Car Gazing
New Escape Limited the first upscale mini-SUV
By Derek Price
Why mess with a winning formula?
Ford clearly follows this mantra as its wildly successful Escape mini-SUV
enters its third year. It's got the same nimble handling, rugged looks and
sporty personality that made it popular with young buyers starting in 2001,
so it's no wonder that Ford doesn't want to screw things up by making big
changes.
Instead, the biggest news for the Escape in 2003 is its packaging and trim,
including a Limited version that brings levels of comfort and refinement
rarely seen in SUVs of its class. It has heated leather seats, standard side
airbags, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated side mirrors, an in-dash
six-disc CD changer, and sensors that warn the driver of anything in its
path when in reverse.
Outside, the Limited model features body-color trim that's a big improvement
over the base model's chintzy plastic that looks like it came straight off a
Little Tikes backyard toy. The new Limited look makes the Escape look like a
smaller version of the Explorer, Ford's red-hot mid-size SUV.
Will people actually buy a luxurious mini-SUV, though? At $27,000, the
Limited package almost prices the high-end Escape into Explorer territory,
but no other small SUV offers such fancy features. It's a gamble for Ford to
test these waters all alone, but it could pay off as more people try to
avoid the anti-environmental stigma that comes with owning a big, truck-like
vehicle, and instead turn to the smaller, fancier Escape at the same price.
While it didn't see any significant changes (new interior materials, lighted
switches and three new colors are the only differences), the base Escape
remains one of the best bargains around. It starts around $18,000, and since
it's based on a car platform with a truck-like cabin, it has some of the
best attributes of both cars and trucks.
Other than the abundance of plastic cladding on its body, there's not much
to complain about. It handles like a sports car compared to body-on-frame
"real" SUVs, and its comfortable interior lets the back seat fold down to
reveal a decent amount of cargo space.
Performance is good with a four-cylinder engine and spectacular with an
optional 3.0-liter, 201-horsepower V6. Gas mileage with the V6 is nothing to
write home about (18 mpg in town), although Ford is quick to brag about its
low emissions.
All in all, the Escape is a nice package whether luxurious or basic, as its
terrific suspension and versatile cabin will keep it popular as long as
buyers are wanting vehicles that handle like cars and look like trucks.
(Derek Price is a newspaper editor and freelance writer living in Texas.
Contact him at dprice@cargazingonline.com)
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