The V6 engine is outstanding--can't say enough good things about it. Also, with all this power, it still gets good gas mileage--especially for a SUV. I was really impressed with the field of view from the drivers seat--virtually 360 degrees w/o any blind spots. I love the white gauges. The overall construction is very good too--no vibrations or loose panels anywhere.

I'm not crazy about the unpadded armrests on the doors or the long shift lever on the automatic. The front alloy wheels seem to collect a lot of brake dust too. I wouldn't mind the exterior mirrors being a little larger. These are pretty small gripes when you think about it. I'm fairly picky about my vehicles, and if these are my only complaints...I'm extremely happy!

It has a terrific ride and feel. Cornering is tight with minimal body roll and the braking is outstanding. The V6 is a must. I hear a lot of complaints in the professional reviews about excessive road noise, but I don't agree--fairly minimal. I purchased this vehicle for my wife and now I'm jealous. My wife wanted a vehicle that sat higher in traffic and all the bells and whistles. All the other vehicles in the same class are either too small, underpowered, shoddy construction, or just plane ugly in my opinion.

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Ford Bronco II--blows it away.

Awsome power, the interior is great, no noises, 4x4 works great, blow the doors off of a 4.3 blazer, big tirer and wheel, mine came with goodyears.

The only thing that could be better is the location of the shifter, but that is minor.

I bought this truck for my wife, now I'm mad that I can't drive it. This is the best SUV on the road, we compared it to everything we could find in our town, and the Escape kicked everyones butt. (duh). Once I finish school I'm going to get one for myself.

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We owed a Honda CR-V for 4 months, we had to get rid of it because it couldn't pull itself up a hill. We also drove the Nissan Extera(no power), the Isuzu Axiom(cool, but not at all pratical), Toyota Rav-4( a who?), Chevy Blazer(if you wiegh more that 150 lbs, don't even try to get in the front seat, and expect to be comfortable), bottom line, The ESCAPE KICKS BUTT!!!

Excellent handling, braking, and accelleration. Loads of interior room for a vehicle only 173 inches long.

There are no real weaknesses, only a few minor gripes. The shift lever position is annoying, as is the layout of the front/rear wiper control. I would rather have the shifter out of the way on the floor. Early gas milage is disappointing....about 20 mpg....no better than I got with my dearly departed Jeep Grand Cherokee, and that was in a vehicle that was over 500lbs heavier and a 33% bigger engine. I hope to see better mileage with time. I solved the problem with wind noise. Remove the roof rack cross bars!!! Put 'em on when you need them, leave them off the rest of the time and the Escape is nice and quite at 70mph.

I've only had it for about 3 weeks, but so far I am very satisfied. The Escape has better handling and performance than anything else in its class. I also found it to be more comfortable than the 4 other SUV's I compared it to - RAV4, CR-V, Liberty, Xterra. The RAV4 is just too small, the CR-V is in desperate need of a total make-over, the Xterra was underpowered and felt even heavier than it was, and the Liberty....well, I held off buying a SUV just to take a look a the new Jeep. The seat was so high my legs felt like they were dangling - lots of pressure on the underside of my thighs, and the back seat doesn't fold down flat. Add to that the exterior spare and gate type rear door (compared to the Escape's interior, hidden spare and hatch door) and it was a real disappointment. There is lots of interior room both for passengers and cargo. With the rear seats down, (nice and flat by the way) I put a boxed, full size Maytag washer in the back with no problem. Ford has a real winner here.

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Honda CR-V. As an owner of 2 Accord sedans, I wanted to like this vehicle, but it is such a wimp compared to the Escape. RAV-4 is nice if you don't need a back seat, The Liberty came close, but no cigar. The XTerra is living on its image. If you want rugged, get a Cherokee, the Xterra is a slug. The Escape is the best "semi" SUV on the market by a big margin.

Good gas economy. Constantly getting 22 to 24 mpg, driving Hwy 2, I 405, and I 5. I drive in all kinds of traffic, from 5 mph to 70 mph. Handles great. Comfortable and quiet. Try getting into the backseat of anything comparable! In the Escape, you can have the front seats set all the way back and still have plenty of leg room for the back seat passengers.

With everyone on the Auto Shifter. Also minor sqeeks coming from the drivers and passenger door panels.

Great vehicle! Drives and acts like car, excellent value. Room for five adults. Fun to drive, more room than our Bronco II. The acceleration is
great and it stops on a dime!

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Have a Bronco II, faster, better gas economy, more comfort. Try getting into the back seat of a Jeep Cherokee!

Roomy, good gas mpg, plenty of power, easy to drive and park.
Nice leather interior and a great moon roof.

Could use a padded arm rest for your left arm.
Could use two seperate buttons for the moon roof for tilt and slide.

Excellent power with the V6 engine. Great handling and road manners. Smooth and comfortable. I have no problem with the shift lever as others have mentioned. It interfears with nothing.
Great on a trip and I have averaged 23 mpg so far in all types of driving conditions with the air cond on all the time.
I also have not experienced any problems with road or wind noise as have others.

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Toyota Land Cruiser-too big and not as responsive
Ford explorer-doesn't handle as nice

quick acceleration, auto trac, lots of room

shifter in view of radio controls, dim dome lights and needs floor lighting

This is the most exciting and awesome vehicle I have ever owned. It has a comfortable ride with quick acceleration. It really zips along. It is roomy and just plain fun to drive. It maneuvers easily, and is easy to back up. The radio(Mach w/6 disc chger)is unreal...it is so great. The sound is so crisp and clear. The only downfalls are that the shift lever blocks the control of the radio and the dome lights aren't very bright. Overall, it is a wonderful ride and worth the money. Which was also a good price for such a nice and sporty looking SUV. Thanks Ford for making such a wonderful, affordable SUV in the Escape!!

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It is so wonderful it doesn't even come close to beating any vehicle I have ever owned. We used to have an S-10 Blazer and this is out does it 100%

Engine acceleration, braking ground clearance, 6 CD stereo, interior roominess, cool moon roof

That stupid gearshift lever!!!

I used to work for Ford and I would never own anything but a Ford. We have 4 Fords in the driveway as we speak. We really wanted an Explorer but our budget wouldn't permit it. My wife liked the color( Bright yellow) and I was sold after test driving it. Our boys have their own vehicles and the Escape is perfect for me and my wife. We'll probably never use the rear seats, but if we have to there's plenty of room. I am really impressed with the fit and finish of this vehicle. Ford has made great strides since I left the business in 87. This is by far the best Ford that I have ever owned.

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94, 98 Ford Ranger, 95 Ford Aerostar They are different vehicles but they're all I've got to compare. I never looked at any other make SUV's.

Styling, driving position, quietness, handling, power, and "light" off-road use. Economy. I averaged about 25 MPG through the entire 2100 miles, wich I thought was very good.

The gearshift and the windshield wiper lever are in confusing places. I would try to change into another gear and I would acciedntally turn on the windshield wipers. I finally got used to that.

I rented this vehicle for 10 days. During those 10 days, I put about 2100 miles on the Escape.

I drove it in the mountains, in the desert, on the freeways, and off the road.

I was very impressed with the Escape. It had 4x4 and a 6-cylinder. I drove it on the interstate highways of Utah, Wyoming, and Idaho. It had no problem going 75-80. It rode very quietly and was very stable on the highway.

As far as off-road goes, I didn't do any "rock crawling", but I just took some of the unpaved roads into the national forests. I went up and down steep (for me) inclines, and the Escape handled it with no problem at all. The roads were pretty heavily rutted. I would have never tried to go on those roads in my car.

There were some times when I wished it had a "low" gear, but it did 95% of what I wanted to do.

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I have driven the Jeep Liberty. I really like that vehicle, too. It has a "low" gear, and I expect would be better off-road, but not nearly as economical as the Escape.