I had an SE at YVR in October. Though it also had leather seats which I didn't know were an option on the SE. Mine had the 1.6L Ecoboost and it did very well on gas. I recall averaging as low as 8.5L/100 km on a few highway stretches (27.8 mpg). Unfortunately I got rear-ended in Surrey but the Escape held up very well; just some damage to the bumper cover and the exhaust pipe got knocked loose. Certainly gave me a good feel for it's safety and it's high on my list when I want to get something safe for Ms. Tuneman.