There is a ‘comfort’ tune used for the base model, simply badged Escape, and the top-end and leather-lined Vignale, whereas the mid-range ST-Line has a sports suspension of its own.Įven though the ST-Line is a bit stiffer than the other Escape variants, it strikes a pleasant balance of decent comfort in town with better body control than the base model or the Vignale. On the ride and handling front, Ford have struck the right balance with the Escape – especially in slightly sportier ST-Line guise. The plug-in hybrid will produce 167kW of power combined, and will utilise a 14.4kWh battery for an all-electric range of 56km on the WLTP cycle.īy contrast, the turbo petrol Escape ST-Line on test uses 8.6L/100km in either front-wheel-drive or AWD variations.
Later on this year, a plug-in hybrid (PHEV) variant will join the Escape range in ST-Line trim. In our ST-Line test car, the transmission hunted for gears too often, while shifts lacked the crispness of Mazda’s six-speed auto, or even Volkswagen’s seven-speed dual clutch unit. The auto gets the job done – but it isn’t Ford’s finest gearbox.
Torque is sent to the wheels via an eight-speed torque converter automatic transmission. We’d consider AWD essential: unfortunately, the affordable and well-specified $35,990 base model is front-wheel-drive only. This leads to torque steer in the dry – where the steering wheel tugs under power – and plenty of wheelspin in the wet. Unlike the CX-5, which requires all-wheel-drive if you choose the most powerful engine, the Ford Escape allows a choice of cheaper front-wheel-drive, or for $3,000, you can option in AWD traction.Īnd you should, because the Escape has so much torque that it frequently spins the front wheels if you avoid paying for AWD. That’s more than a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid (160kW) or a Mazda CX-5 turbo petrol (170kW). Here, it makes 183kW of power and 387Nm of torque. The exclusive engine is a pretty powerful two-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder from Ford’s Ecoboost family of engines. What was once a vehicle that offered a choice of petrol and diesel engines in various sizes is now a one-choice affair. Like the best family Fords, it is comfortable enough for everyday school-run duties but it also offers up good steering and better handling than most rivals, meaning there’s also something here for keener drivers.įord Australia opted to reduce the complication of the Escape range compared to last time – no more so than in engine choice. That’s a good thing, because the Escape is smooth, supple, controlled and athletic to drive.
In other words, it’s a product that Ford of Europe’s expert chassis engineers had their hands all over. Well, obviously – but what we mean by that is that the Escape drives in a way that is very familiar to those that have driven a Fiesta, Focus, Puma or Mondeo in recent years. In many ways, the Escape really is the Ford of medium SUVs. How the rest of the Escape package comes together will be key to this medium-sized SUV’s success in Australia.įord have also offered some sharp deals to get the new Escape moving, with driveaway deals at $35,990 for a front-drive base model and $38,490 for the front-wheel-drive, sportily-suspended ST-Line we have on test. Plenty of power is an appealing attribute – but it’s also a blunt instrument. Which is why the new, fourth-gen 2021 Ford Escape has gone all out, with a new platform, a radically new look outside, and a big punch sitting under the bonnet.Įvery grade of the new Escape packs a powerful 183kW turbo petrol engine that outpunches nearly every rival – including the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid and Volkswagen Tiguan 162TSI. In 2019, the Escape earned just two per cent of the market. Generally, the SUVs that sell well in Australia are worthy family cars, which is why the slow sales of the previous-generation Ford Escape were perplexing.
Buyers flock to big-name achievers like the Toyota RAV4, Mazda CX-5 and Volkswagen Tiguan while even the second tier of sellers in this class move thousands of cars onto Australian driveways each month. Cutting through in the hard-fought midsize SUV segment in Australia is really tough.
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