Spy Shots: 2013 Ford Escape caught!

We may not know whether Ford will stick with the Escape name when the vehicle's successor comes along in 2012 as a 2013 model, but thanks to the quick shutters of our crack team of spy photographers, we now have a vague idea of what the machine will look like. Peek beneath all of that camouflage and you're likely to see a vehicle that borrows nearly all of its proportions from the recently-unveiled Vertrek Concept. That boxy aft-end appears to be nothing but floppy camouflage designed to hide the vehicle's arching rear hatch.

The Escape successor is slated to ride on the Blue Oval's global C1 platform – the same bones that make up the Focus, C-Max and Transit Connect, among other future products. There's word that Ford will banish the V6 in favor of an Ecoboost 2.0-liter engine at the top of the line. At this point, it's unclear whether that four-pot will be a 1.6-liter or a larger 2.0-liter mill. Lower rung trims will likely still pack a 2.5-liter four-cylinder lump.

[Source: Chris Doane/Brenda Priddy & Company]