Does anyone know anything about the Ford Escape? are they decent cars? I'm thinking about trading my focus in for one, i need something a little larger than what the focus can offer.
And i thought the Escape might be an ok choice, so any advice would be good, or any knowledge on the vehicle would be good too, they seem to get good reviews.
The wife has one, she traded her Focus SE in for one. Its a great car, make sure you get the V6. The 4Cyl is not enough power in my opinion to move the truck around. Its been very reliable, zero issues with it, we use it to pull our trailer and it does it without any issue.
Personally I like the ones before 05, the shifter on the floor makes you feel a little tight in the seat, I sorta like it up on the column.
The only negative I have found with it is the gas consumtion is a little high if you've got a heavy foot.
My roomate has an 03 Limited...it's a poor-man's Navigator...it's got leathers, power EVERYTHING, Mach audio with a powered 6.5" JBL sub in the right rear quarter panel, sunroof, the 2.5L Duratec (same engine as the Contour/Mystique SE/LS), and both auto or full time awd. He got it for under 20K, and it's a great vehicle...
It's got decent balls for what it is, is very nimble compared to other SUV's, great in the snow and rain, comfortable, very good size payload with the rear seats folded down, and decent fuel economy (small tank and bigger engine and 4x4 affect this).
If you wanna get one, spend the money and get a LIMITED or an XLT...they have a way better resale value, as they are the most optioned, and most desired models...don't waste time with the 2wd or 4cyl models...you won't be happy with it for long, and won't be happy with what you'd get for it in a trade or sale...
Oh yeah, an Escape Limited like my roomates (Black on black leather, tint, 16's, 4x4, Mach Audio CD6) is my FIRST choice for a small SUV. I think it's more vehicle for the money than a CRV or RAV-4...cheaper too, and has a great track record for reliability.
Hope this info helps...
I just can't love them.
I've checked out Hardk0re's wife's Escape... it's nice enough, to be sure.
I've sat in the Hybrid. I really ought to fully test-drive one before judging, I guess.
Maybe my opinion will change if we ever find ourselves in the market for one.
focuspilot23,Dec 13 2006, 10:11 PM Wrote:Does anyone know anything about the Ford Escape? are they decent cars? I'm thinking about trading my focus in for one, i need something a little larger than what the focus can offer.
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The Escape is certainly a respectable choice compared to the other vehicles in its segment, and if 4wd and a modest offroad capability is what you're looking for, you can't really go wrong in choosing it. Having said that you should also check out the Hyundai and the Kia as they are apparently surprisingly good.
But if you're looking for more interior space than your Focus, you might be disappointed in the value equation, ie: lots more money, very little if any additional space.
I get my dealer's Escape Hybrid as a loaner whenever I go there for service, and I have to say that as a relatively large person I feel more comfortable in my Focus wagon even though some of the Escape's numbers are actually a bit bigger. And I recommend a long test drive before you decide about the driving position - I don't care for it and the more I drive the worse it seems to get.
The overall interior volume of the Escape is only about 3% bigger than the Focus, and in fact with the rear seats up the Focus has considerably more interior cargo volume than does Escape.
It's only with the rear seats folded that the Escape has more cargo volume and even then it's not a big difference.
If you regularly use the rear seats, you may be surprised to know that Focus has more rear legroom, hiproom and headroom than does Escape - I know for a fact that kid's seats are a lot easier to put in and take out of the Focus vs. Escape.
If you're looking for 4wd, a high seating position and modest offroad capability ... and you don't mind the reduced fuel economy, poor handling (relative to Focus), and a price tag that could be double that of Focus -- Escape is not a bad choice.
Well Its just i recently acquired a dog (husky) and i just can't find a way to fit her, her crate and everything else in my focus, i can fold the seats down and fit the crate in that way but than i don't have room for the dog in the back seats, and i don't want her riding in the front lol.
I just thought an escape was a logical choice, i figured i could store the crate and her in the back of the truck. I mean there isn't much to choose from in a larger car, with a big trunk and nice back seats. A wagon, but again not much to choose from in the wagon department either.
I don't know, an ideas on what would be a decent sized car? that isn't super over priced?