SE 4dr 4x4
2017 Ford Escape
The Ford Escape debuted in 2001 when the US market offered a single-digit number of small crossovers. The Toyota RAV4 was five years old, the Honda CR-V was four, the Subaru Forester was just three. As the crossover models proliferated and SUVs took over a third of the US market, the Escape remained at or near the top of the sales leaderboard: as recently as 2013 the Escape outsold the RAV4 and CR-V. In 2014, however, the CR-V claimed top sales and dropped the Escape to second place. In 2015, both the RAV4 and the CR-V bested the Escape in sales. Despite the demotion, the runt in The Blue Oval's crossover litter remains a success for the brand. Ford said millennials and Baby Boomers are the two largest demographics for compact crossovers, and those two buying groups helped Ford sell 306,492 Escapes in 2015. The sales tally marked seven straight years of increases and made the Escape the best-selling Ford behind the F-150. Ford also says the Escape is the number one nameplate for female buyers out of all Ford models. Nevertheless, the Dearborn carmaker wants its sales crown back. The heavily refreshed 2017 Escape is Ford's attack on the throne. The heavily refreshed 2017 Escape is Ford's attack on the throne. Outside, designers reworked everything ahead of the A-pillar and tweaked the tailgate area. A new aluminum hood saves weight. The front fascia adopts Ford's corporate design language of horizontal lines highlighting a hexagonal grille. The Titanium trim we drove gets new halogen projectors standard that can be upgraded to HID units. The tailgate features sharper creases and the taillights are now all-LED units. The redesign is mature in the best sense – still recognizably an Escape minus the aggression when viewed head-on. The optional Sport Appearance Package substitutes glossy Ebony black for the normal glossy silver brightwork on the upper and lower grilles, window surrounds, side mirror caps, headlight and taillight bezels, roof rack, and rear fascia. The package also fits 19-inch Ebony black wheels wearing 235/45 Continental ContactPro tires. Our test vehicle's Canyon Ridge color is one of three new exterior hues, along with White Gold and Lightning Blue. Ford invested much more of its refresh budget on the inside. Said Escape program manager Chris Mazur, "Pretty much everything the customer touches, we touched." The helm features a new three-spoke steering wheel with larger five-way buttons. Ticking the box for the Sport Package upgrades to a leather-wrapped wheel with white cross-stitching, a leather-wrapped shifter, and patterned cloth sport seats with leather and vinyl bolsters. Finer-grained vinyl or nicer leather tops the new instrument panel. Darker plastic and piano black trim pieces banish the previous model's 50-shades-of-gray palette. It looks and feels nicer everywhere. The new shape of the one-piece outboard vents channels more air into the cabin. Installing a new electric parking brake and moving some optional controls to the climate-control panel frees up room for three storage cubbies around the cupholder. The USB jack in the …
Full Review
The Ford Escape debuted in 2001 when the US market offered a single-digit number of small crossovers. The Toyota RAV4 was five years old, the Honda CR-V was four, the Subaru Forester was just three. As the crossover models proliferated and SUVs took over a third of the US market, the Escape remained at or near the top of the sales leaderboard: as recently as 2013 the Escape outsold the RAV4 and CR-V. In 2014, however, the CR-V claimed top sales and dropped the Escape to second place. In 2015, both the RAV4 and the CR-V bested the Escape in sales. Despite the demotion, the runt in The Blue Oval's crossover litter remains a success for the brand. Ford said millennials and Baby Boomers are the two largest demographics for compact crossovers, and those two buying groups helped Ford sell 306,492 Escapes in 2015. The sales tally marked seven straight years of increases and made the Escape the best-selling Ford behind the F-150. Ford also says the Escape is the number one nameplate for female buyers out of all Ford models. Nevertheless, the Dearborn carmaker wants its sales crown back. The heavily refreshed 2017 Escape is Ford's attack on the throne. The heavily refreshed 2017 Escape is Ford's attack on the throne. Outside, designers reworked everything ahead of the A-pillar and tweaked the tailgate area. A new aluminum hood saves weight. The front fascia adopts Ford's corporate design language of horizontal lines highlighting a hexagonal grille. The Titanium trim we drove gets new halogen projectors standard that can be upgraded to HID units. The tailgate features sharper creases and the taillights are now all-LED units. The redesign is mature in the best sense – still recognizably an Escape minus the aggression when viewed head-on. The optional Sport Appearance Package substitutes glossy Ebony black for the normal glossy silver brightwork on the upper and lower grilles, window surrounds, side mirror caps, headlight and taillight bezels, roof rack, and rear fascia. The package also fits 19-inch Ebony black wheels wearing 235/45 Continental ContactPro tires. Our test vehicle's Canyon Ridge color is one of three new exterior hues, along with White Gold and Lightning Blue. Ford invested much more of its refresh budget on the inside. Said Escape program manager Chris Mazur, "Pretty much everything the customer touches, we touched." The helm features a new three-spoke steering wheel with larger five-way buttons. Ticking the box for the Sport Package upgrades to a leather-wrapped wheel with white cross-stitching, a leather-wrapped shifter, and patterned cloth sport seats with leather and vinyl bolsters. Finer-grained vinyl or nicer leather tops the new instrument panel. Darker plastic and piano black trim pieces banish the previous model's 50-shades-of-gray palette. It looks and feels nicer everywhere. The new shape of the one-piece outboard vents channels more air into the cabin. Installing a new electric parking brake and moving some optional controls to the climate-control panel frees up room for three storage cubbies around the cupholder. The USB jack in the …
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Retail Price
$27,000
MSRP / Window Sticker Price
| Engine | 1.5L I-4 |
| MPG | 22 City / 28 Hwy |
| Seating | 5 Passengers |
| Transmission | 6-spd w/OD |
| Power | 179 @ 6000 rpm |
| Drivetrain | four-wheel |
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