Good stiff ride, excellent handling. Braking system very good. When 4x4 is kicked in, it handles great on snowy roads. Lots of leg room in both front and back seats. Plenty of space in back of cab. Fairly easy to move rear seats forward to increase cab space. Mach Stereo is very good and the 6CD in-dash changer is a nice addition.

Road noise is a bit loud when driving at higher speeds, turn up the radio to counteract... Frequent fill-ups. Ford Claims the Escape gets 17 & 23mpg, but i believe it to be a bit less. Perhaps 15 & 21. The ignition is difficult to see especially at night. A little light within would have fixed that. Sometimes the CD changer would spit out the CD and simply wouldn't take it. Eventually after multiple attempts, you'll get lucky. Amazingly, it would go weeks without trouble, then it would happen again.

I've had my Escape for 3 months, and I am very happy overall.The minor disappointments are with the gas mileage and road noise which is a bit annoying at higher speeds. But it drives like a dream. The Escape grips corners like a car and is a smooth ride is most conditions. If you get the 4x4, you'll be more than happy, because the Escape will hold its own in bad weather. The minor recalls have been taken care of and I haven't had any noticable engine, tire, or interior issues. I would strongly reccommend the Ford Escape to anyone interested in a smaller SUV.

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I had a 1998 Mercury Mountaineer. I can easily say the Escape certainly has the better drive. The Mountaineer was bumpy and wasn't nearly as peppy. The stiff ride on the Escape made me love it even more. Even though it is substantially smaller than the Mountaineer, I seemed to have the same amount of leg room in the Escape.

-I love the power of the V6.
-Handles great on the road.
-Feels very stable and comfortable.
-Love the sunroof.
-Lots of cup holders and storage.

-Gas Mileage (getting just over 300 KM's per tank)
-Front brake dust excessive.
-Still not used to ignition key placement. Hard to find in dark, even when using map lights.
-Lack of front interior lighting when not using map lights. Thought I had a bulb out in the roof light, but discovered that the one existing bulb only lights up the rear part of the vehicle.
-Could use lit visor mirrors. The current ones feel cheap.
-No key hole for the back door, so the only way to unlock is using the remote.

Overall, I would definitely recommend the Escape to anyone looking for an SUV. Very fun to drive and for the money, this is well worth it. I ordered mine fully loaded with leather, sunroof, 6 Disk in-dash CD system with 7 speakers. I skipped the side bars though... not needed since the vehicle is low enough to the ground. I had test driven one with the bars and found that my pants would brush against them. Could see my laundy being increased so I skipped that option. Still hoping my fuel mileage increases. I've not even started using the A/C yet where the mileage could decrease even further. I'm a little nervous about the Firestone tires, even though they're the HT model, and not the recalled AT model.
Regardless, it gets a thumbs up from me.

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1998 Toyota Rav4. Doesn't even compare. The Rav4 felt hollow and tinny compared to the Escape.

Looks good inside and out. Love the power, seeing how I bought the v6. I also actually like the gear shift, maybe its cuz I got used to it. Very roomy and comfortable. Love the yellow color.

Wind noise does get annoying at times.. but Its not a big deal.. mileage isn't what I expected, but hey, its an SUV. The keyless entry or alarm or whatever u call it can annoy the sh-t out of u. Had a passenger in the car who kept playing with the locks, which set off the alarm. Couldn't stop it for about 3 minutes. Gear shift in the beginning did get in the way of the stero, but got over it after a couple of days. Soooo many cup holders.. my gosh.

If this car were human, I'd make love to it. Bought the v6 of course. I cant stand not having some power beneath me. Makes me hungry for speed at times, hence the 2 speeding tickets I've gotten in the last 2 months. Sound system is alright, I would have prefered the optional 6 speaker system, but all in all its good. As for the recalls, I haven't yet encountered any trouble other than the wind noise, but hey, thats why u have a radio. The Escape is gorgeous inside and out. Didn't like the appearance of the car in colors other than yellow. Love the way people stare as u drive by.. seeing how im an 18 year old female in a YELLOW suv. I don't think I've ever seen a yellow SUV before the Escape. Although people compare the Escape to other small SUVS like the CRV and RAV4.. i have to disagree. I feel the car is actually rather big. My mother just bought the 2001 RAV4, and when parked right next to each other, my car does look a bit bigger. Would have went and bought the Excursion, seeing how I love huge cars, but well.. money is money.. and the Escape is pretty much what i could afford. I'm happy as can be though, love the car.

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1997 Rav 4 - crap compared to the Ford
2001 Rav 4 - same as above
2000 CRV - haha.

Nice ride, very good handling, great power (V6 Duratec), Very good braking.

Not really any weaknesses.

So far I love this vehicle, I am happy to see Ford and Firestone are no longer going to do business. I just wish they had done this before I purchased my Escape. The Firestone Wilderness HT, have held up well under some fairly heavy off-roading. I live in the middle of the Rockies so off-road is a way of life, not a choice. Some people say the Escape is a light off-roader. I agree, however, it holds up well under washout conditions and heavy road debris. Nice SUV overall I recommend it completely.

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2001 Chevy Tracker (Improved look, can't stand up to the Escape)
2001 Nissan X-tara (This vehicle looks rugged, however, very underpowered.
No compaction here)

Comfort/Ergonomics, Engine (V6), Cargo/Passenger Room, Versatility, Appearance

Shift on column in front of radio
Fuel economy only around 20-ish/mpg

In short, this car rocks the casbah!

Get one with all the fixin's (XLT trim line),
get the Ford X-Pricing (via eaa.org or other Ford affiliate),
get one now.

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Honda CRV, Subaru Forester, Toyota Rav4
All of which had sub par engines, appearance and/or prices.

Strong engine, quiet ride (with Contitrac tires from Continental), great stereo (Mach single CD/cassette system), smooth ride, feels solidly built!

Black on white gauge cluster (just not my preference), too much plastic on front-end.

I love my Escape! I got an XLT 4X2 with the V-6 engine and auto tranny. This is a FANTASTIC power train. Smooth power that builds nicely and sounds out with a nice growl. Braking is very stong with 4 wheel ABS.

I noticed very little wind noise from the mirrors (as some have reported). I drove an Escape with the 16" Firestone Wilderness HT tires. They were noisy, but I wanted the 16" wheels....so I ordered. Twenty-nine (29) days later (FAST order to delivery), my custom vehicle arrived. Low and behold, my vehicle showed up with Continental Contitrac tires instead of the Firestones. These are smooth and quiet. Ford's not missing Firestone as far as I'm concerned.

I agree with others that the automotive tranny gearshift handle is ...well....odd. It doesn't get in MY way, but it seems overlong. Also, I found the seat-belt minder chime to be annoying. Luckily, I can be disabled permanently (see your owner's manual).

All in all, I couldn't be happier. Ford has hit a home run on this one!!

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Honda CR-V, Ford Explorer

Love the Overall Design of the Exterior!! Peppy V6! The 6 Disc in dash CD Changer is a BONUS!! The ride is wonderful! The Sunroof is huge and makes me feel like I'm driving a convertible. 4X4 comes in handy with the snow.

Cheap visor mirrors. Ignition hard to get used to. Hard time finding gears (Always put in Neutral when looking for Reverse). Hate the feel of the interior door handle..CHEAP. Fuel Economy stinks BUT I think that my gas gauge is wrong because when I fill it up I can only get 13 gallons in my 16 gallon tank. Used to smell gas when I'd first start it up BUT I think that either it's gone away OR I've gotten use to it now! Cheap INTERIOR...boring and poor fix and finish! I don't notice the road noise so much cause I'm used to it having previously owned a Mustang.

I love my new truck....I'm leasing and it's costing me a fortune. I could have gotten a fully loaded Explorer Sport for $50 less a month BUT I like that there aren't so many Escapes on the road YET. The truck is SO much fun to drive and I'm afraid that I may go over my mileage because of that...OH WELL!! I can't wait til winter comes so that I can conquer the snow in my 4x4!!

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2001 Explorer sport has a nicer interior...BY FAR! but the ride of the Escape is definately superior. Previously had a Mustang and I didn't care for it SO my Escape is an improvement in handling and performance.

Xlt 4x4
- Passing power is wonderful.
-Handles snow very will.
-Roomy and my husband can get in and out easily even with his fused back.
-CD/cas radio combo has a good sound.

-No outside air vent that I have found, I'm still looking.
-Strange ignition placement.
-Would like better gas milage even though it is going up; started at 17.5 MPG and am now at 20.5 MPG. I have yet to drive on a straight flat highway. Only hills and curves and city driving so far.

I'm an empty nester with lots of grandchildren. My main requirements;
SIZE - not large but tall enough for my husband to get in without crawling on hands and knees. Plus it's big enough for the grandkids to ride, but not all at once.
PRICE - no more then $25,000.
SEAT comfort - lumbar support very important.
POWER - pass easily, I want to go around without taking 1/2 a mile. This baby really goes. You'll hit 80 in the blink of an eye. Love it. Makes me want to go ESCAPE just think'en about it.
4X4 - Got stuck in the drive in my second hand FWD van. Was waiting to buy a PT Crusier when this happened. The PT doesn't have 4x4 so looked else where. Now with the crash test information in I'm extremely glad I got the Escape.
MPG - wanted as high as I could get with the power I wanted.

I plan to keep it till it falls apart, so this may be my last vehicle purchase. I have two family member in line to take the Escape if I get tired of her. Not Yet!!

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92 Dodge Dokota 4x4 pickup V8, Still have it. husband drives it and won't take anything for it. Few repairs and good power. He likes sneaking a drive in my Escape every now and then.
85 Honda 4x4, went any where I wanted, very few repairs, not enough passing power and standard trans. Had 12 years. Motor went because daugher ran it out of water when a fuse blew.
80 Subaru 4x4, got stuck in sand, and was in garage with repairs alot Traded it for the Honda when tranfer and trans went.

V6 power, interior space, great visibility, braking

(Like everybody else) wind noise, disappointing mileage, poor gear shift lever placement, vague gear selection Reverse/Neutral

Our first SUV, although not our first AWD/4WD capable rig. I'm a big guy and love the interior space, comfortable seats, headroom - as big or bigger than a co-worker's Explorer, another's Blazer, but fits into parking spaces our other car (Toyota Camry) can't handle. Great power and responsiveness, surprisingly good braking and handling, limited 4WD use so far but when I did it was solid feeling. Have taken it on 2000+ mile trips, and aside from a lot of road and wind noise (but not much more than the Explorer and Blazer, nor a previously-owned Subaru Loyale) had zero complaints. Great in-dash CD changer/player, stupid gear lever placement (took a month to get used to it), my tank also only takes 13 gal or so although book says 16 (a 3-gallon reserve?); mileage around 20 - 21 on the road, irritating but it sits high and isn't all that streamlined, maybe Ford should tinker with the drive ratios. Disturbing offset crash test results - don't know if that would have impacted on our decision last year. All in all, though, a lot of fun, a lot of car for the money. Picked the chrome yellow color - lots of thumbs up and waves - maybe they think I'm a taxi.

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Frequent user of in-laws' Subaru Forester - the Escape is more comfortable, has way more power, feels tighter, stronger, and it was cheaper with same interior/exterior trim level (loaded). Much more fun to drive.

Great looks and handling.

The door locks are extremely poor, they go on and off without reason. On more than one occasion was I locked out of the vehicle when I started it and got out to wipe off the snow.
The interior finish seems cheap and not properly finished. Alot of details were not well thought out such as a small light near the ignition to put the key in at ninght, bad interior lighting, a moronic location for the shifter, poor door mouldings, and some of the worst fuel consumption I've ever encopuntered on such a small vehicle.

The car has already had a number of recalls and given the details described above would definately not recommend this vehicle for the price. Wait a few years until they get the bugs out

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