Has Ford created the great escape? It looks that way
Sixty percent of people shopping for a new car start their searches in either the compact SUV or the midsized sedan segments.
“Combine those two groups and you have the Super Segment,’’ says Mike Murphy, Ford’s Global C-Car marketing manager. Murphy is happy to share that information because Ford is well positioned in the segment with new vehicles such as the Escape, Fusion, C-Max, and Focus.
Murphy was in Boston early this month, introducing the redesigned Escape to the New England Motor Press Association (NEMPA) at Larz Anderson Auto Museum in Brookline.
The new Escape has been a sales leader since its introduction in 2001 and the outgoing model had its best sales year ever in 2011.
That outgoing model was an oldschool “Two Box’’ design—think of one box being the passenger cabin and the other being the hood and engine compartment.
In reinventing the Escape, Ford had to keep its appeal to loyal customers who wanted a package that offered good cargo capacity, towing ability, and four-wheel-drive. But Ford also knew the market was trending toward an aerodynamic design, better fuel economy, and high-tech features.
“Ford understands that more people are looking at vehicles like Escape every year,’’ says Murphy, “and we want to give them even more reasons to buy one.’’
That seems to be happening.
Last month, the new Escape was the fourthbest- selling vehicle in the light truck/SUV category, trailing Ford’s perennial F-Series leader, the Chevrolet Silverado, and Ram. Through nine months, it was No. 5 in sales behind the same three pickups and its main competitor, Honda’s CR-V.
The CR-V got to market well before the Escape, but Ford analyst Erich Merkle reported that 95 percent of the 23,148 Escapes sold in September were the new 2013 models.
The compact SUV market figures to be a major story going forward. By the end of 2013, compact SUVs are projected to account for 50 percent of all SUV sales.
Murphy enjoys pointing out two of the available features available on the new Escape—a hands-free power liftgate and the active park assist system.
We experienced both systems on a drizzly night in Brookline. If you’re one of the many folks who get anxious at the thought of parallel parking, the new system is a big winner.
Push the Park Assist button and then drive past one of those “Can I fit in there?’’ spaces. The system will tell you if the Escape will fit. Then all you have to do is put the car in reverse, take your hands off the wheel, and work the gas and brakes yourself while the car does the steering. We did it four times and the Escape parked itself well every time.
The automatic liftgate is an acquired taste. You swing your leg in a light kicking motion just under the back bumper. One sensor sees your shin; a second recognizes your foot. If you have the key fob in your possession the liftgate opens (if it’s closed) or closes (if it’s open).
Interestingly, the new Escape doesn’t have a hybrid version.
“We found that hybrid buyers primarily were interested in a hybrid, not so much an SUV,’’ says Murphy. “That’s why we put so much effort into the C-Max hybrid.’’
The C-Max is a new Ford crossover that’s rated at 47 miles per gallon and the company is advertising as a Prius fighter.
The Escape has four trim levels—S, SE, SEL andTitanium—plus three engines, the standard 2.5-liter (168 horsepower) and both the 1.6-liter (178 HP) and 2.0-liter (240HP) EcoBoost versions. All are mated to six-speed automatic transmissions.
Ford has two outstanding blind-spot systems. If you don’t opt for the electronic BLIS (Blind Sport Warning) that flashes a light in your side mirrors when another vehicle is in your blind spot, you get a wide-angle insert in both side mirrors.
For New Englanders, the intelligent fourwheel- drive system contains advances that help drivers in both dry- and wet-weather conditions.
If beauty is in the eye of the beholder, we thought the mid-level SEL was as attractive as the top-level Titanium. The Titanium has a three-color (body paint, chrome, black) front fascia, while a black-painted SEL, with just a bit of chrome and spot for a license plate, had an effective simpler appearance.
Ford says the new Escape is 85 percent recyclable, though Murphy hopes that won’t be put to the test for more than a decade or 200,000 miles.
We were impressed with the panoramic sunroof that offers a clever cross-brace that adds to body rigidity. And, on a drizzly night, the storage bin on the passenger door was a perfect fit for an umbrella.
It will be interesting to live with one for a few days and see if the experience matches the first impression.
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