Ford Escape Deals

2009 Ford Escape Review

A wagon wearing hiking boots.

As America's love-affair with the SUV grew, so did the range of SUVs. And in 2001, Ford introduced their little cross-over ute, the Escape.

Designed for the young-and-active set, the Escape was built in conjunction with Mazda and shares its underpinnings with the Mazda 6 and Mazda Tribute.

Using this tried and true platform, Ford offered either the 4-banger from the Focus, or the V6 from the Taurus. Transmissions were either a 5-sp manual, or a 4-sp auto. 4-wheel drive was also available and sent up to to 50% of the engines power to the back wheels when the front ones started to slip. A full-time 50/50 power split could be selected from a dash mounted switch, making the Escape essentially an AWD wagon in those dicey situations.

Make no mistake, the Escape is not meant to be an off-road machine, the lack of Low range in the 4-WD is evidence of that. No, this truck is really just wagon wearing hiking boots. But you will appreciate those boots in bad weather. Safety was a big selling point in the SUV segment, and the Escape managed an impressive 5-star crash test rating for the driver, and 4-stars for the passenger. This was made possible by the available side airbags and ABS.

You can get your Escape in either XLS or XLT trim. The V6 and 4-wd were available on either model, but the top-rung XLT had ABS, cruise control, more comfortable seats and aluminum wheels as standard equipment. Leather and a bunch of other convenience options were also available.

The Escape is a nice alternative to the more expensive Japanese offerings like the CRV and RAV4. While it may lack it's rivals refinement, it more than makes up for it with it's sporty, "drive me" feel.