2014 Ford Escape Video Review

A hit with consumers and critics alike, the redesigned Ford Escape instantly propelled itself to the top of the segment with its exciting combination of performance and economy.  Hi, I’m Steve Hammes from Drive Time and here’s a quick look at what’s new for the 2014 model year.

In a segment awash with viable options, the Escape still rises above by excelling in every area the owner could want.  It has premium, sporty styling, power to spare, and an interior that puts the utility in CUV.  My ride this week is the same as my last Escape go-around; a top-trim, highly optioned Titanium 4WD with the crazy good 2.0-liter turbo.

The Titanium’s cabin is befitting this tester’s $36,000 price tag with a wide array of amenities done with high quality in a tidy package.

$35,625 to be exact with addition of the popular 401A Package, bundling Bi-Xenon headlamps, blind spot monitor with cross-traffic alert, rain sensing wipers and active park assist, a feature that does the parallel parking for you.  Mine also steps up to these oversized 19” wheels and adds navigation to the SYNC with MyFord Touch system.  If you’re experiencing a bout of sticker shock right now remember Ford offers the Escape with greater features and thus a more dynamic fiscal range than its competition – starting at $23,595 for a front-drive Escape S – about $300 less than a base Honda CR-V – all the way to a nearly $38,000 maxed out Titanium 4WD, while a fully optioned CR-V comes in about $5,000 less.

But there are lots of goodies here that Honda doesn’t even offer, plus the optional 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine – a huge power upgrade over the standard 1.6-liter turbo – will surely satisfy the driver with a racy side.  It makes 240 horsepower, 270 pound feet of torque and works, like all Escape models do, through a 6-speed automatic.  It’s fast, smooth and on paper only slightly thirstier than the CR-V which produces over 100 pound feet of torque less.  It’s rated at 21mpg city/28mpg highway and over the course of a week and 460 miles – a lot of which were on the highway mine netted 23mpg.  It’s a beautiful ride with a driver’s seat seemingly tailored to my lower back and a suspension that works like that of a more expensive sedan – evening out the expansion joints and ready to hustle through the country turnpike.  Backed by the Escape’s muscle, its drivability is second to none in the segment.

Last year if you wanted to order the towing prep package which allows this Escape to tow up to 3,500 pounds you had to forgo this nifty feature.  But for 2014, that problem has been resolved.

And other than making these full leather-trimmed seats standard, this Titanium model remains unchanged from last year.