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Comments
Bob
Bob
* broken
* off
LOL. Gimme a break.
-juice
Also, a lot of new 4x4s don't have a neutral in the transfer case, so I think it's a legit selling feature—and a worthwhile feature, if you need to be towed (and not just behind an RV). Old-time, hardcore off-roaders prefer having that feature.
There's a good description of "Neutral" on this Jeep link, under Quadra-Trac II/Quadra-Drive II "Operating Instructions and Precautions":
http://www.wkjeeps.com/wk_4x4.htm
Bob
I guess for tow trucks that leave 2 tires on the ground, the neutral is useful.
-juice
Also, since it's full-time 4WD, you won't require a rollback tow truck, should you break down.
Bob
Bob
Are the Escape's skid plates metal or plastic? I kind of doubt they're metal, it's probably just cosmetic.
-juice
Owen
The rear diff may be protected, but the lower control arms of the suspensions are visibly exposed, well below the level of the rear diff. You can see that without from behind any Escape without even bending down. I'll try to get a pic to show what I mean.
The Forester's under side is much cleaner and everything is tucked in. The photo below proves that.
However, Escape doesn't have all that much payload, no more than a Forester. You might have exceeded the capacity, but that not mean it was safe to do so. You also probably voided the warranty on the shocks, springs, axles, wheel bearings, and brakes.
Besides, personal watercraft are fairly light, I've hauled loaded like that, and here's a pic to prove it. That's 3 yards of wood chips on a 5'x8' trailer, a full load for a long-bed Ford F150 by the way.
And if you want to talk about ultimate capacity, if you were pulling a full load plus a trailer up a mountain, a mile above sea level, you'd be much better off with a Forester XT, turbo pumping, than you would with any naturally aspirated Escape wheezing at that altitude with power loss due to thin air.
-juice
You can clearly see the rear suspension dips way, way below the rear differential. In fact my guess is that skid plate you were so proud of is basically useless, you'd hit those lower arms in the suspension well before you ever hit the differential.
Ford might claim 8" or more of ground clearance. Sure, at the rear diff. But look just to the sides, it's actually a lot less, and those are the type of things that can get hung up on rocks and get you stuck, or cause you to high center.
The lowest point on a Forester, as you can see above, is the front cross member under the engine. That's strong enough to be a jacking point, so it won't be damaged even if you do bang it up and high center.
-juice
A big deal was being made about skid plates - they won't make a difference.
-juice
Climbing in the snow, the Escape did very well, better than just about all the others, in that White Snow and the Eleven Dwarfs comparo article (C&D? R&T? A&P?).
-Frank
Forester can tow 3,500 lbs?? Don't want to get into a match about towing either.. If I wanted to tow I would buy a truck! Fact is though Escape has one of the best towing capacities in this segment...
Except for the Escape hybrid, which is rated to tow a measly 1000 pounds.
Bob
-juice
I gotta say that the Suzuki GV XL-7 04 (<-- this is my year ) is hands down the best overall SUV! It has the suspension, body structure and enough power for off-roading. It gets good MPG and has a fairly smooth ride. (What do you expect since it has a body on frame design for off-roading)
The suspension is a 5-link and has a ladder frame.... can't beat that!!!
It gets 20 mpg!!!
The power might not be up to par with the Xterra, but it's all about the gearing if you wanna go off-roading.... that is what the lo 4wd is for!!!
I cannot comment on the Santa Fe's and I have never driven one.
The new Jeeps are much better than my 1997 Limited I had, the V-6 is plenty of power and not as bad on fuel as the thirsty V-8s. Good luck on your choices.
Also as for the Jeep and Forester, those are good choice depending on what you are looking for. However, I would recommend the Forester over the Jeep. I am sure that most of us here do not do any serious off roading, which neither can do well anyways. Most of us will use our vehicles for snow and rain, which is why the Forester would be the better choice. The AWD system is more suited for it and definitely get a lot better mileage, 22/29.
I still consider the Suzuki Grand Vitara XL-7 the best of the bunch tho!!!
Forester over Jeep for what? I hope not offroading. You will twist that car frame on the Suburau far before the frame of the Jeep. Jeep and Xterra are your best choices for Offroading.. :shades:
other than that nothing has gone wrong.
-Frank
I had my Grande Cherokee Limited for almost 9 years and it was a very good vehicle, but the gas milage was terrible. Thus, cost over the future years to have the "offroad" capability did out weigh the cost of gas. Also, at 125,000 miles, the little things were going wrong, not with the engine, but Quadra-Trac system, too expensive to repair for the worth of the vehicle. :surprise: :confuse:
If the Escape is so darn good, why are there 8 recalls for them!
As for my Subaru comment... read it again!!! I just said most of us here that buy these type of vehicles do not do any serious off roading. The Subaru has had one of the best AWD systems for years that work great in rain and snow!
If you are going to go off roading, then the Xterra or Grand Vitara would be your choice. For you folks who are not familiar with the GV, it is built on a box ladder frame with a 5-link rear suspension.
Forester has made the top 3 in JD Power's IQ study multiple times, a list the Escape has never been on. Small SUVs that have made the list include the CR-V, RAV4, Element, Aztek, Santa Fe, and yes, the Forester.
-juice
Mazda contributed on the design, sure, but Ford owns Mazda, so even that is debatable.
-juice
Steve, Host
Anyways, FYI, Ford owns 1/3 of Mazda.
Escape is very much a Ford, made in the USA, Duratec block and all. Both regular and hybrid models are made here.
-juice
It's actually a little more than a third and is enough, according to Japanese law, to be a controlling share. Ford does not own Mazda outright but they do call all of the shots for them.
IIRC, someone posted that 20% constitutes ci.
What if one company holds 20%, another company holds 21%, another company holds 22%, etc, do they ALL have a "controlling interest?" How could that be? It doesn't add up.
I'm nonplussed.
Not asking this because I don't know.. I do. I am very well aware of the first year of Escape.. Now. do you know? Your post sounds like all 8 were this year? Also, how many recalls does the CRV have? or the Subaru? What years? How many total?
Subaru didn't do so good in the last JD powers comparison.. does this make them completly undreliable now?
However, my cousin had a Ford Taurus and he said a lot things went wrong and he would never buy another Ford again. I never asked exactly what were the problems, but I know the car overheated a lot and the interior seats had a lot of cracks. I also had a former co-worker who owned a Ford Escort which also broke down on the road and it had to be towed to a shop for repair. I regret I never asked either of them what exactly was wrong with their Fords but the Taurus was an early 90's model and the Escort was somewhere in the 90's.
I've had personal experiences with a '94 & '98 Prelude, '95 Accord V6 and a '00 CR-V and have had no issues except for two things. One, '94 Prelude had a leak in the A/C which was easily fixed by the dealer under warranty and two, a creaking noise from the '98 Prelude's moon roof which I fixed by oiling every nut and bolt .
Anyways, I agree that Ford, Dodge and GM have greatly improved their cars and will not argue that their cars are dramatically better than before. I'm just relaying my experiences with everyone... (Wish I had a beer to crack... :P )