2017 Ford Escape Titanium – Magnetic – MSRP $37,920
2.0 L EcoBoost 4WD
301 Tech Package
NAV System
Adaptive Cruise
Panoramic Roof
Location – Suburban Massachusetts – 70% 2-lane country/town, 25% 4-lane interstate, 5% city. About 1,000 mi/month.
Driving style – sporty/aggressive
5 Grandkids, year-round sporting activities – Grampy’s Taxi service.
2013 SEL (36,000 mi), 2014 Titanium (23,000 mi), 2017 Titanium.
I am a technology freak – was Director I/T with NASA’s Space Shuttle Program.
Some prior vehicles – ’54 VW, ’64 Mini Cooper, ’71 BMW 2002, ’73 Citroen SM, ’37 Rolls Royce, ’75 Peterbilt (8V92 TTA) ’80 Vette (w/turbo), ’85 Isuzu Impulse Turbo, ‘02’05’07 Accords (V6-NAV), 2010 Fusion SEL.
For my ’13 and ’14 Escape, really my only complaint was road noise coming through and around the driver’s door. In the ’17, that’s gone. It is noticeably much quieter.
I had read that Ford had really listened to Escape owners’ complaints, suggestions, and wish lists – AND – that they made modifications to accommodate those items. I won’t get into detail, but they changed the “A” pillars, hood, windshield, door and front-end insulation, and door glass.
It all worked. It is quiet. You can speak in a normal voice at 80 mph and be heard in the back seat. It “feels” like quality. It’s solid. Firm, but comfortable.
With each of my three Escapes I’ve said that they are the best “driving” vehicles I’ve driven – and I mean it. Its computer makes the outside wheels go quicker than the inside wheels when cornering, providing an effortless ride around the apex. I’ve only once entered an off-ramp too fast, and yes the Escape’s systems evaluated that and the car slowed itself to a safe speed. I have yet to encounter a situation that the Intelligent All-Wheel Drive couldn’t handle. Snow, mud, gravel, open fields, etc. – it goes where and when I want.
The 2.0 L EcoBoost and 6-speed transmission are a great match. Yeah, the complaints are true – at highway speeds (70-80 mph), it does shift often when in hilly country – but so what. Coming off the line, there are very few who can beat me to the lane-merge. And if I keep my right foot planted, I’m at 3-digit speed before all 4’s, most 6’s, and quite a few V8’s. While it might be my imagination, I can actually feel the 5hp increase. My 2010 Fusion would burn the front tires upon hard launch, and even chirp them when hitting 2nd gear. I’m sure that if this ’17 was putting power to only the front wheels, it would be doing the same.
For the last 5 years we’ve driven about 70% city/urban, and 30% interstate. It’s New England with hills and 2-lane roads. A lot of stop-and-go, stoplight racing and when on the 4-lane, 75 mph cruising. Both the ’13 and ’14 averaged 18 mpg overall. On trips to Vermont there’s only 50-60 miles of 4-lane, the rest of the 140 mile trek is 2-lane, but the average on those trips is easily 22-24 mpg.
The little things:
1. Sync 1 & 2 sucked. They worked, but voice recognition and function navigation was terrible.
a. Sync Destinations app was great. Find a location with your smartphone and send it to your car. It worked easier than the in-car searching. And I miss it in my ’17.
b. Sync 3 is a great improvement! Voice recognition is much better. Address and POI searching is a lot easier.
c. I do think the radio/music muting when a NAV prompt comes on should be improved. My past Escapes muted to very low, this ’17 doesn’t mute enough. After a trip yesterday, I think the ’17 mutes to a predetermined level while the ’14 muted to a percentage relative to the volume level of the NAV prompts. In this ‘17, if the NAV prompt volume is low, the radio can actually be louder than the prompts.
2. Paddle shifters on the steering wheel. Put them back on the shifter. I use them only for downshifting to slow down. This isn’t a race transmission – the automatic does just fine. I drive mostly in “S” sport gear. You have to move the shifter in to Drive and back into Sport to re-engage automatic shifting anyway. Yeah, I wanted them and thought they’d be “cool”, but since I have to use the shifter anyway…..
And I do NOT like the “VOICE” button on the wheel – it’s awkward to use – I have to look for it each time – when it was where the right paddle is now, it was much more convenient! On the left, you lose the Cruise Control’s “Suspend” paddle. Please put them back.
3. NAV next turn is gone from the above-steering-wheel display. – I’m guessing the lane-keeping graphics took the real estate – but I miss it.
4. Seat memory. – You have to be in Park or Neutral now. You can’t just hit the button when stopped at the end of the driveway, or at the first red light.
None of these are a big deal. I’ll get used to the changes.
Bottom Line: I’ve driven Pilots, CRVs, Edges, Lincolns, Mercedes, Lexus, and even a $150k Range Rover Autobiography. I don’t care about “being seen” and although I could afford higher prices, I still pick this Escape.
Lastly, Acton Ford in Acton MA, and Charlie Arbeene – I’ve been with Acton for over 5 years – their Customer Service is outstanding. They listen to you, they give accurate time and cost estimates, and they are very polite!
I’d specified and priced this same exact vehicle at 3 other regional dealers. Two were obviously young and inexperienced sales persons who tried to tell me what I needed rather than listen to what I wanted, and the 3rd argued that I couldn’t get what I wanted built within the required timeframe. One refused to price it unless I went in face-to-face, and the other two priced higher than Acton.
Action had my order built and delivered 3 weeks ahead of my schedule, and included an additional rebate that had come out AFTER I’d signed the contract.
I do a ton of research. I read every review that I can find. I read the Owner Manuals – almost cover to cover. I usually know more than the dealer’s folks, especially the salesmen. Not so with Charlie. He did and does his homework. Although I adamantly argued a point about the Android Remote Apps, he politely kept his cool and when he pointed me to a bit more documentation that proved me incorrect, he was gracious and didn’t make me feel like the idiot I was being.
When I picked up the car it was full of gas and detailed beautifully! Charlie went over every aspect of its functions and operations with as much detail as my wife and I needed. He has twice called to touch base and ensure my satisfaction.
-PJ
