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First Drive: 2017 Ford Escape Titanium AWD

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#1 ·
2017 Ford Escape Titanium AWD First Drive
May 2nd 2016
Jonathon Ramsey
AutoBlog.com

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 RAV4 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 2017 Ford Escape is a big improvement on what was an already remarkable crossover, and the customer-focused changes pay dividends to the Escape faithful. We can't predict if the upgrades and equipment differentiators will be enough for Ford's compact entry to claw back the sales deficit to the RAV4 and CR-V (the Toyota outsold the Ford by about 9,000 units in 2015, the Honda moved about 39,000 more units), but the new Escape is an excellent weapon to begin the fight back to the top.
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#2 · (Edited)
Kudos to Ford on the update. The current Escape is really a great car. My parent have one and love it. Though I think the styling on the current model is a little more "feminine" than the last, boxier version, this updated 2017 model seems to have injected a little bit more "masculinity" into the revised look.

As an aside, I'm looking forward to the next Equinox and how it may compete against the current Escape. GM seems to be "right-sizing" their future Equinox to fully combat the Escape; which can only help it get more attention and cross-shoppers who routinely look to the Escape, CR-V, etc.

If a larger CUV is slotted above it to take on the Edge, this should allow consumers to have another option in Chevy's CUV lineup.
 
#10 ·
If the current one is so bad, why doesn't the current Equinox "destroy" it?
 
#11 ·
I agree. For the last few years, I kinda hate how 'busy' the Ford Dashboards look.

We did end up buying a Focus for our daughter a couple years ago...and the primary reason was that the Ford dealer gave us a much better deal (over close to $2000 better) for a Focus than a comparably equipped Cruze could be had from the local Chevy dealerships. However, after driving it quite a bit myself, I still can't get used to the dash and gauge layout of the Fords.
 
#22 ·
I had a 2015 escape as a rental for a week one time, I really liked it... It's not as smooth as let's say a crv or Rav 4 but it didn't wallow around on the road and topple over in corners like the other 2 and lots more power of your running the 2.0. It's a much sportier ride and drives like it... Depends on your tastes
 
#23 · (Edited)
It's an incredibly fun and quick vehicle to drive, to me it feels like a sports car compared to the SUVs I usually drive. My Mother loves them, but for me it's just too small. Like most Fords, it's probably calibrated too firm and sporty compared to most vehicles in this segment. The EcoBoost 2.0L is really a gem of an engine.

That being said, it gets really creaky and rattly as it ages, especially if you have the Titanium and low profile tires in Detroit. There is a huge quality difference between Escape and Edge, Edge is essentially a luxury vehicle by comparison.
 
#38 ·
I've never even sat in one of the Rover-esque Escapes, and I'd NEVER buy one. Rover is a pi$$-poor partner to share a platform and engineering with, IMO.

I like the styling, and with the 2017 MCE updates even more, but it's not for me . . .
 
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