Ford Escape
Ever since the 1990’s Ford has had a strong following in the SUV market and this certainly includes the smallest of it’s SUV’s – The Ford Escape. First introduced in 2000, the Ford Escape was positioned below the highly popular Ford Explorer, both in terms of price and size.
Although the Ford Escape is considered an SUV, it was different right from the start. Most SUV’s are based on truck platforms that include a rear wheel drive design and solid rear axles. Since Ford knew that most of their customer base did not take their SUV’s off-road, it was decided to use a car-based platform and make the Ford Escape a front wheel drive vehicle with fully independent suspension. The Ford Escape wasn’t like a regular car though and resembles and SUV and also comes in an all wheel drive model as well. This all wheel drive system is slightly different from other systems in similar vehicles. Most often when the vehicle is traveling down the road, most of the power is sent to the front wheels and only when slippage is detected power is diverted to the rear wheels to provide traction. This results in a highly stable vehicle no matter what the road conditions are like. The Ford Escape is noted as being one of the safest small SUV’s on the road today and consistently ranks well in crash tests.
The 2009 Ford Escape received a new transmission which allowed it to achieve even greater fuel efficiency along with new engines for 2009. The older 4 speed transmission was replaced with a 6 speed transmission and a new 171 horsepower 2.5L 4 cylinder engine was added as well as a 3L V6 with 240 horsepower. One of the more unique features of the Ford Escape is that it’s available in a hybrid version. The Ford Escape Hybrid has a 2.5L engine which is able to get about 41 miles per gallon on the highway, which is incredible for any SUV. Ford has tweaked the Escape to try to get the best fuel economy possible and this included looking at every aspect of the design to make sure it offered the best in fuel economy. For example, Ford worked with Michelin to equip the Escape with low rolling resistance tires which helped to make the Escape as efficient as possible.
The interior of the Ford Escape is attractive and functional and the optional navigation system is perfected situated for easy use. It handles well on both city streets, highways and even on bumpy terrain and there’s plenty of power for all of those situations. While it’s not exactly the most attractive design among small SUV’s, it’s a simple design that works. If you want a solid vehicle that looks good, handles great and gets decent gas mileage, the Ford Escape will suit you well. It’s a great all-around SUV for those that want an SUV, but don’t want one of the Escape’s gigantic cousins.
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