|
Inside, Expedition owners will find themselves at home with the Escape’s similar cabin layout and material use. Lined in beige plastic that’s highlighted with a black center console, it comes out better executed and more solid than the charcoal interior of the Honda CR-V. Though not as glitzy as the Toyota RAV4’s, everything is consistently surfaced and solidly built—as if they’re molded from the same tough stuff of the bigger Ford trucks. Besides inheriting some DNA from the Expedition and the Explorer Sport Trac, the Escape also has some European flare inside. It shares some parts with the Focus such as its confusing door locks that pop-out when locked rather than pop-in; and the 2-DIN stereo cassette with 6-disc in-dash CD changer with a removable key-code system. Ford has also incorporated some nifty convenience features inside the Escape that are truly American: a 10-second delay on the power windows; headlamps that turn themselves off after 30-seconds when the key is pulled out; and the stereo system that can be used for one hour after you remove the key! Front seat space is decisively the best in its class thanks to a center console that’s been pushed up and away from the knees of the occupants. The story’s the same with the rear cabin, where the space and the seating is more luxurious for five adults than the Toyota RAV4 or even the so-called 10-seater Honda CR-V. In addition, the rear seats fold 60 / 40 to make the boot space of the Escape the biggest in its class. For those wondering, there are no funny seats inside the Escape—seating is limited to five people, and squeezing in six small people is probably still feasible. The Escape also features a more ergonomic driving position, thanks largely to the fine tuning work of Mazda engineers, whose Tribute is actually a twin of this Ford. The seating position is more car-like and with a 10-way manually adjustable driver’s seat (the Toyota RAV4 only has a 6-way adjustment), finding the ideal position is easy. The additional height makes for good visibility. There are only minimal blind spots thanks to large windows and huge side-view mirrors. After locating the small keyhole, which requires a minute to find, starting the Ford Escape makes its 2.0-liter DOHC 16-valve inline-4 breathe life. The same Zetec series engine that powers the Ford Focus ZTS generates a respectable 130 bhp at 5,400 rpm and 183 Nm of torque at 4,500 rpm; figures that still can’t match Toyota’s VVTi or Honda’s i-VTEC units. Though lacking any sort of valve trickery, the Zetec’s willingness to rev still delivers the goods, especially when mated to the five-speed manual. The transmission feels a bit rubbery like the Ranger's, but the travel between gears is short and the clutch is easy to modulate. When pushed to the redline, the 2.0-liter unit is smooth and consistent, without the boominess of the Toyota’s low-end-torque-biased engine. The Escape’s main weakness is the lack of power when combined with the four-speed automatic. Because of the Escape’s heavy mass and the transmission’s tall gearing, acceleration from standstill is quite poor. Nonetheless, it shifts smoothly—without inherent shocks, while the kick downs can provide some powerful and quick bursts of acceleration when needed. The unibody construction of the Escape and its all-around independent suspension (McPherson struts in the front and Multi-Links at the back), make it a competent handler in city or country. The springs and shock settings, road-biased tires as well as the low-slung engine say that the Escape is just as home on the road as off it. The ride is the perfect balance between being firm and comfortable, while providing some good isolation from tire and road noise. |
|
|||||||
