Last week I rented a Ford Escape. The Escape I picked was a FWD V6 in limited trim and came with the optional moon and tunes package for an MSRP of $29,085. My rental had a june 2011 registration date and had just over 15k miles on the odometer. The Sirius was still activated, however it expired Dec 1 as i was driving back to the airport The 3.0V6, identified by the FFV badge on the hatch, sounded very rough and was quite loud at idle and full throttle. However, it was strong enough and with the 6spd automatic the combination worked well and I never felt the need for more power, not that i wouldn't take it. Over 200 miles of highway and around town driving i averaged 22.3 mpg which I felt was fine for the vehicle. The seats are firm but not uncomfortable. The limited trim features heated leather seats, sync, and cool interior lights for the front cupholders, and foot wells front and rear. You can change the color of the lights or turn them off. The drivers seat is positioned rather high and is power adjustable on the XLT and Limited trim levels, but the backrest is manually adjustable. There is also a spotter mirror in each side mirror eliminating almost all blind spots. There is an info display in the gauge cluster controlled by switches to the left of the steering wheel on the dash. The center stack was busy, but after a few minutes everything was logical and easily found without looking and the steering wheel controls are nice. The limited trim is identified on the outside by 6 spoke, rather than 5 spoke on the XLS and XLT trims, chrome trim on the luggage rack, extra chrome on the front bumper and a tiny badge on the rear hatch. In my car the A/C fan was quiet loud, but the nice sound system helped drown that and the constant engine and road noise out. This was my first time using sync and i was not that impressed. It took me about 30 min to switch from French back to English (thanks to a previous renter) The bluetooth calling worked well, but everything else seemed to be a hassle or it wasn't compatable with my iphone. The headlights and foglight combination proved to light up the dark streets and i didn't feel the need to use the highbeams. The rear seat was somewhat tight and with the drivers seat set for me, i had to squeeze in behind and my knees were in the back of the front seat and my head was just clearing the ceiling. The reason i rented the suv was for hauling and the Escape with the seats folded worked fine. However, you need to remove the headrests and squeeze them into a small bin below the cargo mat and then you have to stash the cargo cover someplace. Overall it worked out for my rental, but it wouldn't be my first choice.













Pros: strong V6 with decent fuel economy
sync/bluetooth
compact exterior size, with better than expected inside space
auto on headlights
cool interior lighting
my key was not activated
aux in/usb port integration with the premium sound
steering wheel controls

Cons: rough sounding/loud engine/ road noise
tight rear seat room
rear seat does not recline or slide
more complex than most to fold rear seat, then having to store headrests/ cargo cover
rear seat cupholder location