The resulting 240 hp (40 hp gain) and 223 lb In sum, the rectilinear design theme is a continuum of discontinuity.įord’s venerable Duratec 3.0 V6 displacing three liters arrives for ’09 with new twists: a six-speed autobox, electric-assist EPS steering (no pump thus no parasitic losses), and a host of massages and tweaks. A myriad of plastics are reasonably soft to the touch, but the sheen and graining wouldn’t convince you of it at a glance. The Escape’s seats lack lumbar support, the rear bench is (un)remarkably flat, and the recycled-fiber cloth upholstery feels like recycled-fiber, minus the cloth. what dead pedal?), and Ford’s on-again, off-again love affair with the seventy-gazillion functions on a singular steering column stalk (thank Holy Dieties the cruise buttons remain on the wheel, unlike GM). To wit: steering wheel controls have no tactile representation, the illumination controls are hopelessly lost below the driver’s knee along with the controls for the cluster-mounted info center, the dead pedal (wait. On the negative side, the Escape’s center stack’s buttons are tiny and difficult to navigate at a glance. Plentiful cubbies and storage bins surround the front occupants.
The passenger and cargo compartment are equally spacious for its class, and visibility is excellent. It’s not ugly, but it ain’t right.įirst up, the positives: “Ice Blue” instrument backlighting is a welcome improvement over Ford’s puke green of yore (good riddance). The 2008’s redesign brought an utterly dismissable homage to Ford-of-today semi-gloss, meagerly-grained polymers, Lego-inspired buttonry, and self-inflicted second-use upholstery made of recycled fibers (no joke). The 2001-07 vintage interior was an utterly forgettable homage to Ford-of-the-day high-gloss, poorly grained polymers, Chiclet-inspired buttonry, and second-rate upholstery. Stepping inside reveals a whole new world of dissonance. Closer inspection reveals a busy mish-mash of hapless shapes, indents, grooves and lines that scream “design by committee.” Nobody could agree on what an Escape should truly look like, so everybody got a vote. Taken as a whole, from a distance, the Escape remains a reasonably decent looking vehicle. The 2008 model year’s redux boxed-out the boxy CUV, but deprived it of the Ford family’s trademark bold three-bar grille (black sheep anyone?). Functional may be the most apt description. The Escape has never been a standout in its appearance, nor has it ever been regarded unattractive.
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