The seats do technically fold completely flat. You need to raise the cargo floor onto those two protruding supports on either side. Same with the previous gen Escape (since 2013)
Raising the cargo floor looks like it would eliminate the "lip," but those rear folded seats still look like they are NOT really flat [at least, as viewed on my computer monitor].
@@kenc2257 Not sure about this Escape but on my 14, the floor becomes flush with the back seats. Don't think Ford would make this mistake. Everyone wants a flat load floor nowadays on crossovers.
@@HALWG51 yeah you can get the Bronco-lite or whatever they'll call it, lol. I personally like the beefier looking vehicle. I saw this in person, didn't care for it. Prefer a squarer look, this is going backwards I think.
I don't care if it's more car like or not, this model is head and shoulders better than the previous version which was a bit long in the tooth. And since Ford USA isn't doing cars anymore, they should go on and bring the Ford Puma from overseas as the entry crossover for the US market (obviously don't call it Puma as we have no history with that nameplate).
Seriously Ford, this is all you got? The base Honda CR-V starts at $24k. My friend got a Leather w.techs model for under $27k. Under $30k should be the magic number for soccer moms and Ford is pricing it higher? WTF are they thinking?
The engines, transmissions in the CR-V are boring old tech. Then there’s the awkward looks and disconnected handling. Great vehicle if all you want is reliable A to B with absolutely zero inspiration.
John Smitherson, "WTF are they thinking?" You are talking about MSRPs, not actual selling prices. They are thinking that when the Ford dealers will be willing to offer large discounts and the Honda dealers won't, the buyers will think they are getting a "better deal" with the Ford ("Look how much we're 'saving'!") If, instead, Ford had set the MSRPs lower, those same buyers would just think of the Fords as more cheaply built cars, and the dealers would not have been able to cut as much off MSRPs to make the sales.
Early last week that I gotten a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black!! I just loved with the technology in the vehicle!! I noticed it is little bit lower than my old 2015 Ford Escape.
@67Tomcat Especially now since the new Focus (and new Fiesta) have the option of manual, (traditional geared automatic) or wet clutch DCT. The wet clutch DCT was offered in Europe since the mid 2000s and is VERY reliable, unlike the DRY clutch DCT only offered in North America (aka PowerSh!t) which was nothing but problems and probably destroyed the reputation of both the Fiesta and Focus in the USA and Canada.
watershed44, "... probably destroyed the reputation ..." I don't think so. I think it CERTAINLY destroyed it. Meanwhile, my 2014 Focus SE with a 5-speed manual has been a great little car, for what it is. Too bad so few car buyers in the U.S. still enjoy driving manuals. Despite my overall good experience with it, I would be wary of buying ANY other car from Ford after seeing how they acted with that DCT fiasco, from technical incompetence to unethical behavior. Truly disgusting. (Anyone unfamiliar with it and curious about it, go to focusfanatics dot com for all the gory details.)
First ever heads up display in a Ford and they had to go with the cheeseball plastic sheet method rather than the windshield projection method most manufacturers have gone to? That's pathetic. There are cars costing thousands less than a loaded 2020 Escape that use the projection method, so it's not just luxury cars that have that feature. Really not surprising though since Ford has always had cheap plastic interiors, even in their loaded $70K+ luxury trim trucks.
Top trims of the competition are around that mark as well. That being said, I'd gladly take CX-5, CR-V, Forester, Rav4 over this. Unless I'm missing something and this thing looks way nicer in person, there's nothing in this brand new vehicle that does anything better than the existing competition.
Nothing in the class, except maybe some of the higher tier Hyundai/Kia vehicles will have an interior comparable to modern Mazda. They are blowing even some of the premium and low-luxury makes out of the water!
Yup. Mid trim CX-5 already looks like it has a much nicer interior than the titanium escape. Match up the prices equally vs the signature trim and it's not even close. Mazda wins exterior styling too and likely driving dynamics as well. Mazda may not have Toyota level reliability, but I'd take that gamble any day over a Ford. There are other competitors I'd take over the escape as well, but the Mazda comparison is especially interesting because Ford and Mazda used to be partners, yet in the divorce it's the smaller company making nicer vehicles. 🤷♂️
Kevin Andrew Mazda is currently partnered with Toyota to produce cleaner more fuel efficient vvt systems. Toyota is adopting SkyActive components from Mazda while Mazda is using Toyota Fuel systems.
@@chamade166 While I'm a little wary of all of that, nothing that has been a full redesign since Mazda's split from Ford chassis sharing (2014 Mazda3 was the first I believe) is really even old enough to judge its longevity yet, but I haven't heard of any common major breakdown issues so far.
I do sorta understand; my wife almost NEVER folds the rear seats. Even going to Costco's...she'll open the rear doors, and load stuff onto the rear seat cushions, rather than fold down the rear seat backs.
@@anthyman1 ford also didn't put remote fuel door releases on vehicles to save money. It's nice to have as security against vandalism or theft. Similarly priced competitors from Japan have them. Features such as these were cut out before production.
The Ford Edge Titanium starts around $38,000 and it has a V6 engine with more room. I don’t understand the price overlapping, how can you price your top trim small CUV so close to your top trim midsized CUVs? One would think that consumers would be tempted to purchase the (slightly larger) Edge Titanium for less than $1k more. The Edge Titanium probably has a nicer interior too (material wise). They have a lot of foreign competitors like Hyundai, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, KIA and Honda.. some of these models cost thousands less in top spec. Despite everything I’d expect Ford to continue to sell a lot of Escapes since you see them everywhere.
Your videos are great. Very entertaining and informative. Currently drive a Prius V but will consider a Hybrid Plugin Escape when I purchase next ride.
My 2014 Mazda had a plastic piece as a hud newer Mazdas have a proper hud now projected on the windscreen. What's new at Ford for 2020 on their top titanium trim? A plastic hud!
I live in Kentucky and want to like the Escape. It seems like they copied the CX-5 more than the RAV4 for this new model. I will keep my CX-5 for now, and look at the April edition of Consumer Reports magazine at a library for the next few years, to see what owners of them find for reliability and satisfaction.
Quite competitive package in an overcrowded segment will be very hard against Japanese and Korean quality and innovation and not to forget the value these competitors are offering. My wife has just got a new Fiesta and God the interior is just the same!
TJinPgh, In the photos and videos I've seen of the 2020s it looks like the sides have been kicked in. (The new Mazda3s look even worse that way.) I hope they will look better in person, but so far I like the way your 2013 looks much more than the 2020. (I do like that the new ones weigh less, though.)
If there goal was to design something so neutral looking it wouldn't offend anyone, they nailed it. If 'beige' was a car, this is exactly what it would look like...
A word about MSRP vs real world prices. Manufacturers don't set prices for dealers, at least not in the US. MSRP's serve a variety of purposes. For luxury brands a "starting at" price is meant to draw customers into a showroom only to find that the last vehicle available at that price just happened to have been sold yesterday. Another purpose is to convince naive customers that a manufacturer's "invoice" price is the dealer's actual cost so a "discount" from MSRP to an invoice price looks especially enticing. "You wouldn't expect me to sell you this car for less than we paid for it, would you?" See below for why that's a scam. Still another potential message is to set an MSRP at a level that suggests what a manufacturer believes a vehicle should be compared to by cross-shopping consumers. In the case of the Escape Ford is telling consumers that their vehicle is equal to or even slightly better than, say, a RAV4 or a CR-V, especially at the top trim "Titanium" level. (A loaded RAV4 has virtually the same MSRP as a comparable Escape.) An "invoice" price for the Escape is about $1400 less than the MSRP. So one can be relatively certain that a Ford dealer will happily sell you Titanium trim AWD Escape for the invoice price without "losing" a dollar. But it doesn't stop there. Although a dealer technically "buys" a vehicle at the invoice price, the manufacturer also has programs that include "hold backs" for dealers based on the number of cars they sell every month or quarter. Those "hold backs" can amount to significant $$$ for each car sold. Further, high volume dealers also gain privileged access to higher demand (and more profitable) vehicles from the manufacturer in their future orders. And so the cycle continues. All in all, I'd expect a top trim fully loaded Escape to be sold for about $4K to $5K less than MSRP by many dealers, especially a few months after its introduction. Of course, with auto sales currently softening across the industry one might well expect a discount for a RAV4, as well. But if history is any guide that discount will be considerably less than for a Ford.
Thank you for that info. Its interesting that the manufacturer is the start of this 'take the client for a fool' system, which has not changed in 100 years, real old school system. I've never seen a poor car dealer or salesman, have you? The car does look cheap, good of Tom to point out some of the 'cheap' things, The Japanese even build their cars in the USA, yet the likes of FORD and GM have not yet learned from them. For the record, I live in France, bought a 2005 Prius 8 years ago for a third of its new sell price; now have 120k miles on it with just yearly tune up and review. Same disk brake PADS! We have Ford here too, not doing so well.
Agree. A fully loaded Rav4 Limited hybrid is over $40000, and sale price without haggling is $38000. The fully loaded escape titanium hybrid is about $38000, and sale price is $32000 without haggling. And if you are a current Ford owner you get an extra $3200 off. So is the Rav4 worth that much more? Plus the escape is newer with less availability.
My guess is that pockets are often only provided behind the passenger's front seat because it's the one that a driver can reach with their right hand while driving.
Why Ford can't offer a more premium interior is something that I just don't understand. The chintzy looking door panels that are the only option across all trim levels are both cheap and ugly. At similar price points, Mazda, Honda, and now even Subaru do it so much better. When you're selling a vehicle with a Titanium badge, you need to come up with something better than a tin foil interior.
And here I thought that I was the only one who said “fancy pants” in every day conversation. lol Great review and looking forward to seeing the review of the hybrid version.
I traded in my ford ranger for one of these because my pickup couldn’t handle icy roads. This car handles as though there isn’t even snow/ice in the road.
Edward Price mine put a sippy cup with a little bit of milk in mine. Oh dear lord it stunk so bad. It took me forever to find it too. I looked under seats. Smelled the seats thinking she spilled milk on them. I don’t know why I didn’t look in the pocket of the seat. There wasn’t a bulge so it didn’t occur to me. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and emptied everything out to shampoo the seats and carpets when I finally found it. It was disgusting.
It seems many of the journalists aren’t in love with it, which to me only means one thing: this will sell very well. Most people don’t caste about seat releases in cargo areas. Look at the CX-5. It’s beautiful and yet it’s dead last in sale figures.
@Elliott Manning Mazda problem is the $tealership network or lack of high numbers of stores. Ford has their junk wares on every street corner in every one horse town.
Makers need to stop making grills with facial-like expressions. Turns some drivers off right away. The 2018 Rav4 looked like an angry face. This grill looks like its smiling at you. IDK, maybe they do it because their market is women, but Ford should think again.
Considering the problems and quality issues occurring with the Explorer and Aviator, I'm not sure I would trust any new Ford product. A shame as this looks decent if cheap.
I've looked at 6 different Explorers in the 3 different trims, including ST and Platinum. All had ridiculous fit and alignment problems where the center stack meets with the accent plastic/wood trim. The worst was a $61,000 Platinum. It's as if no one looked at them before they left the factory. Ford seems to asking top dollar while quality is way down from "Job 1."
$37,800!? whaaaaa? I don't get it. Also why make it lower? People buy these because of the higher seating position so making it lower is just silly. Ford is playing a risky game here. They NEED their SUV's to succeed given they're getting rid of the rest of their vehicles. This just doesn't seem good enough to compete with the likes of CX5, CR-V and RAV4 and it's more expensive too!? Good luck Ford. Good luck!
The difference in seating height between the Rav4 and escape isn't even noticeable. And the the Rav4 is 5-7 thousand dollars more than the escape. Msrp is fairly close, but after discounts, it's not even close. I wanted the Rav4, but I can't see paying that much more to get it. I'm talking a fully loaded escape titanium hybrid. Really impressive. Not as pretty as the Rav4, but not $7000 prettier.
I don't believe you, my brothers previous 2 company Escapes had Chinese engines...maybe Ford finally got smart! Seems like large American companies care about the Chinese markets than American, including giving the government their secret manufacturing techniques.
I’m surprised that Ford markets this vehicle to women specifically. We have a 2013 escape and it’s held up very well but I was expecting a much quieter newer version with a little bit more tech
I think the 3 banger is a big mistake! As the car gets older it will be more awful. Go ahead buy one for $30,000 grand and prove me wrong! If course you could get a Corolla from Hertz for $13,000 will prob. Last longer!
A base price of $26k is about 3-5 grand to expensive when considering this is supposed to replace the focus as an entry level compact car. If ford thinks the Ecosport is going to fill that gap then they're even more delusional than I thought. I just don't understand how ford can build a vehicle from scratch and mess up the value proposition so badly.
People are really overlooking the 250 horsepower in their negative / meh comments! Most vehicles in this class with 4cylinder engines dont come close to said horsepower
I would assume most people don't off road the thing. Don't know if it's any different than our 2014 Escape, but clearance is more than fine for the forest service roads we go on.
Missing a lot of quality of life items like rear seat pocket and rear seat down quick latch... CX5 have all that stuff, faster engine and cheaper then the escape.
that tablet just ruins it for me Ill keep my 17 escape for now and most likely get a ranger or f150 when the time is right, I love everything about my Escape
I cannot talk about the reliability after four years. But I never had any problem during two 4 years rental (2013 and 2017), both with the 2.0 liters engine
Reminds of Porsche in the front, Jeep Compass in the rear, and any Kia in the interior. Seems alot of cars are going after Kia interior are far as simple and easy to use.
In a class of vehicles that all look like cars on stilts to varying degrees, this one manages to raise the bar for looking like a car. I'm actually impressed.
This video came to my feed. We are all entitled to our opinions heh! 😁 I just need a car that will take me where I’d like to go and I still have it. 239k miles and still going. The only time I will spend is if my car broke down. I will consider leasing this, to give it a try.
what do you drive, I'm curious? Older cars were definitely built better. Looking today, there's a lot of fair vehicles, nothing that wows me for reliability or customer satisfaction.
I liked the very final iteration of the Mercury Mariner, back when that was a thing, but I always felt that the Escape and Tribute platform brothers were laggards in too many ways. They always felt dated, looked cheaper than their price, and just felt off. This is quite a compelling little package! Nice job, Ford!
This could be any car from Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru or even Kia. Distinctive this new Escape is definitely NOT. The best way I could describe it is generic. I'd pick the new Corolla or Mazda 3 hatchbacks over this POS any day of the week, even though they compete in different segments.
It's all about resale value and that goes to the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 my choice would be the RAV4, Ford could do better but did to much cost cutting.
Maybe better resale but you'll pay a lot more. In the end it's a wash maybe. I've been on boards for Rav4 owners and they complain on various issues. Seems like nothing is perfect anymore. :(
kendallholiday, How would anyone know yet? It is an all new model for 2020 that is not being sold yet. Sometimes problems appear quickly when people start buying and driving a new version of an existing car, but sometimes it take at least several years for some types of failures to be noticed. (Anyone who buys a new model in its first three years is a beta tester for the benefit of other buyers who have more patience.)
The seats do technically fold completely flat. You need to raise the cargo floor onto those two protruding supports on either side. Same with the previous gen Escape (since 2013)
Raising the cargo floor looks like it would eliminate the "lip," but those rear folded seats still look like they are NOT really flat [at least, as viewed on my computer monitor].
@@kenc2257
Not sure about this Escape but on my 14, the floor becomes flush with the back seats. Don't think Ford would make this mistake. Everyone wants a flat load floor nowadays on crossovers.
I didn’t know that, thanks!
Just bought a 2020 SE with 15,000 miles last week. Runs alot better than expected and looks great. Loving it so far
Wow, the designers really did an admirable job of erasing any trace of masculinity from this iteration!
Soccer Moms unite!
Not all women like it (like me). :(
@@HALWG51 yeah you can get the Bronco-lite or whatever they'll call it, lol. I personally like the beefier looking vehicle. I saw this in person, didn't care for it. Prefer a squarer look, this is going backwards I think.
Agreed. 2019 Rav4 looks much more masculine. Especially XSE magnetically grey with black roof.
sounds like your own masculinity is fragile.
I'm going to get a fully loaded titanium AWD model!
we have our 2020 0 issues so far 2.0 ecoboost engine is excellent
I don't care if it's more car like or not, this model is head and shoulders better than the previous version which was a bit long in the tooth. And since Ford USA isn't doing cars anymore, they should go on and bring the Ford Puma from overseas as the entry crossover for the US market (obviously don't call it Puma as we have no history with that nameplate).
Seriously Ford, this is all you got? The base Honda CR-V starts at $24k. My friend got a Leather w.techs model for under $27k. Under $30k should be the magic number for soccer moms and Ford is pricing it higher? WTF are they thinking?
The engines, transmissions in the CR-V are boring old tech. Then there’s the awkward looks and disconnected handling. Great vehicle if all you want is reliable A to B with absolutely zero inspiration.
chamade166 Are you suggesting that this new Escape is somehow inspiring?
@@chamade166 Exactly, My ford fusion is a A to B car, thats it, nothing special. No more Fords for me.
John Smitherson,
"WTF are they thinking?" You are talking about MSRPs, not actual selling prices. They are thinking that when the Ford dealers will be willing to offer large discounts and the Honda dealers won't, the buyers will think they are getting a "better deal" with the Ford ("Look how much we're 'saving'!") If, instead, Ford had set the MSRPs lower, those same buyers would just think of the Fords as more cheaply built cars, and the dealers would not have been able to cut as much off MSRPs to make the sales.
When you look at the headlight layout, you see some Porsche Macan
pleasantcrew and the tail lights look exactly like the rav 4
Early last week that I gotten a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black!! I just loved with the technology in the vehicle!! I noticed it is little bit lower than my old 2015 Ford Escape.
a popular choice for mall security I've noticed.
And campus police.
And the local parking enforcement lol
Really? I’m pretty sure the new Escape isn’t on the market yet
@That1Guy
The past model was.
@@14s0cc3r14 Saw one today
Too bad Ford doesn't offer the Focus range for North America. Some do not want a CUV. Well, I'm sure this will sell very well. Great review as always.
@67Tomcat
Especially now since the new Focus (and new Fiesta) have the option of manual, (traditional geared automatic) or wet clutch DCT. The wet clutch DCT was offered in Europe since the mid 2000s and is VERY reliable, unlike the
DRY clutch DCT only offered in North America (aka PowerSh!t) which was nothing but problems and probably destroyed the reputation of both the Fiesta and Focus in the USA and Canada.
watershed44,
"... probably destroyed the reputation ..."
I don't think so. I think it CERTAINLY destroyed it.
Meanwhile, my 2014 Focus SE with a 5-speed manual has been a great little car, for what it is. Too bad so few car buyers in the U.S. still enjoy driving manuals. Despite my overall good experience with it, I would be wary of buying ANY other car from Ford after seeing how they acted with that DCT fiasco, from technical incompetence to unethical behavior. Truly disgusting. (Anyone unfamiliar with it and curious about it, go to focusfanatics dot com for all the gory details.)
First ever heads up display in a Ford and they had to go with the cheeseball plastic sheet method rather than the windshield projection method most manufacturers have gone to? That's pathetic. There are cars costing thousands less than a loaded 2020 Escape that use the projection method, so it's not just luxury cars that have that feature. Really not surprising though since Ford has always had cheap plastic interiors, even in their loaded $70K+ luxury trim trucks.
Windshield projection is an idiotic idea.
It's always nice when I'm comparison shopping and I find one of your videos.
Will it have a bunch of quality issues like the new Explorer and Aviator?
Hopefully not. With a new model and architecture, Ford is dealing with some growing pains with the new Explorer and its luxury cousin Lincoln Aviator.
In fact, when Subaru started to manufacture the 3 row Ascent, there were some bugs. It has been fixed.
Plastic trees 😆 Nice one lol
Validated from a Radiohead song.
This was very helpful. I'd been considering canceling my AWD 2.0 Titanium order but feel more confident now that the 4 cylinder is the best option.
Almost $38k for an Escape?!!!! $38k!!!! That’s WAY too much.
That's been the case for years.
Top trims of the competition are around that mark as well. That being said, I'd gladly take CX-5, CR-V, Forester, Rav4 over this. Unless I'm missing something and this thing looks way nicer in person, there's nothing in this brand new vehicle that does anything better than the existing competition.
Ford is being really stupid. $30k fully loaded should be the magic number.
@@ien2023
Ford is easily one of the cheaper options in this segment. Toyota in particular really inflates their prices.
@@ien2023 I get what you're saying but have you been car shopping lately?
Interior not as nice as my wife's 19 CX-5. We got a touring for $26k out the door.
Nothing in the class, except maybe some of the higher tier Hyundai/Kia vehicles will have an interior comparable to modern Mazda. They are blowing even some of the premium and low-luxury makes out of the water!
Yup. Mid trim CX-5 already looks like it has a much nicer interior than the titanium escape. Match up the prices equally vs the signature trim and it's not even close. Mazda wins exterior styling too and likely driving dynamics as well. Mazda may not have Toyota level reliability, but I'd take that gamble any day over a Ford. There are other competitors I'd take over the escape as well, but the Mazda comparison is especially interesting because Ford and Mazda used to be partners, yet in the divorce it's the smaller company making nicer vehicles. 🤷♂️
Kevin Andrew Mazda is currently partnered with Toyota to produce cleaner more fuel efficient vvt systems. Toyota is adopting SkyActive components from Mazda while Mazda is using Toyota Fuel systems.
Too bad Mazda engines and transmissions blow. Also Mazdas rust badly. They spend all their budget on the interior, the rest is subpar.
@@chamade166 While I'm a little wary of all of that, nothing that has been a full redesign since Mazda's split from Ford chassis sharing (2014 Mazda3 was the first I believe) is really even old enough to judge its longevity yet, but I haven't heard of any common major breakdown issues so far.
We really like our 2020 Escape SEL.......lots of power and drives great.
I'll be looking into a new Escape very soon.
If the ford bean counters cut the seat back releases, imagine the things they cut that you don't see.
I do sorta understand; my wife almost NEVER folds the rear seats. Even going to Costco's...she'll open the rear doors, and load stuff onto the rear seat cushions, rather than fold down the rear seat backs.
They never had them....
Escape never had those, they're a "premium feature"
@@anthyman1 ford also didn't put remote fuel door releases on vehicles to save money. It's nice to have as security against vandalism or theft. Similarly priced competitors from Japan have them. Features such as these were cut out before production.
@Ace MacGruber
In Europe the Escape (named the Kuga) has those items as trim level options, although I think the locking gas door is standard.
Excellent review. I just bought a titanium kescape a week ago.loving it. Same color also😊
The Ford Edge Titanium starts around $38,000 and it has a V6 engine with more room. I don’t understand the price overlapping, how can you price your top trim small CUV so close to your top trim midsized CUVs? One would think that consumers would be tempted to purchase the (slightly larger) Edge Titanium for less than $1k more. The Edge Titanium probably has a nicer interior too (material wise). They have a lot of foreign competitors like Hyundai, Toyota, Mitsubishi, Nissan, Subaru, KIA and Honda.. some of these models cost thousands less in top spec. Despite everything I’d expect Ford to continue to sell a lot of Escapes since you see them everywhere.
Your videos are great. Very entertaining and informative. Currently drive a Prius V but will consider a Hybrid Plugin Escape when I purchase next ride.
My 2014 Mazda had a plastic piece as a hud newer Mazdas have a proper hud now projected on the windscreen. What's new at Ford for 2020 on their top titanium trim? A plastic hud!
Sounds like the Titanium is around $5k more than a CRV Touring or CX-5 GT. That’s a hard pass. Thanks for the great review!
@@bmw803 Right now $500 discounts isn't getting them good sales I imagine. It's winter in my state and they need some incentives to move 'em.
Will a medium size 29" tire fit in the back, without tire removal or any other adjustment?
I’m getting the 2020 Escape Titanium in Star White!
My condolences
Always some people that want to complain here. Sure their vehicles are needing repair whatever they are driving.
I live in Kentucky and want to like the Escape. It seems like they copied the CX-5 more than the RAV4 for this new model. I will keep my CX-5 for now, and look at the April edition of Consumer Reports magazine at a library for the next few years, to see what owners of them find for reliability and satisfaction.
Quite competitive package in an overcrowded segment will be very hard against Japanese and Korean quality and innovation and not to forget the value these competitors are offering. My wife has just got a new Fiesta and God the interior is just the same!
The most closely guarded secret in the whole USA is the ground clearance spec for the new Ford Escape.
OMG right??!! I just did a search and couldn't find an answer. Seriously, what's the big deal Ford?
I have a 2013. I can't say that I like this new one nearly as much as far as appearance
TJinPgh,
In the photos and videos I've seen of the 2020s it looks like the sides have been kicked in. (The new Mazda3s look even worse that way.) I hope they will look better in person, but so far I like the way your 2013 looks much more than the 2020. (I do like that the new ones weigh less, though.)
If there goal was to design something so neutral looking it wouldn't offend anyone, they nailed it. If 'beige' was a car, this is exactly what it would look like...
I still say this looks like a Mazda CX-5 from the side. So now I’m wondering if it os built on that chassis?
Overall I think they did a good job with the update, it will probably continue to sell in large numbers for them.
A word about MSRP vs real world prices. Manufacturers don't set prices for dealers, at least not in the US. MSRP's serve a variety of purposes. For luxury brands a "starting at" price is meant to draw customers into a showroom only to find that the last vehicle available at that price just happened to have been sold yesterday. Another purpose is to convince naive customers that a manufacturer's "invoice" price is the dealer's actual cost so a "discount" from MSRP to an invoice price looks especially enticing. "You wouldn't expect me to sell you this car for less than we paid for it, would you?" See below for why that's a scam.
Still another potential message is to set an MSRP at a level that suggests what a manufacturer believes a vehicle should be compared to by cross-shopping consumers. In the case of the Escape Ford is telling consumers that their vehicle is equal to or even slightly better than, say, a RAV4 or a CR-V, especially at the top trim "Titanium" level. (A loaded RAV4 has virtually the same MSRP as a comparable Escape.)
An "invoice" price for the Escape is about $1400 less than the MSRP. So one can be relatively certain that a Ford dealer will happily sell you Titanium trim AWD Escape for the invoice price without "losing" a dollar. But it doesn't stop there. Although a dealer technically "buys" a vehicle at the invoice price, the manufacturer also has programs that include "hold backs" for dealers based on the number of cars they sell every month or quarter. Those "hold backs" can amount to significant $$$ for each car sold. Further, high volume dealers also gain privileged access to higher demand (and more profitable) vehicles from the manufacturer in their future orders. And so the cycle continues.
All in all, I'd expect a top trim fully loaded Escape to be sold for about $4K to $5K less than MSRP by many dealers, especially a few months after its introduction. Of course, with auto sales currently softening across the industry one might well expect a discount for a RAV4, as well. But if history is any guide that discount will be considerably less than for a Ford.
Thank you for that info. Its interesting that the manufacturer is the start of this 'take the client for a fool' system, which has not changed in 100 years, real old school system. I've never seen a poor car dealer or salesman, have you? The car does look cheap, good of Tom to point out some of the 'cheap' things, The Japanese even build their cars in the USA, yet the likes of FORD and GM have not yet learned from them. For the record, I live in France, bought a 2005 Prius 8 years ago for a third of its new sell price; now have 120k miles on it with just yearly tune up and review. Same disk brake PADS! We have Ford here too, not doing so well.
Agree. A fully loaded Rav4 Limited hybrid is over $40000, and sale price without haggling is $38000. The fully loaded escape titanium hybrid is about $38000, and sale price is $32000 without haggling. And if you are a current Ford owner you get an extra $3200 off. So is the Rav4 worth that much more? Plus the escape is newer with less availability.
You know, I still don't know how Ford thought it was a great idea to make the ride quality very choppy on previous model. Glad this one is smoother.
I live my 2017 Titanium... I am waiting for the Hybrid to work out all the new car kinks!
I’m not a ford person but this design is great
Deal breaker for me when seats do not fold flat.
Agree. Can't sleep back there on a camping trip.
but it's good to have options.
My guess is that pockets are often only provided behind the passenger's front seat because it's the one that a driver can reach with their right hand while driving.
I didn't like the shape first but now it is starting to look better.
Why Ford can't offer a more premium interior is something that I just don't understand. The chintzy looking door panels that are the only option across all trim levels are both cheap and ugly. At similar price points, Mazda, Honda, and now even Subaru do it so much better. When you're selling a vehicle with a Titanium badge, you need to come up with something better than a tin foil interior.
And here I thought that I was the only one who said “fancy pants” in every day conversation. lol
Great review and looking forward to seeing the review of the hybrid version.
Well, there's only so many ways to say "premium" or "top of the line".
Well I prefer “fancy pants” to any of those choices.
$37.8??? Wow. I wish they wouldn't eliminate the gear shift selector with a dial..... so lacking character that way.
Another great quality review. Thank you. And hello from Bothell WA.
Does Ford offer a package that makes it less ugly?
I traded in my ford ranger for one of these because my pickup couldn’t handle icy roads. This car handles as though there isn’t even snow/ice in the road.
3 cylinders in the USA!
Nice review Tom! I don't see the Escape selling very close to MSRP.
That console area looks sub-FCA rental grade.
6:52 no pockets because kids stick nasty dirty things in pockets.
Edward Price mine put a sippy cup with a little bit of milk in mine. Oh dear lord it stunk so bad. It took me forever to find it too. I looked under seats. Smelled the seats thinking she spilled milk on them. I don’t know why I didn’t look in the pocket of the seat. There wasn’t a bulge so it didn’t occur to me. I finally couldn’t take it anymore and emptied everything out to shampoo the seats and carpets when I finally found it. It was disgusting.
It seems many of the journalists aren’t in love with it, which to me only means one thing: this will sell very well. Most people don’t caste about seat releases in cargo areas. Look at the CX-5. It’s beautiful and yet it’s dead last in sale figures.
@Elliott Manning
Mazda problem is the $tealership network or lack of high numbers of stores.
Ford has their junk wares on every street corner in every one horse town.
Ford could have shown the common courtesy of loaded the cargo area with Kirkland toilet paper.
Its nice, but I wish we were getting the new Focus demi-ute with the fender spats. That said, this is the 1st Escape I'd consider owning.
The definition of playing it safe. While the Puma looks hot.
They quit making the Puma
Deactivate one piston for 3cyl or 4 cyl engine??
Cylinder-deactivation is only available on the 3 cylinder engine.
Everything looks pretty good on the outside EXCEPT that grille.
Looks like a goofy, smiling Pokémon.
Interior looks cheap.
$38K? Never.
Makers need to stop making grills with facial-like expressions. Turns some drivers off right away. The 2018 Rav4 looked like an angry face. This grill looks like its smiling at you. IDK, maybe they do it because their market is women, but Ford should think again.
haze1123 it does look cheap. My 2017 fully loaded looks so much better. I love Ford Sync.
Considering the problems and quality issues occurring with the Explorer and Aviator, I'm not sure I would trust any new Ford product. A shame as this looks decent if cheap.
I've looked at 6 different Explorers in the 3 different trims, including ST and Platinum. All had ridiculous fit and alignment problems where the center stack meets with the accent plastic/wood trim. The worst was a $61,000 Platinum. It's as if no one looked at them before they left the factory. Ford seems to asking top dollar while quality is way down from "Job 1."
$37,800!? whaaaaa? I don't get it. Also why make it lower? People buy these because of the higher seating position so making it lower is just silly. Ford is playing a risky game here. They NEED their SUV's to succeed given they're getting rid of the rest of their vehicles. This just doesn't seem good enough to compete with the likes of CX5, CR-V and RAV4 and it's more expensive too!? Good luck Ford. Good luck!
The difference in seating height between the Rav4 and escape isn't even noticeable. And the the Rav4 is 5-7 thousand dollars more than the escape. Msrp is fairly close, but after discounts, it's not even close. I wanted the Rav4, but I can't see paying that much more to get it. I'm talking a fully loaded escape titanium hybrid. Really impressive. Not as pretty as the Rav4, but not $7000 prettier.
Since I was 7 years old and now 69 always heard Fix Or Repair Daily. I will drive a Toyota any day.😎
First on race day!
Damn right
Never heard that but I always heard Found On Road Dead. lol
I'm subscribed but don't want my tablet dining all day (skipped notifications)
10tenman10,
"... don't want my tablet dining all day."
Just curious -- what is it that your tablet dines on all day?
@@ArcoZakus
Sorry. I meant dinging (spell check error).
10tenman10,
I suspected that's what you meant -- just me being silly, ;-) (I hate that automatic spelling "correction".)
If it still has a Chinese engine...no buy! Btw, a three cylinder is standard?
Great video work and narration as always.
They're sourced from Ohio, UK, Mexico or Spain.
I don't believe you, my brothers previous 2 company Escapes had Chinese engines...maybe Ford finally got smart!
Seems like large American companies care about the Chinese markets than American, including giving the government their secret manufacturing techniques.
I’m surprised that Ford markets this vehicle to women specifically. We have a 2013 escape and it’s held up very well but I was expecting a much quieter newer version with a little bit more tech
It used to be, unless you were specifically looking for a truck, women made the majority of new-car purchases. [don't know if this is still the case]
Grabby brakes and a round gear selector could make in town shopping stressful.
Replacing the outgoing 4 with a new 3 cylinder is a bad decision from Ford, it will send more former buyers to the Rav4 or the CRV.
I think the 3 banger is a big mistake! As the car gets older it will be more awful. Go ahead buy one for $30,000 grand and prove me wrong! If course you could get a Corolla from Hertz for $13,000 will prob. Last longer!
A base price of $26k is about 3-5 grand to expensive when considering this is supposed to replace the focus as an entry level compact car. If ford thinks the Ecosport is going to fill that gap then they're even more delusional than I thought. I just don't understand how ford can build a vehicle from scratch and mess up the value proposition so badly.
I agree and so cheap inside.
8:11 I wish all SUV's and mini vans would have fold flat seats.
People are really overlooking the 250 horsepower in their negative / meh comments! Most vehicles in this class with 4cylinder engines dont come close to said horsepower
It reminds me of an old Mazda, not sure if I hate it or not, it looks like it's smiling at me.
WTF????? No front seatback map pockets?????
Looks decent, though I feel like it could use a bit more ground clearance.
I would assume most people don't off road the thing. Don't know if it's any different than our 2014 Escape, but clearance is more than fine for the forest service roads we go on.
Missing a lot of quality of life items like rear seat pocket and rear seat down quick latch... CX5 have all that stuff, faster engine and cheaper then the escape.
Cx5 has nothing on any other car
I like my 2017 and my 2002 Escapes. I definitely prefer the interior of my 2017 titanium interior over the 2020.
that tablet just ruins it for me Ill keep my 17 escape for now and most likely get a ranger or f150 when the time is right, I love everything about my Escape
Reminds me of the old Mazda CX-7
Aesthetically, a large Focus hatchback is exactly what it is.
Ford Escape's reliability? Still nowhere near RAV4 or CRV?
I cannot talk about the reliability after four years. But I never had any problem during two 4 years rental (2013 and 2017), both with the 2.0 liters engine
dual clutch plus turbo? I'm skeptical.
goldpilgri,
NOT a DCT. ( 2:50 )
I might get one just for the thin pillars.
It might be a selling point for some. Visibility is quite good.
Reminds of Porsche in the front, Jeep Compass in the rear, and any Kia in the interior. Seems alot of cars are going after Kia interior are far as simple and easy to use.
Mike Hoard Kia/Hyundai are becoming the leaders for interiors
release date of hybrid?
Late fall
@@DrivenCarReviews Early December, seriously?
I see Range Rover evoke and Porsche Taycan in this design tbh
In a class of vehicles that all look like cars on stilts to varying degrees, this one manages to raise the bar for looking like a car. I'm actually impressed.
Review the 2020 Kia Forte GT with the top trim and DCT
Number in its class.
This video came to my feed.
We are all entitled to our opinions heh! 😁
I just need a car that will take me where I’d like to go and I still have it. 239k miles and still going. The only time I will spend is if my car broke down. I will consider leasing this, to give it a try.
what do you drive, I'm curious? Older cars were definitely built better. Looking today, there's a lot of fair vehicles, nothing that wows me for reliability or customer satisfaction.
Lisa G Toyota Sienna. My kids are already grown and I still drive it.
You also forgot GMC Terrain.
I consider that more of a premium brand.
That Titanium model is darn near luxury pricing. You can easily buy a loaner Audi Q5 or BMW X3 for that money! Decently equipped too!
I liked the very final iteration of the Mercury Mariner, back when that was a thing, but I always felt that the Escape and Tribute platform brothers were laggards in too many ways. They always felt dated, looked cheaper than their price, and just felt off.
This is quite a compelling little package! Nice job, Ford!
This could be any car from Toyota, Hyundai, Subaru or even Kia. Distinctive this new Escape is definitely NOT. The best way I could describe it is generic. I'd pick the new Corolla or Mazda 3 hatchbacks over this POS any day of the week, even though they compete in different segments.
The front looks like kia; the side and the interior look like my cx-5.
sounds like the overall takeaway is "meh"
Yup
I'm waiting for 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid in Velocity Blue
Late fall availability
how many of you here can afford a titanium AWD?
84 month loans bruh.
The Subaru Forester is a great vehicle.
Only if you can get past the CVT... I can't.
But the Forrester sounds like a tractor! Pass!
Thank for for this review! I am in love with the redesign on the Ford Escape but also the Kia Sportage! Trying to decide which one I like better!
That kiss engine will die. Trust. That Sportage is way below 200 horse and way smaller. Go with Ford!!!
I'm glad to see more companies are offering PEHV SUVs
It's all about resale value and that goes to the Honda CRV and Toyota RAV4 my choice would be the RAV4, Ford could do better but did to much cost cutting.
Maybe better resale but you'll pay a lot more. In the end it's a wash maybe. I've been on boards for Rav4 owners and they complain on various issues. Seems like nothing is perfect anymore. :(
Is it a reliable car?
mine 2017 with 67000 km zero issues love it awesome in the snow and Ive driven in some of the nastiest weather in Canada
kendallholiday,
How would anyone know yet?
It is an all new model for 2020 that is not being sold yet. Sometimes problems appear quickly when people start buying and driving a new version of an existing car, but sometimes it take at least several years for some types of failures to be noticed. (Anyone who buys a new model in its first three years is a beta tester for the benefit of other buyers who have more patience.)
Looks like every other suv out there. I see alot of Jeep, Mazda. Already dated imo
My dream!