2013 Ford Escape delivers more with less

[atlaw4u]

The Escape's 1.6-liter EcoBoost turbocharged engine gets the model's best fuel economy at 23 city and 33 highway.

Doug Guthrie - DETROITNEWS - June 14, 2012

There's plenty of anticipation for Ford's all-new 2013 Escape.

As I drove a pre-production model on Interstate 94 toward some interesting backroads west of Ann Arbor, passing drivers shouted questions through their open windows.

"Is that the new one?" asked a man in a current model Escape with Canadian license plates.

"Awesome. I want one," said another guy in a Chevrolet pickup. I suspect he was a Ford fan driving the boss's truck.

While the new Escape isn't perfect, fans like this won't be disappointed when it arrives in showrooms this month. Already on sale in Europe as the Kuga, the new Escape is strikingly styled outside and comfortably appointed inside.

When Ford introduced the Escape in 2000, some said it wasn't enough truck to be called a sport utility vehicle. Yet it became the nation's top-selling SUV.

The new Escape completely sheds the boxy truck look of the past and embraces its true crossover identity. The grille reveals the Focus family connection. The Escape and more than a dozen other Ford vehicles have been built on the same compact platform.

With its car-like styling, the new Escape appears smaller than the old model, but it actually has more interior space. The wheelbase is almost three inches longer, adding leg room for back seat passengers. The shape is more aerodynamic and smooth panels underneath also increase fuel efficiency. Shutters automatically open and close behind grille openings... [Read More]

[herm]

if you squint your eyes real hard it almost looks like a Focus SW

[Carcus]

Apples, oranges, bananas:


Skyactiv approach vs. turbocharging approach .......

If we were to drag race (0 to 60) this (turbocharged, 91 octane for best performance) escape vs the NA 2.0 MT Cx-5 Wayne previewed ... which one would win? It'd be close, but I'm gonna go with the Cx-5.

They have the same towing capacity, but the ecoboost will almost certainly drink more fuel while towing.

And we already know which one wins the unladen mpg competition (hint -- it's not turbocharged).


So it's more expensive to build, requires expensive 91 octane fuel (if you want the advertised power), uses more fuel, has a lot more maintenance liability ..... what's the advantage here? (assuming you don't work for a Ford dealership)

[herm]

Skyactiv can also do a low cost stop&start..

A lot of these Escapes will be fitted with the 2.0L turbo engine and will suck gas like it was $1 a gallon.

[Carcus]

I DO, however, look forward to hearing real worl results from the US versioned 1.0t Fiesta. I'm thinking the light weight on that one gives it possibility.