Standard Options
1.6L EcoBoost 4-cyl. Turbo with 173HP
Was equipped with optional 2.0L EcoBoost GTDI turbocharged inline-4 engine with 231 HP
22/30 mpg 1.6L AWD
21/28 mpg 2.0L AWD
Premium unleaded (recommended)
Rear parking sensors
Rear view camera
8 -way power driver seat
Heated front seats
Remote Start
Keyless ignition/entry
Sony 10-speaker sound system
Pros
Very nicely equipped
2.0L engine is very peppy
Nice sound system
Comfortable ride
Cons
This particular one did not have Power Panorama Roof
Manual passenger seat
I had to return it
I was pleasantly surprised to find this particular vehicle in the Enterprise return area, especially with only 1,500 miles on it. Needless to say, I was not disappointed. Here is some potential good news for National car renters. The middle of the road SEL trim has been discontinued for 2014 for the Escape, Fusion, and Focus. This leaves just the base, SE, and Titanium trims. Hopefully this means more Titanium trim vehicles in the fleet.
This particular Escape was equipped with the optional 2.0L Ecoboost engine. The 1.6L has some pep to it, but this feels like Red Bull has been added to the fuel mix, with the extra 60 horses under the hood. The only downside is the hit on the mpg. The mpg figures given were achieved using 93 octane fuel. With regular unleaded I averaged 24 mpg, on mostly highway miles.
This car is very comfortable with the leather seats. The suspension is a little firm, but that is expected for small SUV. Steering is light and very responsive. Acceleration is very quick with the 2.0L turbo, with 0-60 in 7 seconds. By comparison the 1.6L takes 9.4 seconds.
The Titanium Escape comes standard with a 10 speaker Sony HD radio with 8" LCD color touchscreen. Audio inputs include 2 USB ports, SD card reader, RCA video/audio input jacks, auxiliary audio input and iPod/iPhone integration as well as bluetooth. A 6 month Sirius/XM trial is included. The system is capable of 355 watts total power, and will not disappoint. The music has depth, and the bass is clear and powerful.
The Titanium trim starts at $29,100. It is so nicely equipped there are few options. This particular one had the 2.0L engine installed for an additional $1,195, for an as equipped price of $30,295. Other options are the panorama roof ($1,495) and the Titanium Technology package ($1,735), which includes Bi-xenon HID headlamps with Signature Lighting, Blind spot information system (BLIS) with cross traffic alert, rain-sensing wipers and active park assist.
In addition to keyless start, it also has keyless entry. As long as the key is on you, you can unlock the door by just approaching and attempting to open the door. It's a fun way to impress the kids. You can also open the rear liftgate by sticking your left foot in and shaking it all about.
With 34 cubic feet of cargo space with the seats up, and 68 feet with the rear seats down, there is ample room for groceries or hunting/ camping trips. On the back of the center console is a standard 110 volt AC power plug, making road trips a little easier for the little ones.
As equipped this is easily in my top 5 of car rentals. If you added the panorama roof, and the Titanium technology package, I would buy it and quit renting.
It was an extremely fun car to drive, and would easily rent again, if given the opportunity.
