Experiences / Thoughts on 2010 Ford Escape?

[Market525]

We are thinking of replacing my wife's 02 Jeep Liberty, and she has her eye on the 2010 Ford Escape. We'd probably get the AWD 6-cylinder model.

Any owners out there care to give me some input?

 

[Scotty1981]

I don't know much about them but based on what I have heard/read about them and they are supposed to be pretty nice, I would look into the Hybrid option as well if I were you.

 

[addyguy]

Wife and love them - would buy one tommorow if finances permited.

 

[Hermann]

My GF has a '05 Mariner v-6 AWD. Some pros and cons are. Wont comment on styling and interior Appointments as they have changed since then, but mechanicals are pretty much the same. The V-6 now has more HP. 240 vs 200 IIRC.

Pros: Small size and great visibility make it easy to manuver in tight spots. Nice tight steering with a decent amount of genuine road feel. Hers has a nice transmission, shifts smoothly and precisly. Easy access for DYI maintainance. Hold their value well.

Cons: Noisy engine when reved. Only average fuel economy. She averages 18 MPG in mixed driving. Her transfer case failed. Suspension bushings shot at 40K. Not much interior storage space. Center floor tunnel wide, making interior seem small. OEM tires were horrible, do not accept the Conti's. Body making flexing noises at just over 50K.

She loves it just because she can see out of it. She is short and the drivers power seat raises up real high. It is why she bought it. I do the oil and ATF. During the last and current OCI's there has been some first time oil use. Not severe but this OCI it was down a half quart at 3500 miles. Had used none prior to the last two OCI's.

 

[Bill in Utah]

We have a few at work and sadly I agree with some of Hermann's GF experiences..

The body is not very quiet. Creeks all the time. Rear bushings shot on all of them before 60k. Weak AWD system (the rear end kicks in WAY too late then as soon as the vehicle gets going then the rear end gets less power and it just hops back and forth) I don't know if better tires would help in this matter. (could not hurt) I've been in a few of them and they all do it.

The engine seems to be fine for power. We have a few Hybrids but I have not driven/ridden in those.

Go rent one and even better go drive a few used ones that are for sale. I've found finding some used vehicle of the model I'm interested in tells me quite a bit about how the vehicle does when it gets older.

I like how they look. We went and looked at them when we bought the Subaru.

Take care, Bill

 

[kkreit01]

Check out Escape-City forum. I think there have been some issues with the new 6 spd transmission. I had an 07 and 08 Mariner. They both were great. Never in the shop once. I thought the 4wd was excellent (seamless on mine). MPG was good, and it's even better on the 09+. I got 19-20 mixed driving, and 24+ highway with my V6 4wd/4 spd auto. My 2.3 fwd didn't really get any better. It didn't have enough power to pull itself.

 

[Old Mustang Guy]

We have an 01 Escape with almost 150k. Overall it has been the most reliable vehicle we have ever owned. Still drives like new, uses no oil between changes. The new one has been upgraded quite a bit. I would not hesitate to buy one.

 

[Market525]

Well, I hate to hear about body creaks & such. I must say, at 76K, the Liberty is as tight as it was day one. Not a rattle or squeak to be heard. Suspension is tight as well ... but we are still plagued with recalls for lower, and now upper ball joints. Poor inital design, I suppose.

Renting one was a suggestion, and not a bad idea.

I'm still open to more comments on your Escape if you own one now.

 

[dishdude]

Have you looked at the Equinox/Terrain and Hyundai Tucson? When I was out looking at small SUVs, I thought these were the best choices out there.

 

[drfeelgood]

My wife has a 2009 FWD Hybrid. Pricey, but nice vehicle. She loves it. The hybrid feature is easy to get used to. She already has 30k miles without any issues. Getting 32 mpg overall!

 

[The Critic]

Originally Posted By: dishdude
Have you looked at the Equinox/Terrain and Hyundai Tucson? When I was out looking at small SUVs, I thought these were the best choices out there.

Equinox is probably a better choice. But I personally find that even on the newest GM models, reliability isn't quite as good as Ford, especially on first-year models.

The new Hyundai Tucson is also a solid choice, but it's also a first-year model.

 

[CROWNVIC4LIFE]

The Ford Escape hybrids seem to holding up very well in NYC doing taxi duty.

 

[Hermann]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Originally Posted By: dishdude
Have you looked at the Equinox/Terrain and Hyundai Tucson? When I was out looking at small SUVs, I thought these were the best choices out there.

Equinox is probably a better choice. But I personally find that even on the newest GM models, reliability isn't quite as good as Ford, especially on first-year models.

The new Hyundai Tucson is also a solid choice, but it's also a first-year model.


Saw the new Tuscon on Motorweek last week and it looked nice and they liked it too. Seems to have a nice 4 cyl engine.