Ford Escape Spied

[280Z Turbo]

Can it still tow 3500 lbs?

[ifcar]

Why does everything have to have this weird squinched-up rear end now?

Because poor visibility is stylish.

[Byteme]

Can it still tow 3500 lbs?

According to the latest Autoweek:  Why yes, yes it can. 

[TurboDan]

Wow. Well, they can kiss all of their male buyers goodbye, I guess. This thing looks like such a Mom-ute it's insane.

The options for buying an SUV that actually looks like an SUV are getting fewer and fewer. And most of those options are HUGE ass SUVs like the Suburban and Tahoe.

[2o6]

I don't understand all the love for the old car's styling. I always thought it looked cheap and old.

[giant_mtb]

I've always liked the Escape's styling.  This makes it look stupid.  Very non-manly.

[Byteme]

Wow. Well, they can kiss all of their male buyers goodbye, I guess. This thing looks like such a Mom-ute it's insane.

The options for buying an SUV that actually looks like an SUV are getting fewer and fewer. And most of those options are HUGE ass SUVs like the Suburban and Tahoe.

Strictly non-scientific but I think I see more women than men behind the wheels of Suburbans and Tahoes.  

[TurboDan]

Strictly non-scientific but I think I see more women than men behind the wheels of Suburbans and Tahoes. 

Yeah, you're probably right. What SUVs to men tend to drive these days anyway? Are men being relegated to pickup trucks at this point? No offense, but you'd never catch me dead in a pickup truck.

[Byteme]

Yeah, you're probably right. What SUVs to men tend to drive these days anyway? Are men being relegated to pickup trucks at this point? No offense, but you'd never catch me dead in a pickup truck.

Beats me, I've never understood the facination with SUVs.  The one I owned was a 2001 Escape, 4 cyl, 5 speed manual.  Useful, but somewhat noisey and thirsty for a small engine small SUV.  If I had to do it over again I'd have bought a Focus wagon.   

I'll buy my first pickup truck when I retire.  A beater to haul stuff from Lowes/Home Depot to the house and waste to the dump and leave at the base of the drive when it snows.  I refer to it as the kind of truck you'd be embarassed to be seen in.     

[FoMoJo]

I'll buy my first pickup truck when I retire.  A beater to haul stuff from Lowes/Home Depot to the house and waste to the dump and leave at the base of the drive when it snows.  I refer to it as the kind of truck you'd be embarassed to be seen in.     

[Byteme]

I'm not looking for anything that nice.   

[68_427]

[Madman]

I don't understand all the love for the old car's styling. I always thought it looked cheap and old.

Agreed.  The old one is long past it's sell-by date.  Looked like a leftover from the 1990s.

[Byteme]

Agreed.  The old one is long past it's sell-by date.  Looked like a leftover from the 1990s.

Well it was designed in the 1990s. 

Still though it's outselling its more "up to date" competitors so that means something. 

And yes I know a lot of escapes are fleet sales. 

[FoMoJo]

Well it was designed in the 1990s. 

Still though it's outselling its more "up to date" competitors so that means something. 

And yes I know a lot of escapes are fleet sales. 

I would, also, venture that the mechanicals are better than the more streamlined looking competitors since the 2009 upgrade.  Did I mention that I got 35 US mpg on a recent trip with my wife's '09 Escape?

[2o6]

Well it was designed in the 1990s. 

Still though it's outselling its more "up to date" competitors so that means something. 

And yes I know a lot of escapes are fleet sales. 

It's fleet sales, and the fact that there are lots of incentives slapped on the hood to move stock.

I would, also, venture that the mechanicals are better than the more streamlined looking competitors since the 2009 upgrade.  Did I mention that I got 35 US mpg on a recent trip with my wife's '09 Escape?

I don't want to be rude, but it's based upon the Mazda 626....which was introduced in 1997.


The motor and transmission are pretty good, but the rest is really, really old.

[FoMoJo]

I don't want to be rude, but it's based upon the Mazda 626....which was introduced in 1997.


The motor and transmission are pretty good, but the rest is really, really old.

Not exactly.  There's a good article put out by the engineering teams that I read about 11+ years ago detailing how they started with the 626, for the Japanese team and the mondeo for the American team but, essentially, ended up with a new platform.  Although the Japanese team prevailed in their design it was upgraded (made more robust) for the NA market.  If I can find the article, I will link it.

[2o6]

Not exactly.  There's a good article put out by the engineering teams that I read about 11+ years ago detailing how they started with the 626, for the Japanese team and the mondeo for the American team but, essentially, ended up with a new platform.  Although the Japanese team prevailed in their design it was upgraded (made more robust) for the NA market.  If I can find the article, I will link it.

It's still an old platform, though.

[Atomic]

Wow. Well, they can kiss all of their male buyers goodbye, I guess. This thing looks like such a Mom-ute it's insane.

The options for buying an SUV that actually looks like an SUV are getting fewer and fewer. And most of those options are HUGE ass SUVs like the Suburban and Tahoe.

could not have said it any better, dan. i hope with the outstanding new jeep grand cherokee, chrysler will see to it that smaller jeeps future will carry on with the brutish good looks and character of the GC.