V-6 and general concept and design.

Poor overall quality. Fuel smell is out of control and Ford still doesn't have a fix. Gas mileage much lower than expected. Gas gauge wrong. CD player had to be replaced. Rattles and squeeks. Service at my dealer is very poor.

Ford released this too soon. The overall workmanship is poor. It has had multiple re-calls and more are coming. There is a serious fuel smell problem that has been evident since October, that they still do not have a fix for. I am trying to get Ford to buy this back under the Lemon Law and am really getting the run around.
It is a good concept and the overall design is good. However, quality in the implementation is very poor and will not get better as they are trying to crank out volume to catch up to the back orders. It will probably be a really good car in a couple of years, but definitely do not buy it yet.

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Honda CR-V

Great looks and powerful engine. Lots of room compared to my Miata :) Fit and features are excellent. Comfortable seating for four, even lots of rear leg room. Mach CD system is excellent. Keyless entry is great, haven't had it before.

Minor problems shortly after pickup. Rear Pinion Seal leak and Fuel Smell. Dealing had to order parts. Shifter is "interesting". Prefer Ford's style of tilt wheel to Mazda's and both Escape and Tribute use Mazda's.

I am very happy with my Escape. Yes, there have been some recalls, but it's a new product and all but one of the recalls affected VERY few vehicles. There is still an outstanding issue that Ford hasn't figured out with the "fuel smell" coming in through the vent. Mazda has a fix that works 75% of the time and I'm trying to convince my dealer to try it. Mazda is tighening the intake manifold bolts while the engine is warm. That has stopped the smell for everyone that I've heard.

I chose the Escape after originally looking at the Mazda Tribute. The Escape was about 3000 cheaper because of Ford's willingness to deal on price.

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First time SUV buyer. Compared with many others, but the value of Escape is obvious. Nobody else comes close to it for the same price.

Almost everything, and the few things I wasn't crazy about was just something to get use to. The interior room is amazing for a "compact" SUV, nice legroom in the back seat (nevermind the room you have up front). Controls are easy to read/reach. Nice peppy V6 engine. Nice view from drivers seat... no blind spots. Moonroof is huge, I cannot wait to utilize it when the warm weather comes. Lots of options to choose from ... what more could you expect from a SUV that is under $25K (LOADED)

It wasn't that I didn't like these things, it was just getting use to them ... the location of the ignition... kind of awkward at first. The gear shifter is on the steering column and it's long which overlaps the radio controls, but you do get use to it and it only covers up the rear window defrost when in drive.

Recommend the Ford Escape to anybody. I didn't need the fullsize of a Pathfinder/Cherokee Laredo (nor wanted the price) ... was gung ho for the Xterra (Nissan), but after driving a Jeep Wrangler for years, decided it was time for a smoother ride. The Xterra was more rugged in looks and drive. I do not do much if any off road driving. Two different types of SUV for two different types of SUV owners. I'm very happy with my purchase and hope to have many years of enjoyment from it. For the money I spent and the options I received, I cannot complain. Example: heated seats would be nice... but not expected for under $24K.

Recommend checking out all SUV's in the category and find the one that fits you/family/checkbook/lifestyle. But make sure you put the Ford Escape on that checklist of models to testdrive. It's worth it!!

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4x4 is Auto ... nice to not have to think about it ... I cannot compare to my last 4x4 which was a Jeep Wrangler ... I feel like I should have spent $40K for what I have now compared to what I didn't have in the Wrangler.

Leather seating is tops. The V6 will get me in trouble with the law as I keep spinning the tires so easily at stoplights. The interior is big, roomy and COMFORTABLE unlike some of the foreign competition. Fit and finish seem to be just fine. The steering and road feel are just right. This vehicle stops on a dime even on wet pavement - no suprises here. I also own a Ford Expedition, and must say the fuel economy is just what I needed and found with the Escape. The value is excellent, but I must see how it holds up over time. Hey, where are all of these recalls everyone complains about - haven't seen one yet! I feel somewhat cheated.

A little noisy at highway speeds but hey folks THIS IS A SUV not a luxury crusier. When the Lincoln/Mercury versions appear they will probably be very smooth and quiet at a significant price increase.

I would recommend the Escape as a value leader for people looking for a smaller yet comfortable SUV. Read this SUV. If you'd like a sedan, buy a Camry/Taurus. If you'd like a tank, buy an Excursion. If you'd like a living room on wheels, buy a Lexus. If you want a small SUV the choice is obvious. The foreign competition will be using the Escape as a design template for their next series of small SUV's. The Escape is money well spent.

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I test drove a Honda CRV. This vehicle was made for someone about 5 foot 2 inches tall with small fingers. I think my John Deere riding lawn mower has more power than the CRV. As far as comfort, I was astonished at how poorly the seats adjusted on the CRV - the Escape with power leather and lumbar support adjusters is tops.

Very quick V6. A nice interior and controls. The perfect size for city traffic.

The buttons on the stereo seem a little small and difficult to find while driving. The automatic shift lever,when engaged in drive, blocks the rear window defrost and hazard switch. The quality of the driver's and passenger's visor could be better.

I loathe buying new cars, however this was a nice experience. With a list of criteria ,and having driven my previous car into the ground, I set off in search of my perfect car. Notice I said "car" not "jeep', "SUV" or "truck". the Escape handles like a car.

I bought the XLT V6 automatic and opted for the 16" tires rather than the 15". The 16" tires fill the wheelwell better (a subtle detail that makes the vehicle appear more solid) and provide a firmer feeling ride.

The XLT is a very nice package with lots of options including, fog lights, cd player, upgraded seating fabric, keyles entry, alloy wheels and more.

The interior is very well laid out. The gages are simple and straightforward which follows the design philiosphy of the entire vehicle. The air conditioner cranks out plenty of cool air. Yes, it's December but I live in Arizona ... "Give me a quality A/C or give me death!"

The access is very nice for a SUV and the back seat should provide plenty of room for two full size adults. The center consloe is quite user-friendly with many little "cubbies", a couple will be useful, one or two are too small and shallow for much of anything at all. The main conpartment is large enough for my wife to easily place her purse, keeping it off the floor or passenger's seat.

Finally!, Ford got it right with the interior fabric. The XlT offers a very nice fabric that doesn't look like the fabric on grand-ma's sofa. It's very tasteful and allowed us to opt out of the "leather trimmed" interior. Does anyone know why it's called "leather trimmed" and not simply "leather"? What does the leather trim anyway, Vinyl?

There is plenty of cargo area for trips to the local mall or grocery. The Escape offers a nice feature, where the rear seats do this "flip thing" that results in a nice, flat cargo area. The lift-gate on the Escape has the feature of lifting the entire gate or just lifting the rear glass. This is a nice feature for access to small packges in the cargo area.

There has been comment about wind noise. OK, I'll admit there's a little noise but remember the price point and utility of this vehicle. The wind noise hasn't bothed me in the least. (hint: turn up the stereo - no more wind noise.)

The Escape offers quick about-town transportation in a very economical, sporty package. Wonderful driving position, good visability and an attention to detail and design that is a suprising and refreshing change from Ford.

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Nissan X-tera: A liveable price point, however it's built on the Nissan Frontier platform and therefore handles much like a truck.

Land Rover Discovery: 12 mpg in the city with premium fuel. A beautiful finish, both interior and exterior. High Price.

Good looks inside and out - comfortable interior with lots of room for class (small SUV)- XLT has lots of standard equipment - powerful V-6

Noisy - for us it is engine noise at around-town speed. Then there is the big armrest/console between the front seats that sometimes gets in the way (but it is big enough to hide a cat if you want to). The gear selector lever is some strange mutation that gets in the way of reaching the radio controls on the dash.

We liked the CR-V we bought for our daughter a couple of years ago so much we decided to sell the family minivan and went looking for another small SUV. We wanted a SUV that was not too big and not too small - mostly for getting around town, but capable of going on trips with room for 3 or 4 people and stuff. We looked at several, including Nissan Pathfinder (expensive and cramped back seat), Jeep Grand Cherokee (nice but pricey), the 2001 RAV4 (better than old one but still somewhat on the small side) and CR-V (great vehicle but a weak engine). Bought an Escape XLT with FWD and V-6 engine. As Goldilocks said, "It was just right!"

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in direct comparisons with RAV4 it seemed bigger in front and way bigger in cargo area; against CR-V the seat positions are more comfortable and V-6 is much more powerful.

I Like everything about it so far! I have the 4 cylinder/5-speed manual transmission and it's got plenty of power! Test drove the V-6 auto but wanted the manual tran. and the power seems very comparable to the V-6. And believe me, I live in the mountains so I definitely have tested it.I have the 2WD,which looks like a 4WD but without the "truck" feel. I noticed that this SUV takes bumps very nice.

hmmmmm,well, just got a recall for the windshield wipers but since this is a new vehicle, that's to be expected. I'm sure there'll be little "kinks" they need to work through but I think it's worth it.

I would definitely recommend this SUV! I had to find something that would accomodate a short person (me) and a tall person (husband). This SUV does the job. We're both very comfortable in it and there are no "blind" spots. He even likes the power it has. I'm very happy with it and I highly recommend test-driving one, you'll see what I mean. There is plenty of room for full-grown kids and groceries!

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I researched ALOT before purchasing this and I really didn't find anything else that was such a good deal. For this price you get alot more than all those other SUV's out there.

Can we say powerful! What a V6!

Wind Noise!

Best in the mini SUV field all the way around!

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Toyota RAV4 Honda CRV, but they don't compare. Ford is top!

V6 Power and Interior layout

WIND NOISE... be sure to test drive at interstate speeds before buying.

Best looking small SUV with class leading power.... big let down is the terrible wind noise.

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Honda CRV

Acceleration was really smooth and quick in the V6 model. You can switch from 4x4 to all wheel drive very quickly and easily. Interior was very nice and roomy even in the back. This is definetely the best in its class.

Nothing. Maybe the beebing gets annoying when you open the door withou taking the keys.

Costs about 23k for all wheel drive and the V6. It also has a nice moonroof. This is a great vehicle, I definetely reccomend.

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