Her + His Car Reviews
2017 Ford Escape SE FWD
There are two sides to everything, right? To keep our car reviews innovative and interesting, we provide an animated, insightful, and detailed POV's on the same car from - Her + His perspectives.
Her: Anne Fleming, Car Buying Advocate, women-drivers.com
His: Don Hammonds, Writer, AutomobileJournal.com
| HER | HIS |
|---|---|
| Price | |
| $32,165 | $32,165 |
| Performance | |
| The new 2017 upgraded Ford Escape has some very nice upgrades. With the 1.5 and our 2.0 litre turbocharged Ecoboost, there is no standing still. The handling on the Escape is very sharp and quick, but smooth, and we enjoyed this drive as one of the best in the small SUV class. The 6 speed Selectshift offers smooth and seamless pickup. | The Escape always has been one of the sportiest, best handling small CUVs you could buy. And though the Escape is pretty much all new for 2017, that description still holds. I was amazed at how agile this car is on the road. It can be tossed into corners, it accelerates briskly, and yet it remains firmly planted on the ground. No problems here! Power comes from a 2.0 liter EcoBoost four cylinder engine, and it truly does provide V-6 punch behind the wheel, too. The transmission is a six speed with SelectShift. |
| Fuel Economy | |
| 22 city miles and 29 highway miles. A top rated vehicle in its class. | SE Escape model with the EcoBoost engine like I drove is rated at 25 miles per gallon overall, 22 city and 29 highway. You will spend $250 more in gasoline costs over five years compared to the average new vehicle, and the Escape with EcoBoost uses four gallons of gas to drive 100 miles. The annual fuel cost is $1,450, based on five years of driving 15,000 miles annually on gasoline costing $2.40 a gallon. |
| The Car | |
| This year's Escape is a gem. Its added more safety features (shown below) and the cabin is laid out well, and looks very upscale. It sounds like a quieter ride. Ford has improved the reliability of the Escape - good news for owners all around. Leather wrapped and heated steering wheel The Escape seats 5 people comfortably. Leather seating. The space in the front and back row is adequate, although some feedback says the rear seats are too low and short. The rear seats recline; a nice feature for optimum resting state. Here's to Ford for providing a spare tire on this model. Yes, a spare. Be sure you are checking as more than 40% of new cars sold do not have them. On the technology front, a sore spot for Ford has been the MyFord Touch Infotainment system. That is now being replaced with a standard Sync3. Also, Escape owners can open and close the vehicle locks with a SYNC Connect smart phone app. It also allows to remotely start the engine - very handy indeed. |
Though the newest Escape resembles prior ones rather closely, it does look smoother, more substantial and more robust. You will notice the difference when you see last year's model or others in the current generation of the Escape. Lots to talk about for 2017: First, there are considerable upgrades to the interior. It looks classier and the materials look sturdier and more luxurious. The dashboard is looking good too. The Escape now offers a 1.5 liter four that is new, but it's the modified 2.0 liter EcoBoost that steals the show. It has lots of pickup, and gets pretty outstanding gas mileage compared to its peers, as you can see by what I had to say under the Fuel Economy portion of my review. If you get an Escape with Sync 3, you will get an ownership app (FordPass with Sync Connect) and Apple CarPlay and Android Auto smartphone integration. Safety features now include lane departure prevention, a drowsy driver warning system, which is something not offered by most of its competitors, and adaptive cruise control with forward collision alert. |
| Safety | |
| Blind Spot Monitoring, Automatic Parking Assist, Lane Keep Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Alert, Front & Rear Parking Sensors, Driver Drowsiness Monitoring, Adaptive Cruise Control, Assisted Pre Collision Braking. Automatic High Beams. Reverse Sensing System. Front Wheel Drive. Interior Illuminating Lighting System. Fog Lamps. Headlamps, LED Tail Lamps. Privacy Glass. | While the Escape has a full complement of safety equipment, there's not anything that stands out in comparison to other small CUVs that offer the same equipment. |
| Technology | |
| Rearview camera, Bluetooth and a USB port, Ford's MyKey, Ford's voice-activated SYNC infotainment interface. Keyless Entry. Power Liftgate for easy opening of trunk. On our model was a Panoramic sunroof, 10 speaker stereo, Dual zone climate control, 110 Volt Power Outlet, Push button Start, Satellite radio/HD Radio, Navigation, and the new SYNC 3 touch-screen infotainment system. Windshield Deicer. On the technology front, a sore spot for Ford has been the MyFord Touch Infotainment system. That is now being replaced with a standard easy-to-use Sync3. Also, Escape owners can open and close the vehicle locks with a SYNC Connect smart phone app. It also allows to remotely start the engine - very handy indeed. |
The S, the entry level Escape, starts with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated at 168 horsepower, a six-speed automatic transmission and front-wheel drive. Standard features include 17-inch steel wheels, automatic headlights, LED taillights, MyKey parental controls, cruise control, air-conditioning, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, a height-adjustable driver seat, a 60/40-split folding and reclining rear seat, a 4.2-inch central display, a rearview camera, the Sync tech interface with AppLink smartphone integration, Bluetooth and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player and a USB port. Note that this model is generally aimed at business fleet buyers and may not be an easy find on your local dealer's lot. Step up to the SE and you will get 17-inch alloy wheels, a 1.5-liter turbocharged engine (179 hp, 177 lb-ft), foglights, a keyless entry keypad, rear privacy glass, dual-zone automatic climate control, steering-wheel-mounted paddle shifters, rear air vents, an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat (with power lumbar adjustment), upgraded cloth upholstery, a rear center armrest and satellite radio. Optional on the SE is that 2.0-liter turbocharged EcoBoost four-cylinder engine (245 hp), all-wheel drive, and the SE Technology package (also called Equipment Group 201A), which adds LED daytime running lights, roof rails, rear parking sensors, a 110-volt household-style power outlet, the upgraded Sync 3 technology interface (including an 8-inch touchscreen), a nine-speaker sound system with dual USB ports, and blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert. The available Cold Weather package includes heated front seats and mirrors, a windshield de-icer and a 110-volt outlet (if not ordered with the Technology package). To this, the SE Leather Comfort package adds an eight-way power passenger seat (with two-way power lumbar adjustment) and leather upholstery. Also available are a hands-free power liftgate (requires the SE Technology package), 18-inch wheels and remote engine start. Foot sensor that opens the power liftgate. Also included is keyless entry and ignition, ambient interior lighting, driver-seat memory settings, an auto-dimming rearview mirror and a 10-speaker Sony audio system with HD radio. The 2.0-liter engine is also optional for the Titanium, as is adaptive cruise control with forward collision warning. By the way, you will rejoice to hear that Ford's made big changes to the new Sync 3 is a significant upgrade over the old MyFordTouch infotainment interface that was the bane of many owners. Now you will find much better touchscreen graphics, quick response time and easily navigable menus. |
| Aesthetics & Styling | |
| Design, engineering, technology and safety enhancements all add up to making the Escape an undeniable winner for 2017. It remains a TOP seller - as it is priced right, and has the right blend of added-value of bells and whistles. Space and functionality in tow, Ford continues to find ways to upgrade this model to keep it top of class and a fierce competitor. | I will say that the styling changes they made, subtle as they were, were the absolute right things to modify because the Escape looks a lot more contemporary, and I actually thought it looked more like a top of the line model instead of a model that was only one rung above basic. There was nothing at all basic about the level of comfort and attractiveness to the interior either. |
| Warranty | |
| 3 Year/ 36,000 Bumper to Bumper. 5 Year/60,000 Powertrain. 5 Year/60,00 Roadside Assistance. | The Escape has the familiar three years/36,000-mile bumper to bumper basic warranty and the five year or 60,000-mile powertrain warranty, too. |
