56 DECEMBER 2019 ~ CAR AND DRIVER
In the Escape hierarchy, our SE is one
step up from the base trim, S. A turbo-
charged 1. 5 -liter inline-three making 181
horsepower and 1 9 0 pound-feet of torque
is standard. SE Sport and Titanium models
come with a hybridized 2. 5 -liter inline-four
good for 2 00 horsepower, while the top-
spec 25 0-hp turbo 2 .0-liter is available on
all-wheel-drive SEL and Titanium versions.
It’s the smallest engine in the lineup,
but the 1. 5 is plenty potent. The turbo three
moves this 34 9 4-pound ute to 6 0 mph in 7.7
seconds, putting it near the top of its class.
That time makes the Ford quicker than
base-engine versions of the Hyundai Tuc-
son, Mazda CX- 5 , Nissan Rogue, Subaru
Forester, Toyota RAV4, and Volkswagen
Tiguan. A Honda CR-V with a turbocharged- 5 -liter four is quicker, but not by much. But
no CR-V can come close to an Escape pack-
ing the turbocharged 2 .0-liter four; it hits
6 0 mph in only 5 .7 seconds.
The 1. 5 -liter pairs well with the eight-
speed automatic. We caught the trans-
mission hunting between second, third,
and fourth gears while creeping through
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in high gears as much as possible to boost
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and power here to give the Escape a leg up
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b_RN[QY\dRß\_aNPPRYR_NaV\[N_R]_Raaf impressive for a 1. 5 -liter three-pot. At high]RRQ`aU\bTUYVXRdUR[½\_V[TVa[a\N
freeway, the engine feels a few horses short
of satisfying. And the 7 5 decibels measured
at full throttle might not be high, but the
quality of the sound isn’t pleasing. We also
uncovered a bad vibration below 125 0 rpm,
and when Ford’s cylinder-deactivation
Your favorite restaurant revamps the menu, removing every thing
delicious and replacing it all with more expensive, less satisfying fare.
“Come on in. You’ll love our new menu!” Turns out this model isn’t
exclusive to eateries. It’s also something automakers have glommed
onto in recent months, most notably Ford. The company has largely
TbaaRQVaB@YV[Rb]\SNß\_QNOYRN[QR[W\fNOYRRQN[N[QUNaPU- backs and packed it with crossovers. New look, same great taste! If only. Ford’s Fiesta and Focus, which are still sold in other parts \SaURd\_YQN_RSb[a\Q_VcR]_NPaVPNYN[QNß\_QNOYRHRR²?R3-
PbRQ³]NTR& J/badVaU\baaURZV[aURB@½RRa3\_QVU]V[T
aUNa¼`aaVZRObfRdVYYV[aRNQaR]V[a\N[2P\@]\_a\_2PN]R
Part of the soaring popularity of these car-
based crossovers is that they’re not entry-level
vehicles. They have the high seating position
and rugged essence that people are willing to
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and hatchbacks from which they are spawned.
When Ford removed the bottom rung of its
product ladder, it turned the Escape, its second-
bestselling vehicle behind the F-1 5 0, into one the
cheapest products in its portfolio—and we’re
not talking about price.
Our test car’s interior has a modern design
and a high-mounted infotainment touchscreen,
but hard, shiny, and chintzy-looking plastics
are every where. The cloth seats are attractive,
featuring a diamond pattern on the inserts
that’s echoed on the Escape’s door panels. There
were some standout build-quality issues with
our preproduction Escape: We could see a gap
between the door trim and the fabric headliner,
parts of the center console had sharp edges left
over from the molding process, and one of the
front speakers simply didn’t work. The info-
tainment system, while attractive and intuitive,
didn’t always respond promptly. We can only
hope that production versions will be screwed
together with more care.
~
We’re all
familiar with
the concept:
The interior is
attractive and
spacious, and it
boasts an expan-
sive view out, but
the materials
show clear signs
of cost cutting.