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2008 Ford Escape & Escape Hybrid Preview

Fords Best-Selling Compact SUV Gets Well-Deserved Update

Fords Escape is one of the most popular in the United States. Over the past six years, this ubiquitous little soft-roader has found its way into more than a million driveways. Then theres the Escapes green side; it was the worlds first hybrid sport utility vehicle, not to mention the worlds first E85 capable hybrid. Any which way you slice it, thats no small feat for one single vehicle. Such is also the reason why Ford chose this years LA Auto Show to debut a revised version of the Escape for model year 2008.

Now in its second facelit, the new Escape takes on a brand new look that aligns it with some of the brands other SUVs. Though it doesnt have the

Warm up your checkbooks... presenting the new 2008 Escape. (Photo: Ford)

three-bar grille found on many of Fords new products, the Escape still incorporates similarly shaped headlamps and a grille that juts forward. Other modifications to its nose include a metal-look bumper guard up front with the "ESCAPE" logo imprinted on it, while the rear receives a new tailgate design, plus new bumpers.

Chief Designer Doyle Letson says, "We raised the beltline to give the profile a strong, modern

Cute styling has been shed for a little more ruggedness. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

proportion of sheetmetal to glass. Then we sculpted the surfaces for a more Ford Tough Truck appearance." Indeed, the Escape looks like a downsized Expedition.

Though I didnt attend the LA Auto Show to get a first hand look, I managed to spot one the other day. In the metal, the nose makes the little SUV a touch more imposing. Its a bit of a departure from the previous generation, which aside from being a little effeminate was, in my opinion, one of the best designs on the marketplace.

Inside, Ford

Styling more in line with bigger Explorer and Expedition. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

hopes to give the Escape an even greener image by introducing a new kind of fabric material for 2008. Designed by Interface Fabrics, the cloth seats will be made from 100-percent post-industrial recycled material rather than brand new material. Aside from being another first from Ford, this decision positively affects the environment by saving an estimated 600,000 gallons of water, 7 trillion watt-hours of electricity and an EPA and CAFE-pleasing greenhouse gas reducing 1.8 million lbs of carbon dioxide gas. Hopefully this isnt going to be the only vehicle that Ford applies this technology to.

For those familiar

New console design is so much better than the old model. (Photo: Ford)

with the current Escapes cabin, the facelift brings a completely different view with little remaining from the original, as well as 2004s major update. The new four-spoke steering wheel, console and dashboard featured here were previewed earlier this year with the Mercury Mariner.

The center stack on the original SUV was a little bit disorganized due to big, chunky buttons scattered all around. The new Escape has a flat-faced console with redesigned HVAC controls plus a new dash-top display for showing information about the exterior temperature, stereo and climate control. In between the front seats is a massive console big enough to store a laptop. When its not accommodating such large objects, the console has

What a difference the redesign makes; the Escape now has all the goodies and design features of any of the latest Fords. (Photo: Ford)

three tier layers, plus a modular bin system.
Ford also aimed to make the Escape a more luxurious vehicle both in terms of visual perception and equipment. New, lighter colored plastics, better materials, and the availability of a two-toned color scheme with matching seats certainly lifts the interior ambience, as do new gauges that are backlit in Volkswagen-esque "Ice Blue", replacing the old and difficult to read green. Heated seats and a vastly improved touch-screen navigation system are amongst the options available to 2008 Escape customers. The integrated keyfob with alarm and accessory controls that debuted on the Fusion is also new to this model. And theres a little something for music lovers too, in the form of a standard input jack for iPods and MP3 players.

Making

Two-toned seats and dash really help to lift the ambience inside the cabin. (Photo: Ford)

the Escape a quieter, more refined place to be was at the top of the list for this update. The body shell has been optimized for better airflow, including the use of ridges on the roof to reduce turbulence. The windshields glass is now laminated to reduce noise, while the headliner is made from sound-deadening materials. From the bottom, the Escape also gets new carpets that are 50-percent thicker than before, which mask wind and road noise.

Sure enough, these improvements net the Escape a 12-percent reduction in wind noise at highway speeds of 80 mph, and slash the wooshing of crosswinds by 20-percent. From a mechanical standpoint, all Escape models now gain electrical power steering, which, aside from saving a bit of fuel, is quieter than a standard hydraulic unit.

In the powertrain department, the Escape will carry on with four, six and hybrid powertrains. The inline-four

Heres the Hybrid. Amongst the new changes, it also gets a new lime green exterior color. (Photo: Ford)

is a 2.3-liter, 153-hp unit with 152-lb-ft of torque, while the V6 makes 200-hp and 193 lb-ft of torque. The smaller engine drives through a five-speed manual, with a four-speed automatic as an extra-cost option; the V6 will continue on with a four-speed automatic as standard equipment. Theres also no major change on the hybrid front; it still makes a combined total output of 155 horsepower with a standard CVT gearbox. Its a full hybrid though, and is capable of running completely on electricity, which makes it up to 75-percent more efficient in urban driving conditions than its V6 kin. The only revision to the Hybrid comes in the form of a software update which makes the transition from electrical to gas even more seamless. The choice between front- and four-wheel drive remains available to all Escape buyers.

What might be most important to would-be buyers is that the Escape is now a safer vehicle. Structurally, it moves forward another model year more or less unchanged, but standard

The new Escape will be arriving in early 2007, ready to face stiff competition. (Photo: Justin Couture, American Auto Press)

safety equipment has been improved. Fords Roll Stability Control and AdvanceTrac is now fitted standard to all models, as are side-curtain airbags. Also standard are dual front, and front side thorax airbags.

The Escape is facing increasingly stiff competition from all angles in the form of the Toyota RAV-4, the recently updated Honda CR-V, and the soon to arrive 2008 Saturn Vue, not to mention Hyundais fabulous new Santa Fe. Ford will also be losing its edge (not losing its Edge crossover, but its competitive edge - Ed.) with the Escape Hybrids full-hybrid capability when the new Vue Green Line becomes as a full dual-mode hybrid. Nevertheless, while its engineers are hard at work developing the next generation Escape, the thorough cabin and exterior update, plus minor powertrain makeover should keep the 2008 Escape at the top of consumers lists in the months and years to come. Pricing has not yet been announced, but expect a marginal increase over the current vehicle. Deliveries will occur during the first quarter of 2007.

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