2017 Ford Escape FIRST LOOK

2017 Ford Escape FIRST LOOK by Auto Critic Steve Hammes

Ford’s best-selling vehicle not named F-Series is the Escape – a compact SUV that grabbed America’s attention 15 years ago and is still the 2^nd best-selling vehicle in its class.  For 2017, the new Escape goes even deeper with connectivity, streamlines its appearance to better fit the Ford mold, and offers 2 new engines with Auto Start-Stop as standard.

As the first Ford vehicle with available SYNC Connect, the Escape allows users to unlock doors, check fuel level and locate the vehicle.  A new 180-horsepower, 1.5-liter 4-cylinder EcoBoost engine joins the 3 motor lineup with the 2.5-liter carrying over for the base model and the premier 2.0-liter EcoBoost getting improvements to noise, vibration and harshness, efficiency and power, producing 245 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque.  In stop-and-go traffic, the EcoBoost engines have the ability to shut off while the vehicle is stationary, restarting as soon as the driver releases the brake pedal resulting in a 4%-6% improvement in fuel economy.

New driver assist technologies include enhanced active park assist, lane keeping, adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning with brake support.  The 2017 Escape is still offered in S, SE and Titanium trim levels with a new Sport Appearance Package available for the latter 2, while 3 new colors and 6 new wheel designs are available.