I'll recommend against the Escape for a long road trip: head toss. That's the effect of tall seating and stiff anti-roll bars used to keep SUVs (fairly) level. It's tiring on long trips. A premium car will be quieter and much more relaxed. You don't want a 4-cylinder Jeep (Compass or Patriot), not even if they wrap you in an American flag and give you dual citizenship. Those vehicles are just awful, especially for high mileage, higher speed trips.