Car models

Ford Escape Photo

2001 Ford Escape - 2007 Ford Escape

The first generation Ford Escape was released in North America for the 2001 model year. It was slotted below the larger truck based Explorer  in Ford's lineup, but was larger than the small SUV offerings from Honda  and Toyota.  At the time, most sport utility vehicles used a truck based Body-on-frame  design. Solid rear axles were commonly used due to their ability to carry heavy loads at the expense of a comfortable ride and good handling. Ford realized that most SUV owners did not take their vehicles off road, and decided instead to use a car-like Monocoque  design with a fully independent suspension and rack and pinion steering for the Escape.  Although not meant for serious off-roading, a full time all wheel drive system supplied by Dana  was optional which included a locking center differential activated by a switch on the dashboard.  The all wheel drive system normally sends most of the power from the engine to the front wheels. If slipping is detected at the front, more power will be sent to the rear wheels in a fraction of a second. The entire braking system was built by Continental Teves including the ABS and various related suspension components.  CKD production began in 2002 at Ford Lio Ho Motor Co. in Taiwan for various Asian markets.

Safety and security

Crash test results for the Escape have been mixed. In the New Car Assessment Program administered by the USA based National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car received 5 out of 5 stars for driver protection and 4 out of 5 stars for passenger protection in a 35 mph (56 km/h) frontal impact. The SUV received 5 stars for both driver and rear passenger in the side impact test. In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's 40 mph (64 km/h) frontal offset test, 2001-2004 Escapes received a score of "Marginal". In the side impact crash test vehicles equipped with the optional side air bags received a score of "Good" in the 31 mph (50 km/h), while those without the optional air bags received a score of "Poor".

All Escapes are equipped with a passive Immobiliser called SecuriLock. This feature includes a RFID chip embedded in the key which is read by the car each time the vehicle is started. If the vehicle fails to receive a valid confirmation signal from the key, the vehicle will not run even if the key is perfectly cut to match the original. Theft, Injury, and Collision losses reported to insurance companies for the Escape are among the lowest in its class.

Electronic Stability Control was unavailable on all models.

Ford Escape Hybrid

Ford Escape 2010

For the 2010 model year, the Ford Escape will add three new features that will be standard on all trims: Ford's MyKey, trailer sway controls and Integrated Spotter Mirror for better blind spot viewing. Everything else added in the 2008 and 2009 model years will be carried over, but the the optional orders have been renamed to Rapid Specification Codes (100s for XLS, 200s for XLT, and 300s for Limited). /ford escape 2010 reviews

New Optional Features for 2010

Active Park Assist (APA) is a new feature available since mid-2009 as an option on the 2010 Ford Escape Limited (currently only optional on the Ford Flex, Lincoln MKT, and Lincoln MKS). Active Park Assist will detect an available parallel parking space and automatically steer the vehicle into the space (hands free) while the driver control the accelerator, gearshift and brakes. The system will visually and audibly instruct the driver to park the vehicle. Active Park Assist system uses sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle to guide the vehicle into a parking space.

Rear-view Camera System - uses an exterior camera embedded in the rear of the vehicle that sends images to a video display in the rearview mirror or the navigation system screen to help enhance visibility directly behind the vehicle when it is in reverse.