| |
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 midsize 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.
|
| |
|
