We were given the option to turn in our leased 2017 Ford Escape Titanium two months early last month and we did. It was too good of a deal to pass up. Especially since we just went over miles. And with the Escape no longer in our lives means it is time for a review.
I’ve always hated the Escape. Every single one of them. It’s the one car Ford makes that irkes me. I think its because the Escape has never been what it claims to be. A small but roomy SUV. It’s just not.
But this car wasn’t really for me. It was for this hot chick that I live with. You see, I work from home and barely drive. If its nice out I’ll ride my RadWagon all over Oakland County. Because my car is not a car. Its my Dad’s 2004 F150. A vehicle that doesn’t fit anywhere.
We were turning in the 2015 Transit Connect Wagon that I loved and she hated. Since she puts 90% of the miles on the car and has to drive with a then 1.5 and 2.5 year old every morning for thirty minutes I can only push so far.
And since my Dad worked for Ford my Mom still gets his employee discount. It’s stupid for me to get anything else than a Ford because of the discount we get.
So the hot chick says something like “uuuuhhhhh, I want the Escape.” I’m like “No. They’re dumb.”
I just couldn’t change her mind. More on that below.
Ford Escape it is.
It was $7 more a month for the Titanium which was way more optioned than the SE so we did that.
Let’s get right into it.
1.5L Ecoboost was underpowered – It just did not have any pickup to it. Sure, it was fine getting around in but when you floored it the Escape did not get up and go.
Firm Bouncy Ride – I’m sure the low profile tires had something to do with that.
Cramped – I don’t fit. For some reason I fit in a Ford Focus just fine. But not an Escape which is basically the same car. At 5’10” I felt pinched in the drivers seat.
Doesn’t Fit Much – An over night bag per person is really all it could fit in the trunk. No way I can throw my golf clubs in there with those.
26 Combined MPG – There is no reason a 4 cylinder turbo engine should get less than a combined 30 MPG in 2017. I could not get it over 29 MPG on the highway. Pitiful.
Clearly I am going the Negative Nancy route here.
But to be fair the Escape wasn’t that bad. We had 21,224 uneventful miles over nearly two years of use. We were able to put both of our kids Britax car seats in it. And it was easy to park.
But that’s about it. Or at least what I thought about it. The hot chick was quite fond of the Escape.
Ford’s The Problem
When we turned in the Transit I almost had the hot chick convinced on getting a C-Max Energi. They were giving them away. I remember our salesman saying 24 months $0 down 10500 miles a year for $249 a month. The Escape was $296.
We’d be saving $47 a month in payments and with the C-Max Energi getting like 100 MPG we’d be saving at least $50 a month in gas versus the Escape. We’re talking about $1200 a year less for the C-Max Energi versus the Escape. That’s a big difference going from the Transit at $340 a month.
As much as it made sense (we really only need one commuter vehicle) I just couldn’t convince the hot chick to deal with putting a stroller in that tiny trunk for four months. Our youngest was so close to growing out of the stroller ride to the daycare but it was still needed. Damn that battery!! What a bad design. Even with the savings I could barely sell myself on putting up with that.
So we got the Escape.
We looked at the regular C-Max hybrid which would have worked better than the Energi but for some reason they were pricing out at $340 a month. As was the Fusion hybrid. Even with the savings on gas we’d probably save money with the Escape. Plus, she always wanted one.
I was really hoping there would be more (any) hybrid or electric options than the Fusion or C-Max to chose from in 2017 when we turned in the Transit. The electric Focus was not an option as it didn’t get enough range for us to deal with yet.
All of that lingered with me the entire time we had the Escape.
It comes back to two years prior to getting the Escape when I went for a test drive in a Tesla Model S. Within 15 seconds of feeling what it was like to get thrown back in the seat and realizing how simple electric cars were is when I knew I wanted one (an electric car).
I remember saying during the test drive “This car is going to change the world.”
Four years later it is. Ford didn’t bother to notice.
They gave us boring Escape’s instead. And not even a hybrid one.
I know Ford said almost a year ago that 16 electric cars would be released by 2022 along with 25 new hybrid models. I was really hoping one of the electric cars would have been released before we turned in the Escape. They did not.
We did get our first hybrid though. A 2019 Ford Fusion SE Hybrid. So far so good. More on that in two years when we turn it in.
It’s not you 2017 Ford Escape. It’s me. You’re five years late and I’m two years early to the party.
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