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Comments
as a current escape owner, i would have liked drivetrain upgrades, before styling changes.
interior might be better, but i need to see it without the nav. overall, i still like the escape.
I just hope that the heads that are rolling are the ones that screwed things up.
Mark.
1. All grabbars have been removed, seems odd given that they have made the vehicle look more like a truck than ever
2. The radio/climate control system is a mixed bag. It includes a "recirculation" button for the first time (how long did that take!) but depending on the setting (even without defrost) it will resort to outside air. The non-nav radio uses a led display panel above the air outlets and thus creates a completely "nonstandard" radio arrangement. I suppose this would not be so bad, but it really sucks if you want to use aftermarket parts (nav kit, bluetooth). Bluetooth is not available directly from the factory (what century is Ford living in?). The nav kit is $2700 and does nothing more than the nav function. There are no slots for SD memory cards so that it might be possible to control MP3s using the touchscreen. There is an auxillary input, so at least that's something.
3. The brakes seemed mushy...
On the other hand, the ride was generally pleasant and the handling seemed good. But then again, that's true for the competition like Rav4 and CRV, both of which get better gas mileage in non-hybrid form. I was set to buy the vehicle, but given the issues raised above...I will have to look at the competition more carefully.
Glenn Strouse
As for the Escape, at least its short comings will only be with us for about 2 model years.
The 6 speed tranny is definately coming in a couple of years and I hope the 3.5L is as well.
As for the blue tooth, if you can wait a few months, Ford will www.syncmyride.com
Mark
I've purchased a Miata and a Tribute. I still own the Miata.
Compare the Outlander against the Escape and you'll think the Escape is 20 years behind. I have no affiliation with Mitsu and do not own one.
Ray
Ford had two on display. One Hybird on an elevated platform with the doors opened and a Limited on the floor locked up tight. The Hybird had rear disk brakes and the Limited had rear drum brakes.
One improvement I noticed was no more right hand stalk on the steering column for the wipers. It was impossible to tell if the tilt range of the column was improved or not as you could not get in to try it. The tilt range on our 05 is useless. The interior looked better but is still made of hard/cheap plastic but it did look as if the elbow rest in the door panel had a soft insert. That would be an improvement.
Nothing there to make the wife and me race to our Ford dealer to trade the 05 for an 08.
Ford was more interested in promoting the 08 Taurus (AKA Five Hundred). Just my $0.02.
FredB
Mark.
We didn't get a chance to drive a new Escape, but spent some time checking out interior features, leg room, etc. Our first impression was that compared to the Santa Fe, the interior of the Escape looks very cheap and dull. Having said that, in Canada, it comes with features that the Santa Fe doesn't have, such as in-dash CD-changer and aux input for MP3 player. I'll post again once we've had a chance to drive a new Escape.
2007 Santa FE
2008 Ford Escape.
I'm not a fan of fake wood. Also, I like the top of dash display and the blue lighting. Lots of hard plastic though.
I like that the controls on the Hyundai are mounted higher up by moving the vents to the sides.
Mark
I have a few questions though for anyone willing to respond...
- Why rear drum brakes? Obviously they're cheaper to maintain, but most vehicles in this class have disc all round.
- How effective is the AWD? Is it activated electronically? Is it a good system? I do like that the Santa Fe and Outlander can lock in the AWD at low speed. I don't believe the Escape has this feature.
- Does the "shuffle" feature work just for the CD being played, or across all CD's in the 6 CD magazine?
Thanks!
The "low" on the Santa Fe and Outlander is a gimic. Neither of those 2 trucks have either the towing capacity, or the ground clearance to go anywhere or do anything that would reasonably require a low range on the 4x4.
Shuffle works for the CD being played.
Rear drums: Ford claims that stopping distands are the same with the reat drums.
Mark.
Thanks - the AWD on our 03 CRV is activated by pumps, and tends to be slow sometimes. I'm looking forward to a newer and more responsive system.
The "low" on the Santa Fe and Outlander is a gimic. Neither of those 2 trucks have either the towing capacity, or the ground clearance to go anywhere or do anything that would reasonably require a low range on the 4x4.
No plans to tow or go offroad. With the snow that we get, we do like the ability to lock into awd at low speeds. I could see it as being useful, or at least adding some security to what can sometimes be an interesting drive.
Thanks for your response!
Low range is used to engage the shorter gear in the 2 speed differential. You have to be at a complete stop, shift the truck to neutral then set the diff to low and then your speed is limited to 15 mph.
Low does not give you better traction it merely provides more torque and more engine braking.
People who go off road (not dirt or gravel, real off road trails) use low range for maximum engine braking when going down long descents where going over 3 to 10 mph will mean total disaster and relying only on brakes would smoke'um.
People who tow boats can use low range to get pull a boat out of a steep ramp.
If you ever try to drive through deep enough snow where a "low range" is necessary, you will probably be in deep enough to break your axles and end up stranded due to the overall low clearance.
People who actually do the types of things for which a "low range" would be used, would never by a Santa Fe or a CRV to do them, hence its a gimick
Escape has no buttons or knobs because the system is constantly measuring wheel speed differences and can almost anticipate wheel slip and will engage with in the blink of an eye. This system is closer to Honda's SH-AWD on the MDX/RDX then the hydraulic system used on the CRV.
To be clear, I'm not searching for a low gear on any of the vehicles that I'm considering. I merely noticed the ability to lock in AWD at lower speeds (eg below 30 kmh) and liked that feature as a means to ensure maximum traction in situations where I should be driving slowly anyway.
Mark.
Mark
The Engine can trace back to the Duratec 2.5L introduced for the 1994 European Ford Mondeo. This engine was named a Wards Automotive 10Best 4 times.
The bored out 3.0 version was introduced in 1996 and different version offered on everything for the Taurus to the Jag X-type to Noble M400 Brit supercar.
The trans. is the Ford CD4E transmission which was introduced for the 4 cylinder 1994 Mazda 626. Ford upgraded the design in 1996 and 1998. Other than problems with the initial few model years, the Trans seems to be problem free.
Tow package is recommended for the additional trans oil cooler.
Mark.
i read a rumor of a 'performance improved' 30dt being introduced before the 6 speed. heard anything about that?
btw, we have an '04 escape limited, so i am familiar with the current drivetrain.
There is no "locking" feature for AWD. It's electronic. Outlander allows you to be only in 2WD, or 2WD with the auto feature, or AWD locked in. The Santa Fe AWD is electronic but you can over-ride it and lock it as well. The Escape cannot be locked (to the best of my knowledge).
The rear drum brakes of the Escape bother me. I have a 97 Explore with 4 wheel disc and to go back to drum.....CRAZY. I do most of my repairs and replacing disk breaks can be done with your eyes closed. Drum are not so easy and more time consuming.
The Escape has a nice quiet interior and comfortable ride but power is not up to par nor is breaking.
With all that said, I very well may go with the Escape even though I am still looking at the Santa Fe and Outlander (may look at the VUE as well). I just wanted to pass that along. Oh-the "08" Hybrid does have rear disk but no electronic stabilization like the non-Hybrids have standard? Another bad call. I'd love to wait a few more years for the Escape to catch up but my Explorer at 170K needs work and I don't want to put any $$$ in it at this point.
As I stated previously, the Escape does not have a locked in switch because the system does not need one. The Santa Fe and Outlander do not use the fast acting electronic clutch that the Escape uses. The Escape can engage AWD within the blink of an eye. Quicker than you could reach over to flip a switch.
"The rear drum brakes of the Escape bother me. I have a 97 Explore with 4 wheel disc and to go back to drum.....CRAZY. I do most of my repairs and replacing disk breaks can be done with your eyes closed. Drum are not so easy and more time consuming."
Funny, most shops charge LESS for drum brake service because the can be serviced faster. Perhaps you missed your true calling as a brake tech. Notwithstanding same, Ford claims these drums are capable of the the same performance as the previous discs.
Funny how we easily accept that today's 4 cylinder engine can out perform a typical 6 cylinder of the 1990s and the typical 8 cylinder of the 1980s; yet, we question the ability of anyone to improve on the drum brake?
"The Escape has a nice quiet interior and comfortable ride but power is not up to par nor is breaking."
I would think that BREAKING less than the competition would be a good thing. As for braking, are you assuming Escape does not brake as well as the competition or is there a comparison test you can point us to.
Mark.
Yeah, but on my minivan I'm on my 3rd set of front pads and rotors, but still have the original rear brakes at 117,000 miles. My Outback has rear discs and they have a parking brake drum in the rear discs - not sure how much fun that's going to be to tackle.
Rear discs is almost more of a deal killer for me than rear drums would be.
$19,995 Fusion SE has a power driver's seat. Why on earth would someone pay $25,000+ for a vehicle without a power drivers seat? WHY ESPECIALLY when it is still standard on the Escape XLT?
Sometimes I almost think Ford deserves to go bankrupt.
Mark.
And hey how fast is the "blink of an eye"? Pretty fast eh? Maybe I should go to my dealer tomorrow and say I hear that Escape switches into AWD faster than the blink of an eye-I'll take one and if it's any slower I want my money back.
Mark-this is a FORUM not an exam or an article in a magazine. So what if my spelling isn't perfect? And so what if what I say goes against what Ford claims? Buying a car isn't about what a manufacture claims-it's about real people, asking real questions and finding out for themselves.
Don't ruin a good thing-keep your anger to yourself or find another Forum to scrutinize and spell check.
How many words can you find misspelled in this post?
Waaaaaaaaa!
I suggest we drop this line or someone will be tempted to start grammar checks. At least you guys use punctuation and don't type in ALL CAPS!
tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper
In a word, it is fantastic, transparent, seamless, etc. etc. Okay, more than one word.
I recently sold my 05 Tribute i, AWD, 5 speed manual trans. I'm that way....loved it, but wanted to try a Prius. I figured I'd go for an 08 this coming winter, but have now found that I cannot get the 5 speed manual with the AWD now. Such a shame, since it was the best balanced configuration. Maybe the front wheel drive with traction control will be okay. I'll give one a try when the time comes.
Not sure if the 08 has perforated leather like the 07. Perforated leather is a lot cooler in the summer. Probably left out the grab handles due to the curtain air bags, but, other SUVs have both.
Had our 07 in for oil and filter. Thought I would do a quick comparison.
The basic unibody structure of this car goes back to 1994 Mazda 626. Before IIHS testing and before the tougher fed test.
In my mind though the IIHS test with more closly simulates a real world crash is a better indicater than the Feds.
Mark.
I recently purchased a 2008 Escape Limited. No complaints really (coming from a 1999 Explorer EB) minus this strange item; there is a white hose which suddenly came dangling loose near the gas pedal. Needless to say while driving this was uhhh... panic inducing. ("What is that thing catching on my foot!?!") It looks like it's for air perhaps? I see a hole to the right of the gas pedal, in the console, that seems the likely place the hose was originally connected. Ideas? Yes I'd like to avoid having to make a full-on service appointment if it's a simple fix. ;-)
Thanks!
J.
OMG Ford is really hurting
In the past drum brakes faded because the organic brake shoe decomposed under heat creating a gas that came between the shoe and the drum causing fade.
If Ford can develope a shoe that does not decompose and does not fade, then what is the difference. Its called progress.
The benefit to you is that your brake job costs less.
Mark.
I guess we are lucky to get 4 doors on this new escape. But if one of the doors was just a grocery bag you would say "hey, at least it saves weight and fuel economy, and a lighter car makes it faster!"
I do not live in a turd world country. I should not have rear-drums.
I was wondering if anyone can give me some advice. I just leased a 2008 XLT 4WD Ford Escape on Sat. May 5. I was just admiring it and realized that the drivers side wheel well looks to be rusted. I am going to take it back to the dealership tonight, but before I did so I wanted to know if the dealership might refuse to take care of it since all of the papers for the lease were signed?
Mark.
Is this something I have to have reprogrammed by the dealer, or is there a switch I just can't find?
Ladyblue :confuse:
Mark
Another problem that Im having and im curious to see if anybody else has. I have been having horrible traction when it is raining, here's an example. When the tires are wet from the road and Im sitting at a light and I hit the gas to go the tires will just spin and spin and finally get traction and start moving I was wondering if anybody else has this problem. :confuse: