Ride Report - '11 Ford Escape
Jan 30, 2012, 3:03 pm
#1
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Ride Report - '11 Ford Escape
On my second college visit trip, I had myself flying into Chicago-O'Hare and driving through Indiana and central Illinois over 2 days. After some time I settled for a standard (D) vehicle (Altima coupe or similar). I had finally signed up for the #1 Gold Club and I also used the USAA CDP, as well as a PC which saved me $10 a day, so it wasn't that expensive.
Finally the day of travel comes. The air portion of my travel had me going LGA-DTW-ORD (the second leg being on a DC-9
). While at LGA I realized I left my GPS and EZPass at home, so I printed Google Maps in the Sky Club, and almost missed my flight. In DTW I called my dad and he said I should try and get a car with both of those anyway -- and I agreed since I had the wrong address for one of the destinations.
Eventually I get to ORD, and since it's my first time renting as a #1 Gold Club member I had to do the paperwork. Asked for NeverLost, EZPass, and the FPO. Saw the Ford logo on the key and was hoping for a Fusion or a Taurus... but was pleasantly surprised to see a 2011 Escape XLT!
http://www.ford.com/suvs/escape/
Car Description: N/LESCAPE 4W 4S
Class: Q4
The XLT trim is the mid-level option for the Escape, although the one I had was pretty basic. Edmunds says the MSRP is $27,245, and it had a little below 13,000 miles when I took it out. 532 miles later, I felt it was the perfect rental for this trip, as I will describe below. Didn't get any photos this time, but with the weather that hit us it didn't look pretty when I returned it! Also, when I first got it, the windows and mirrors were iced over -- good thing there was an ice scraper/brush, but I would have liked it to be ready for me to drive out when I showed up
Powertrain: The Escape XLT I had was equipped with the 2.5L Duratec I4 engine which produces up to a measly 175 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque, along with a 6-speed automatic transmission. It was pretty run-of-the-mill, although a 6-speed is always nice (my personal '04 Malibu MAXX LS V6 only has 4 gears). The most important thing for me about this though was that it had AWD. It snowed a LOT on my trip, and I was really glad to have the extra traction. The EPA says it should get 20-26 miles per gallon, and I averaged the lower end of that (probably due to driving quickly and the snow).
Ride/Handling: I've never been a fan of inline engines, and this car reminded me why. Shifting gears didn't always happen when you expected it, and it liked to rev high, even on highways. On the other hand, the engine was VERY quiet. The driving was generally was smooth and stable. Steering felt light but I didn't mind. Suspension was firm and the Escape felt very sturdy. As for driving in the snow, it was fantastic being able to use the half-plowed passing lane on the interstates during the worst of the snowfall. At night in Indiana (when it hadn't snowed yet), the straight, empty roads did allow me to make some time up and the Escape handles pretty well even at high speeds. One thing in particular I thought was interesting was that it had a low-gear button you could push when driving downhill to keep the speed down (sort of like an engine brake).
Interior: The Escape I had, like I said, was very basically equipped. It had the Charcoal Black cloth package, which was fine with me. I took a few moments when first getting in to familiarize myself with everything since buttons are somewhat all over the place. The display showed the mileage range which was nice (although somewhat inaccurate as that number decreased faster than what the NeverLost showed for remaining distance... although that's probably my fault). It also showed direction (N/NE/etc) as well as temperature. I found two cupholders and I believe two DC outlets. The Escape is pretty high up, as is expected for an SUV. The side mirrors also had the insets to show blind spots, which was nice to have. All of the light, wiper, and turn signal controls are on one single stalk, but actually felt very natural to use. The trunk is huge.
Exterior/Design: It's a standard Ford Escape... not much to say. It was painted Sangria Red Metallic (my Corvette was red too... my first rental ever was a really nice red '11 Impala so red cars have been working out for me it seems). I noticed that I had a lot of visibility from the driver seat.
Features: What features?!
My rental was the mid-level XLT trim, but was still very basically equipped. It had SIRIUS satellite radio which was nice. I also opted for NeverLost and the EZPass/IPass. Other than that, nothing (no sunroof, running board, remote start, etc.). If you include AWD as a feature then I had that.
Value: I forget how much the SUV (Q4) class ran per day when originally reserving, but I paid the standard type (D) rate of $22 a day (before a PC which knocked out $10 a day and the USAA CDP discount). The FPO and NL are what I paid the most for, but were worth it (especially the FPO since I drove back in on fumes). In the winter, it's really nice to have a SUV and I'd gladly rent one again.
Summary
PROS:
CONS:
I just wanted to add that when looking to replace our late '92 Taurus in October, I really wanted to get one of these (used, of course), but I'm content with my Malibu. Still, I'm glad I had the opportunity to take one of these out for a spin.
-J.
Finally the day of travel comes. The air portion of my travel had me going LGA-DTW-ORD (the second leg being on a DC-9
). While at LGA I realized I left my GPS and EZPass at home, so I printed Google Maps in the Sky Club, and almost missed my flight. In DTW I called my dad and he said I should try and get a car with both of those anyway -- and I agreed since I had the wrong address for one of the destinations.Eventually I get to ORD, and since it's my first time renting as a #1 Gold Club member I had to do the paperwork. Asked for NeverLost, EZPass, and the FPO. Saw the Ford logo on the key and was hoping for a Fusion or a Taurus... but was pleasantly surprised to see a 2011 Escape XLT!
http://www.ford.com/suvs/escape/
Car Description: N/LESCAPE 4W 4S
Class: Q4
The XLT trim is the mid-level option for the Escape, although the one I had was pretty basic. Edmunds says the MSRP is $27,245, and it had a little below 13,000 miles when I took it out. 532 miles later, I felt it was the perfect rental for this trip, as I will describe below. Didn't get any photos this time, but with the weather that hit us it didn't look pretty when I returned it! Also, when I first got it, the windows and mirrors were iced over -- good thing there was an ice scraper/brush, but I would have liked it to be ready for me to drive out when I showed up
Powertrain: The Escape XLT I had was equipped with the 2.5L Duratec I4 engine which produces up to a measly 175 hp and 172 lb-ft of torque, along with a 6-speed automatic transmission. It was pretty run-of-the-mill, although a 6-speed is always nice (my personal '04 Malibu MAXX LS V6 only has 4 gears). The most important thing for me about this though was that it had AWD. It snowed a LOT on my trip, and I was really glad to have the extra traction. The EPA says it should get 20-26 miles per gallon, and I averaged the lower end of that (probably due to driving quickly and the snow).
Ride/Handling: I've never been a fan of inline engines, and this car reminded me why. Shifting gears didn't always happen when you expected it, and it liked to rev high, even on highways. On the other hand, the engine was VERY quiet. The driving was generally was smooth and stable. Steering felt light but I didn't mind. Suspension was firm and the Escape felt very sturdy. As for driving in the snow, it was fantastic being able to use the half-plowed passing lane on the interstates during the worst of the snowfall. At night in Indiana (when it hadn't snowed yet), the straight, empty roads did allow me to make some time up and the Escape handles pretty well even at high speeds. One thing in particular I thought was interesting was that it had a low-gear button you could push when driving downhill to keep the speed down (sort of like an engine brake).
Interior: The Escape I had, like I said, was very basically equipped. It had the Charcoal Black cloth package, which was fine with me. I took a few moments when first getting in to familiarize myself with everything since buttons are somewhat all over the place. The display showed the mileage range which was nice (although somewhat inaccurate as that number decreased faster than what the NeverLost showed for remaining distance... although that's probably my fault). It also showed direction (N/NE/etc) as well as temperature. I found two cupholders and I believe two DC outlets. The Escape is pretty high up, as is expected for an SUV. The side mirrors also had the insets to show blind spots, which was nice to have. All of the light, wiper, and turn signal controls are on one single stalk, but actually felt very natural to use. The trunk is huge.
Exterior/Design: It's a standard Ford Escape... not much to say. It was painted Sangria Red Metallic (my Corvette was red too... my first rental ever was a really nice red '11 Impala so red cars have been working out for me it seems). I noticed that I had a lot of visibility from the driver seat.
Features: What features?!
My rental was the mid-level XLT trim, but was still very basically equipped. It had SIRIUS satellite radio which was nice. I also opted for NeverLost and the EZPass/IPass. Other than that, nothing (no sunroof, running board, remote start, etc.). If you include AWD as a feature then I had that.Value: I forget how much the SUV (Q4) class ran per day when originally reserving, but I paid the standard type (D) rate of $22 a day (before a PC which knocked out $10 a day and the USAA CDP discount). The FPO and NL are what I paid the most for, but were worth it (especially the FPO since I drove back in on fumes). In the winter, it's really nice to have a SUV and I'd gladly rent one again.
Summary
PROS:
- Fuel economy
- All wheel drive (it really did had great traction)
- Stability
- Capacity
CONS:
- Performance
- Lack of features
- Indecisive transmission
I just wanted to add that when looking to replace our late '92 Taurus in October, I really wanted to get one of these (used, of course), but I'm content with my Malibu. Still, I'm glad I had the opportunity to take one of these out for a spin.
-J.
Last edited by GW McLintock; Jan 30, 2012 at 3:19 pm
Feb 1, 2012, 7:26 pm
#2
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: MCO
Programs: AA EXP, United PS, Hyatt Explorist, Marriott Titanium, Wyndham Gold, Club Carlson Gold, Amtrak
Posts: 1,254
Nice ride report. I had the Escape in Anchorage back in October and loved it. Mine was nicely appointed with leather and a slew of other features - most important was that it rode nice and handled nicely in the snow/ice. It was the first time I drove an Escape in a few years, and I was incredibly impressed - last time I drove one I hated it. Hope the rest of your trip went well.