Ford launched the revitalised Escape on June 15, but we were able to get an early look at the upgraded soft-roader fresh off the boat. We had the chance to take it for a drive and get some first impressions around the Mangere back roads. No FOB jokes, thanks.
Most obvious is the Territory-style front end no bad thing. It adds a presence to the Escape that was lacking from the too soft, too cute original front. With lots of heavy chrome, that look is accentuated and you could almost convince us its a real truck.
The 3-litre V6 also sounds serious, although there was also a revised 2.3-litre four on its way, at that stage. The new version of the 2.3-litre engine produces another kilowatt, now 109kW and sacrifices just 2Nm, now 199Nm, to bring peak torque down to a more useful 4000 rpm.
The V6 may be unchanged at 152kW and 276Nm, but what is new is the 4-speed auto transmission, which now has a floor-mounted shift lever. While it doesnt have a tiptronic function, it works well to provide a smoother change and it isnt afraid to short-shift up the box to make use of the V6s torque.
This apparently reduces fuel consumption by about 10 percent in the V6. Thats a worthwhile improvement, but so is the switch away from the user-unfriendly column-mounted shift-lever, even if we cant quantify it in dollars and cents.
Along with the frontal styling change comes the Territory-style bash-plates front and rear on the XLT Sport version we drove. Again, they look pretty good although they must reduce the approach angle (from 28.4-degrees to 26.5), despite the V6s greater ground clearance of 215mm, as opposed to 205mm.
The short 940mm rear overhang and extra height improve the rear departure angle from 25.2-degrees to 26.2 though. Also at the rear are LED tail lights, which also bear more than a passing resemblance to Territory.
Bigger front brakes and rear disc brakes, instead of drums, are also part of the upgrade too and they do feel strong. Theyre particularly of interest for V6 owners who now also get brake assist, previously unavailable. With a braked tow rating of 1600kg for the V6 model, theyll give an extra margin of stopping power.
Inside, theres not only the new gear-lever. The handbrake is higher than before and more comfortably positioned. The centre console has been redesigned and there are new instruments and seat fabrics and now auto air.
Carrying over is the double opening tailgate. The window opens independently to stow smaller items, using the catch under the letter A, whereas the main tailgate catch is under the letter C of the word ESCAPE on the number-plate light cover.
The roof racks are included in the $42,990 XLT Sports price but our test vehicle had optional running boards fitted, the price of which was not yet announced. The 2.3-litre XLT Escape is priced from $39,990.
Now built in Taiwan, the Escape is priced well below Territory, which should allow both models to be seen as the quite different models they really are and avoid the internal competition that had favoured Territory of late.
On the road, Escape has a light feel, biased towards comfort rather than sportiness. The long travel suspension is well-damped but smooth and cushioning. That makes for a smooth ride, although it also produces a little more body-roll.
Combined with the light steering, it is an easy vehicle to drive but not one that is designed to inspire budding race-drivers. Off road weD expect it to be compliant and well be interested to see what its RTI (ramp travel index) rating is.
The performance is solid; the V6 reaches 100 kph in just over 10 seconds and overtaking from 80 to 110 kph takes just over 6 seconds according to our basic averaged stopwatch runs.
More importantly the V6 feels strong and the auto seems very well suited to its performance characteristics.
We felt that the original Escape had better than expected off-road ability and will look forward to a proper test-drive in due course..:
