C O V E R     S T O R Y

There are several ways of waking up in the morning, from the unpleasant blare of an alarm clock to the stimulating aroma of breakfast cooking in the kitchen.  A leisurely breakfast is all fine for the weekend, but for rush-hour workdays, a quicker solution is warranted.  That's where coffee usually comes in: one gulp and when the caffeine warms up the veins, so too does the brain.  Now what of us who are not partial to hot Java?  We discovered something just as effective: seeing a bright yellow compact SUV parked in our garage did the trick.

The SUV in question is the 2004 Ford Escape.  How is it different from last year's?  If the blazing paintwork doesn’t get your attention, then perhaps two small inscriptions the front fenders will: V6.  This means that under the stubby hood is not an anemic 2.0-liter but a full-strength 3.0, garnished with double overhead cams and 24 valves.  The Duratec engine is good for a potent 206 bhp and 276 Nm, compared to the 2.0's 130 bhp/183 Nm. 

Climb into the cabin and even if you haven't driven an Escape before, you'll feel right at home.  That's because the leather seats are as soft and comfortable enough to double as living room furniture. They're American-sized, too, so you won't feel shortchanged when it comes to seat width and thigh support.  Switches, gauges and operating levers are all easily decipherable even if you let the owner's manual gather dust in the glovebox.  A power moon roof, unique to the class, incorporates a wind deflector to lessen the wind noise and turbulence when the glass is retracted.  Our favorite "barbecutie," Michelle Branch, can breathe out of the Escape's 4 speakers all day long and still sound quite good from the typically robust Ford sound system.  She only has two CDs out, so there are four more slots to fill in the no-magazine dash-mounted changer.

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