very peppy with the v-6. has side air bags, looks good, comfortable inside,
simple controls.

poor milage, doors very light weight and feels cheap and not very safe and inside door handle feels cheap too. the leather feels good, steering wheel cover could have been done better. wish I felt safer in the car.

Was impressed with the size and pep of the car and the simpleness of the car. The sound system is fair, visiblity is very good and feet are comfortable.

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None

It is a small SUV that I don't feel cheap driving. Looks great and handles great. V6 engine only way to go. LOTS of interior room. Very smooth on the road. Again, looks solid, not cheap like other companies small SUV's.

I haven't noticed the wind noise that everyone talkes about. Also, I am getting 300-350 miles per tank of gas, I did notice that the gas guage is off so I have to see how many gallons I put in to calculate gas milage. My ONLY complaint with the car so far is that the back window has started creaking and rattling with every bump. Radio can counter this but I like to ride quiet sometime and this gets annoying. I haven't taken to a dealer yet, but I hope it is a quick fix thing. After all, the larger SUV's by Ford don't do this, why should the Escape??

I am very happy with my purchase. I hope and pray that I don't run into the problems that others have. Hopefully my model is late enough that it avoided all those issues.

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Again, the driving factor to my choosing the Escape was that I don't feel like I am driving my wife's car when I drive it. Unlike the CRV and RAV-4 that made me question my manhood when I sit behind the wheel.

Descent size if you want a SUV

Wind Noise, Tire Humming, Instability at highway speed and light wind: increases when all windows are open, Alternator Lights comes on intermittently, Rear Hatch Lift failing, Sagging front upholstery, you can see inner foam on rear seat, AC unit produces cyclic clicking sound when
used, Door Ajar Indicator Light remains on despite all doors being closed, Shrivling of carpet, extreme Front Brake Dust, Caps and Grommets tend to fall off.

I like the vehicle as a small SUV. My argument is the quality of the vehicle and the repeated attempts to have items corrected since the first day I purchased it. I live in the state of Ohio and it clearly meets the definition of a "Lemon".

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Unknown

Best of Class Power, Nice Ride for an SUV, Good Looks, Good price.

Shift lever covers radio controls. A little too much wind noise on the highway.

I have only had this SUV for 2 months but so far I love it. I couldn't really afford a bigger SUV but I didn't want a dinky 4 cylinder one either.
The Escape is the perfect fit. I have a black XLT with everything but leather. I love the look and the ride. I hear all these people talk about gas smell in the car. I have not experienced this. Also people are complaining about gas mileage. So far mine seems OK. Should get better as it breaks in. Engine has plenty of power and the Escpae has a very roomy interior. The view of the road is nice and commanding.
What can I say. I feel I made a great purchase and I think I got the best of the bunch (compared to the CR-V, Santa Fe, RAV4, Suzuki, etc)

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Also test drove a 2001 Chevy Blazer 2-door ZR2. No comparison. Escape blows it away.

Great ride, great pickup, looks good, great price

Absolutely horrendous mileage. Only 300KM per tank (180 Miles).

Waiting for a recall. There is no way I can survive with this mileage it is approximately half of the manufacturer Specification.

Ford has done nothing to support my concern. They refuse to look at it until I have 10,000km (6,000 miles). By the time I get there I can buy a new car on fuel charges alone.

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affordable, sporty and alot of interior room

wind noise, lousy gas mileage. I have about 2000 miles on the truck and I average 180 miles to one tank of gas, That is BAD.

I hate the truck and I have had it at the dealership already for service. I am considering trading the truck in for something better.

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Toyota - No comparision

Rugged Looks, comfortable seats, great stereo, sports car like handling.
I love this truck!

Have a hard time keeping my wife from stealing it all the time!

I looked for over 6 months before buying anything. I test drove almost
every car and truck I could under $30,000. I really wanted an SUV, but
none of them had any real power. The X-Terra and CRV are really underpowered. It test drove the Escape once and easily made my decision.
I've never looked back.

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Honda CRV, Nissan X-Terra
For about the same price, you get sooooo much more power. The ride is
by far superior to either of these vehicles. Its not a true offroader
like the X-Terra, but by far makes up for it in ride and handling.
Next time I go on an African safari, I'll rent humvee. The AWD
is not to be underestimated though, its a real trooper on the canadian
snow and slush. The last snowstorm I was pulling people out of the ditch.

This truck looks like a real truck and not a toy.
( you wont be afraid of breaking this vehicle )
V6 sounds mean and has plenty of pick up for the light to light city competition as well as highway merging.
Unbeliveable amount of interior room and agility for its price range, you will never know you are in an SUV the way it handles.
Gas mileage has been exceptional at about 24 MPG Highway and 19 City.
Ford hit all the right spots with this one, you will feel like you got one over on the manufacturer.
The XLT comes with a great list of standard features that you would pay extra for on most SUV's

The dealer was the only weakness so far.
As far as complaints of wind noise or Gas smell no problems so far, and hey if wind noise is a problem remenber this car is built for practicallity, affordibility and fun and you will get it.

This SUV is many things and you will be glad you decided to grab one before
all the larger SUV buyers realize its time to get rid of their gas guzzling monsters that you cant drive unless your name is Rommel.
( as in the WWII General)

This SUV is fun to drive, practical, economical to operate and most of all CHEAP !!
Get one and make your friends jealous.

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1986 GMC Jimmy
1993 Izuzu Trooper
1995 Chevy Blazer

Good looks, powerful V6, decent fuel consumption, rides like a car.. Did I mention the good looks??

Hmmmmm, none!!

Overall this is just what the doctor ordered.. Great for families, singles or whatever.. Handles the "Great White North" with ease.. We get lots of snow up here in my part of the world and the Escape will get you where you want to go. The handling and ride are superb and the power smooth. The wind noise is not significant.

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Bronco, Ford F-series, Dodge.

I made the switch from a '95 Jeep Cherokee to the XLT and noticed a huge difference in the ride. Comparatively, one is like a truck the other is like a car! The XLT feels like being in a car without sitting on the ground like a car. Handles so nicely on these pot-holed Chicago streets. I was fed up with not being able to get out of my iced-over alley in the rear wheel, 4x2 Jeep. The Escape does not bat an eye, just drives over and into the parking spot, still a 4x2 - but that FWD is a real plus. Has an amazing amount of room for both driver and passengers. Not just room, but comfortable room. The flat back seat floorboards are a nice touch, too.

I like a 5 speed, but would also like a little more power on the engine - a mid-ground between the 5 speed Zetec and the automatic V6 would be nice. For primarily city driving it just won't matter, but I would like it anyway. Others are mentioning the wind noise at highway speeds. To me this is so quiet it is eerie. Apparently I never realized how much noise I was getting from the Jeep - both wind (what a box!) and engine noise.

I wish a little more thought had gone into the console for the manual transmissions. We get a million (ok - 5!) cupholders, but nothing to close anything away inside (except the glove box). Having a closing drawer for trash is nice. (The little ashcup doesn't count, I am keeping the lighter in there. FYI - The additional powerpoint on the console does not automatically shutdown when the engine is off and I don't want to count on my memory to remember to unplug the phone jack or have a dead battery.)

The rear wiper has a loud motor!

I would definitely recommend the Escape. For the price, it would be possible to get a fully loaded Escape for the cost of a base Explorer. And as for driving, the Escape is just plain MORE user friendly to get around town. I know they are calling these mini-SUVS, but parked next to the Explorer it looks totally different than a CRV or RAV4 (they look like mini's), this looks like the younger brother - not a dwarf. I park next to a Lexus SUV and they appear to be exactly the same size looking at the back ends together.

I am happy to get so many "options" on a base XLT - added privacy glass (had to, it is black) and running steps (that I tend to step over since I never used them before, so for now they are "Pant Dirtiers").

I am VERY happy with my choice.

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Compared to the Jeep I traded in - the ride is so comfortable. I loved my Jeep, but had an opportunity to buy on the Xplan and the Escape was exactly what I needed/wanted. Compared to a 2 door, 4x2 '00 Explorer I often drive - the ride is like a dream. The Explorer is almost as bad as the Jeep was for knocking the passengers around on the rough roads.