The vehicular landscape outside Car and Driver’s home office, located as we are in the heart of Detroit Three nation, can provide a skewed view of what’s selling in America. Lincolns are as thick on the ground as Benzes—thicker, in some locales—and employee lease deals saturate the market with whatever domestic vehicles aren't selling elsewhere in the country. In at least one respect, though, a quick glance around Metro Detroit streets provides an accurate reflection of vehicle popularity: The Ford Escape is everywhere.
Ford’s second-bestselling nameplate behind only the F-series pickup, the Escape perennially ranks among the sales leaders in the booming compact-crossover segment. To defend that position in the face of rising competition, the company cooked up this refreshed version for 2017.
Ford’s second-bestselling nameplate behind only the F-series pickup, the Escape perennially ranks among the sales leaders in the booming compact-crossover segment. To defend that position in the face of rising competition, the company cooked up this refreshed version for 2017.
So What’s New?
The 2017 Escape Titanium we drove for this test boasted a host of new features, starting with its 1.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Making 179 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, it represents the middle of the Escape’s revised powertrain lineup—a 168-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder remains the base powerplant; a new 245-hp 2.0-liter twin-scroll turbocharged four is the hot one. A six-speed automatic is still the only transmission in the lineup and comes with paddle shifters if you choose either turbocharged engine. Both turbo versions also come standard with automatic stop/start , which functions smoothly but can be turned off.
Provided by Ford Motor Company
Ford’s SYNC® 3: A Good Idea Just Got Better
With SYNC® 3 Ford has overhauled their in-car connectivity platform with a simpler and more responsive interface.
SYNC® 3 — The latest version of Ford’s communications and entertainment system — is more responsive than ever. Featuring faster performance, more conversational voice recognition, and a more intuitive smartphone-like touchscreen and easier-to-understand graphical interface that helps Ford customers connect and control their smartphones on the road.
Deliver better apologies with Siri® Eyes Free
SYNC 3 brings the power of Siri Eyes Free and your iPhone® into your vehicle. Make or receive a call, reserve a table at your favorite restaurant, audibly send a "see you there" text and more.
Disclaimers
Don’t drive while distracted. Use voice-operated systems when possible; don’t use handheld devices while driving. Not all features are compatible with all phones. Message and data rates may apply.
You must have a Bluetooth®-enabled phone paired to your SYNC® system. The Bluetooth word mark is a trademark of the Bluetooth SIG, Inc. HD Radio is a proprietary trademark of iBiquity Digital Corp. iPad®, iPod®, iTunes®, iPhone®, and Siri® are registered trademarks of Apple Inc. The term Wi-Fi® is a registered trademark of the Wi-Fi Alliance®. Optional Navigation System map updates cannot be received via Wi-Fi and require a separate update. Sony is a registered trademark of the Sony Corporation.
SYNC® AppLink® is available on select models and compatible with select smartphone platforms. SYNC AppLink requires any compatible apps to be installed and running on a capable smartphone while connected to Ford SYNC. SYNC AppLink is not compatible with MyFord Touch®. Commands may vary by phone and AppLink software.
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A redesign of the center stack and console—wave goodbye to the lever-actuated parking brake—added enough new cubbies to accommodate the devices of even the most connected family, and there are plenty of 12-volt and USB power points to make sure those devices stay charged. The Sync 3 infotainment system, which was new for 2016, is intuitive and quick, and it’s standard in all but the base trim level. New this year is Sync Connect, an app that can remotely start a connected vehicle, preheat or precool the cabin, and check fluid and battery-charge levels, among other functions. Paired with FordPass (available via the same app), this is Ford’s first step toward an imagined future where everything from service appointments to parking reservations to purchases at restaurants and stores can be made using the Ford portal.
Cargo space remains ample with 34 cubic feet behind the second row, and the rear seats fold to create a flat load floor, doubling stowage space to 68 cubic feet. Returning those seats to their upright and locked positions may pose a small challenge for those who skipped arm day at the gym (especially on the 60 side of the seat’s 60/40 split), but once the backrests are erect, there’s a comfortable second row with plenty of legroom for adults of average height—but not as much rear space as competitors such as the Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, or Toyota RAV4 . Equipped as our test car was with front-wheel drive and the 1.5-liter engine, the Escape can tow up to 2000 pounds. Opting for all-wheel drive ($1750) and the 2.0-liter engine ($1295) raises it to 3500 pounds.
Outside, updates make the 2017 Escape look a little more like the bigger Explorer, and it’s somewhat more masculine, with a snub-nosed hexagonal grille and boxier taillights. Plastic cladding, added to the liftgate in an effort to square off the Escape’s rear end without the expense of new sheetmetal, improved the view from behind but appeared to be flimsily attached. Dummy front-fender vents have been with the Escape for years, and they reappear here. We were hoping they’d go away in the freshening; our staff detests them, but Ford says buyers like the chrome flourishes. That aside, by channeling SUV design cues but applying a lighter touch, this Escape manages to look both more capable and more modern than past editions.
More Boost Than Eco
But all those changes mean nothing if the Escape can’t perform its duties on the road. There, the Escape acquits itself handsomely. Our 400-plus-mile test revealed solid driving dynamics. With 0.85 g of lateral grip, the Escape handily outperforms its rivals atop the sales charts, the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4, which managed 0.80 and 0.75 g. There’s more body roll than we’d like when cornering, and the steering remains uncommunicative, but the Escape is fairly agile, controlled, and predictable. Overall, it feels less ponderous than the Honda or Toyota, but not as nimble and lively as our current segment favorite, the Mazda CX-5, which sells in much smaller numbers. On its primary turf—highways and urban and suburban surface streets—the Escape’s ride is smooth, and the suspension commendably soaks up road imperfections.
The new 1.5-liter engine (which replaces a 1.6-liter turbo) has good midrange power but is not exactly quick from a standing start. Acceleration from zero to 60 mph took 9.2 seconds, which is roughly the same as the last 1.6-liter Escape we tested, only that one was an all-wheel-drive model and 140 pounds heavier. That’s also half a second slower than the RAV4 we tested, which has similar power figures, and 1.7 seconds behind the CR-V (both of those vehicles have larger, naturally aspirated engines). Acceleration from 50 to 70 mph, a test designed to mimic highway passing, took 6.6 seconds in the Escape, which again was slower than the RAV4 (by 0.8 second) and the CR-V (by 1.7 seconds). The Ford’s acceleration is smooth, though, and the transmission does a good job responding to throttle inputs and performing almost undetectable shifts.
Despite the EcoBoost badging, the middle child of the Escape’s engine lineup was not especially eco-friendly in our hands. Although it is rated by the EPA at 23 mpg in the city, 30 mpg on the highway, and 26 mpg combined, we measured 24 mpg in mixed driving. Its so-so acceleration motivated our drivers to use the turbo boost more frequently than the EPA test cycle requires. Drivers with a lighter touch might do better (and are probably the customers Ford has in mind). Our observed fuel economy matched what we got from the CR-V, while the RAV4 returned 26 mpg in our hands. It does make one wonder: Why not go for the more powerful 2.0-liter turbo, which has an EPA combined rating just 1 mpg lower for front-wheel-drive models? We’ll have to test a new Escape with the revised-for-2017 2.0-liter to be certain, but the pre-refresh version with that engine has a history of underperforming its EPA estimates by an even wider margin, as we haven’t been able to beat 20 mpg with either front- or all-wheel-drive models. So the cost of choosing that option may well exceed the initial $1295 buy-in.
Equipped to Sell
Regardless of what’s under the hood, the Escape can be optioned to near-luxury levels. Our test car was outfitted in the top-of-the-line Titanium trim, which adds leather seats along with leather on the shift knob and steering wheel—although the grainy material on the wheel felt more like vinyl—plus fog lamps and a hands-free liftgate, among other upgrades from the base S and mid-level SE trims.
Our test car’s options included adaptive cruise control, automated parking assist, and a lane-departure warning system. All three items are new for 2017. The cruise control and automated emergency braking are an extra $595; the other features come bundled in a $1995 package. Both are available only on the Titanium trim, creating an impressive array of high-level tech in a compact family hauler. Given its equipment, our tricked-out test car still seemed reasonably priced at $33,380. (Prices start at $24,495 for a stripped-down S model with fewer creature comforts.)
Ford hypes the 2017 version as the fourth-generation Escape, but it’s really a heavy refresh of the 2013 edition. However you categorize it, the latest Escape seems likely to continue the sales momentum. It’s practical, right-sized for navigating traffic or tight city streets, and offers a variety of powertrains. It’s easy to understand why there are so many on the road, but we’d probably notice even more of them if the styling, even with its attractive updates, weren’t so innocuous—not once did anyone, even among all the other Escape drivers around town, stop us to ask, “Hey, is that the new one?”
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