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2002 Ford Escape: It's Time to Get Away!
Date of Review: Dec 6, 2001
The Bottom Line: This is a very good SUV, for those who don't need a very significant amount of cargo space.
Sport Utility Vehicles have become very popular over the years, and most every manufacturer offers at least one SUV in its product line. Ford Motor Company has several SUV to choose from, and with the zero- financing offers that have been promoted recently, I have been very tempted to make a purchase.
At the small- end of the SUV line, Ford offers the 2002 Ford Escape. I paid a visit a few days ago to a local Ford dealer, to look at the new lines of cars and trucks. The Ford Escape was the first one that I looked at, and the first one that I took for a test- drive. Here?s what I found out about this mini- SUV:
Available Features:
The Ford Escape comes with a 3.0 liter, V-6 engine with 201 horsepower, or a 2.0 liter, 127 horsepower engine. You have an option of either 4- speed automatic or 5- speed manual transmission. There?s also a 2- wheel drive, and a four- wheel drive option.
There are two different base models of the Ford Escape, the XLS (more basic), and XLT (more luxury). Each one is offered in three different ?levels?: Value, Choice, or Sport. The Sport model is the premium level; the Value is the least expensive; and the Choice is in the middle.
Many luxury features, like power door locks, power windows, tilt steering wheel, and CD player, are standard on all six models of the Escape. Other options, like power seats, and sunroof, are only available on the three XLT models.
Fuel economy is pretty good in the Ford Escape. If you opt for the more sluggish 2.0 liter engine, you will get a mileage rating of 23/27 (for the 2-wheel drive model) or 22/25 (for the 4-wheel drive model). With the more powerful 3.0- liter engine, the fuel economy drops to 19/24 (for the 2-wheel drive) or 18/23 (for the 4-wheel drive).
Ford equips its XLT Escape with a towing package, as a standard feature. It can haul up to 3,500 pounds, which is enough to tow a small trailer. With the XLS model, you have to purchase a towing package, as an additional option.
There are eight exterior colors to choose from, when you purchase a Ford Escape. They are: White, Black, Bright Red, Yellow Metallic, Green Metallic, Gray Metallic, Silver Metallic, and Blue Metallic. With the interior, you have two options: Graphite Cloth and Parchment Cloth.
All Ford Escape models come with the standard, 36,000 mile, bumper to bumper warranty. There?s also a 60- month warranty against rust corrosion, regardless of mileage.
Style/Handling:
The Ford Escape is a ?compact? SUV, falling into the same class as the Jeep Liberty, Kia Sportage, Chevrolet Tracker, Honda CR-V, Nissan Xterra, and a few others. The dimensions are slightly smaller on the Escape than its larger cousin, the Explorer. Where you will notice the greatest difference is with the cargo space in the back. The Escape does have a noticeably smaller area to haul things. You can fold the seats down (you can do this with the Explorer, too), and increase the cargo area, but it?s still less than you will get in the larger SUV models.
Another thing to consider with the Escape is that there is no optional third- row seat. The Explorer, and the larger models, all have this option now. The Dodge Durango was the first to offer this, and now it?s a common option among the larger SUV models, for all manufacturers. If you need the seating capacity for more than five passengers, the Escape won?t satisfy your needs. It will only hold up to five, and very snugly at that. The back seat will accommodate three adults, but they will be rubbing elbows. It?s really best for no more than four adults total. If you really need more seating, you should consider a larger SUV.
While driving the Escape, one thing I noticed right away is that it didn?t have that ?top heavy? feel that the larger SUV usually have. When I made turns, I felt more comfortable turning the wheel at a little higher rate of speed than I would in a larger SUV. In this respect, it felt more like driving a car than a truck.
Acceleration was not that great, even with the 201 horsepower engine. Of course, I?m accustomed to driving my car, a smaller sports car with the same horsepower, and I immediately want to compare it to my car, which probably isn?t fair. For an SUV, I think the acceleration is adequate. It?s not going to take you from zero to sixty miles per hour in a few seconds, but it will get you going quickly enough that you don?t need to worry about problems with highway merging and other situations where acceleration is critical.
Final Thoughts:
Ford Escape is a nice little SUV. I like it more than the Jeep Liberty, not just for its handling and features, but also for its more rugged appearance. The Liberty, with its round headlights, has a little too juvenile of an appearance, in my opinion. The Escape, while a compact SUV, has the personality and look of a more mature vehicle.
Escape is also the winner when it comes to crash tests. It performs the best in its class, when subjected to high- impact crashes. It?s also no surprise that the Escape is a little more expensive than its competitors. The one that I test- drove had a sticker price of $24,400, fully loaded. That?s about $2,000 to $4,000 more than most of the competition.
I only found a few minor annoyances with this vehicle. Besides the more compact interior space, one thing that bothered me was the seat belt warning light. Instead of just lighting up, to warn you to fasten your seat belt, it beeps at you every minute or so, for the first five minutes that you are driving. You can?t shut this off. If you don?t want to wear your seat belt, you will have to tolerate the beeping for about five minutes. After that, it will stop automatically.
Another concern for some taller people would be the driver?s seat. It didn?t go back very far. It was good enough to accommodate someone like myself, but a very tall person could have some problems. I used the power seat, when I drove this vehicle. The manual seat might be better, for a tall person, because it might have greater ability to move it back further.
I didn?t drive the 2.0 liter, 127 horsepower version of the Escape, so I can?t comment on it directly. But I can say that the 3.0 liter, 201 horsepower vehicle is the one to buy. It offered adequate acceleration, not great, but satisfactory. I can only imagine how weak the 127 horsepower engine must be. Even a smaller SUV, like this one, needs more than 127 horses to perform up to par.
Overall, this is a very good SUV. I haven?t been talked into buying a new vehicle yet, but these zero- interest deals being offered right now sure are tempting! The right salesman could probably talk me into it, so I better play it safe and stay away from the dealerships for a while. Ford Escape could very well become my next vehicle, if I?m not careful!
