Road Test: 2014 Ford Escape Titanium: "The Great Escape"

LONG ISLAND, N.Y. - Sept. 28, 2013 - PRLog -- “The Great Escape” is a 1963 American film about an escape by Allied prisoners of war from a German POW camp during World War II, starring Steve McQueen, James Garner and Richard Attenborough. So, what does that have to do with the 2014 Ford Escape? Not much, except maybe for the Steve McQueen connection to the Ford Mustang in “Bullitt”.

However, the ad for the movie did include the catch-phrases, “The great adventure” and “The great entertainment”, and the new Ford Escape is all of those things.

It’s a great car in that it just feels right for a quick getaway, even if just to pick up some groceries…

The 2014 Ford Escape is a five-passenger small utility vehicle which combines clever, intuitive technologies that make life easier, outstanding fuel economy and spirited driving in a stylish package.

A key signature technology of Escape is the hands-free power liftgate, which allows quick and easy access to cargo with a gentle kicking action. Enabled by motion technology used in today’s video game systems, a gentle kicking motion under the center of the rear bumper activates, unlocks and raises the liftgate when the driver has the Escape key fob. This allows quick and easy access to the cargo area without needing to set down packages or dig out keys. The same process closes the hatch.

For 2014, this clever solution is available with the Class II trailer tow package, meaning Escape owners can tow up to 3,500 pounds, adding even more versatility to America’s best-selling SUV.

Complementing these easy-to-use features is outstanding fuel economy, which is one of the key reasons customers are flocking to small utility vehicles. Each of the two EcoBoost® four-cylinder engines, a 1.6-liter and a 2.0-liter, delivers outstanding fuel economy – up to 32 mpg highway – with great performance through core EcoBoost technologies of turbocharging and direct injection.

Turbocharging delivers the torque seen in a larger engine while direct injection improves fuel efficiency with more precise fuel delivery. The EcoBoost four-cylinder engines add twin independent variable camshaft timing to the recipe for success, contributing to even better fuel economy.

Our Escape was powered by the 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder engine, which pumped out 240 horsepower @ 5,500 RPM and 270 lb.-ft. of Torque @ 3,000 RPM, and was very quick.

Smooth, Engaging Driving

These EcoBoost engines are mated to specially calibrated, six-speed SelectShift® automatic transmissions, which are standard and allow drivers who want more hands-on experiences to manually control gear selection from a switch on the left-hand side of the shifter.

The specially engineered torque converter contributes improved driving feel, silky-smooth shifts and even better fuel economy. Engineers also installed revised gear ratios for a balanced driving feel in all situations.

Intelligent 4WD uses advanced software and sensors to analyze data from 25 external signals, including wheel speed, accelerator pedal position and steering wheel angle, assessing road conditions and driver input 20 times faster than the blink of an eye.

The system uses all the sensor inputs to turn the vehicle in the direction the driver wants it to go. Intelligent 4WD builds on the preemptive actions by adding and subtracting torque as needed through an electromagnetic clutch.

This means Escape delivers outstanding handling on pristine pavement and in adverse conditions as well, along with excellent traction off-road.

Intuitive Technology

The 2014 Ford Escape offers a host of technologies that help make life easier, including:

- SYNC® with MyFord Touch®, which offers multiple ways for customers to manage and control information through voice commands, menus accessed through controls on the steering wheel, touch screens, buttons or knobs. The system’s latest look makes phone, navigation, entertainment and climate controls even easier to use

- Parallel parking the Escape is virtually stress-free with active park assist. With the press of a button, the system detects an available parallel parking space and automatically steers the vehicle into it. Drivers control only the gas and brake pedals

- Maneuvering parking lots and traveling open roadways becomes even safer and less stressful with Escape’s sensor-based BLIS® (Blind Spot Information System) with cross-traffic alert. BLIS displays an alert in the side mirror when a vehicle is detected entering a blind spot. Cross-traffic alert warns if traffic is detected approaching from the sides, such as when Escape is leaving a parking space in reverse

- Escape offers Curve Control technology to automatically slow the vehicle when it’s cornering too fast and Torque Vectoring Control to help accelerate through a turn

Ford Escapes are manufactured at Louisville Assembly Plant in Kentucky. Price starts at $22,700 plus $895 destination and delivery charges.

Noteworthy Updates for 2014

- Hands-free liftgate available with Class II trailer tow package (late availability)

- SYNC® now available with AppLink™

- Four-way manual passenger seat now standard

- New full leather-trimmed seats standard on Titanium

- New rear view camera standard on all series

- New exterior colors: Sunset Metallic and Karat Gold (late availability)

- New standard wheel on Titanium: 18-inch sparkle nickel painted aluminum

Safety/Standard

-  AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control™)

- Safety Canopy®, a side air curtain technology offering protection for the first and second seating rows

- Personal Safety System™, including dual-stage front airbags, side airbags and a front passenger sensor System

- SOS Post-Crash Alert System™

- Blind spot mirrors and available Blind Spot Information System (BLIS®) with cross-traffic alert

- MyKey® programmable vehicle key

- Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)

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