21. The front-wheel-drive six-cylinder Escape returns an estimated 18/26/21, while all-wheel drive gets 17/24/20.
Safety

Antilock brakes, traction control, stability control, front-seat side airbags and full-length head curtain airbags with a rollover sensor are all standard on the new Ford Escape. A reverse-sensing parking system is optional on the Limited.

In government frontal-impact crash tests, the Escape earned a perfect five stars in front and side crash tests. In Insurance Institute for Highway Safety testing, the Escape scored the highest rating of “Good” in the frontal-offset and side tests.
Interior Design and Special Features

The front seats are well-built and comfortable, and material quality, fit and finish are good for this section. There’s plenty of storage space, including a center console box big enough to swallow a laptop; it also features reconfigurable bins. If you are a user of portable MP3 players or cell phones, the Ford Sync system is a great feature. It allows voice control for your phone, the navigation system and the audio system, and in our experience, it works very well.

The Escape’s rear seat is roomy. Cargo space stands at 29 cubic feet behind the second row and 66 cubes with the second row folded down.


Ford Escape Hybrid and Mazda Tribute Hybrid – It’s a tie for the number 4 slot and a formidable one at that. Ford’s Escape Hybrid and Mazda’s Tribute hybrid both bring in 30mpg on the highway and 34 in the city which is impressive to say the least, but not when the top 2 vehicles are clocking in the mid to upper 40′s. Both the Escape and Tribute are reasonably priced in the mid 20′s