Kay Hart (right) and Dino Obias, managing director and assistant vice president for cars, respectively, of Ford Philippines, present the all new Escape and twin-turbo Explorer Sport SUV. PHOTOS BY EUGENE ARANETA
Hart at the wheel of the new Escape
MANILA, Philippines–Ford marks the return of the Escape five-seater SUV, a nameplate immediately successful upon its launch in the early 2000s. Its good ride and handling characteristics, combined with solid, conservative styling, enabled it to rank among the best crossovers at the time. Now an all-new Escape is set to be at Ford dealers for test drives in November, with customer deliveries to begin in January 2015.
The new Escape combines the sporty looks of the Fiesta and Focus with the tall body configuration of the Ecosport. A panoramic roof is available. Ford says this is one of the quietest cabins in the segment, thanks to features like aerodynamically shaped mirrors.
The new, American-built Escape will feature turbocharged gasoline engines. The 1.6L SE EcoBoost AT 4×2 uses a 1.6-liter engine good for 178 horsepower and 249 Newton-meters of torque. The higher-grade 2.0L Titanium EcoBoost AT 4×4 gets the gutsy 240-HP engine with a healthy 366 Nm of torque. Both engines feature independent variable camshaft timing to improve low torque and high-end power. If the 2.0 EcoBoost is fit to propel the much-heavier Explorer, it should deliver exciting performance in the Escape. Transmissions are six-speed automatics, calibrated for the different engine displacements.
The new Escape combines the sporty looks of the Fiesta and Focus.
Ford Escape rides on an all-new platform featuring all-independent suspension. MacPherson struts are up front, with a multilink setup at the rear. The higher-grade Escape Titanium features four-wheel drive with Ford Curve Control, which slows down the vehicle when it enters a curve too fast. It also has the torque vectoring system, which sends torque to a particular wheel to help keep the car on course.
Convenience features include transponder key, for easier access to doors, and the push-button start system. Ford goes a step further with its hands-free liftgate: Wave your foot under the center of the rear bumper and the liftgate raises itself—handy if you’re carrying an unwieldy or heavy object. Think of it as a useful version of the Kinect controller. A foot wave also closes the hatch.
The self-steering parking makes its way to the Escape, enabling the car to automatically steer into a parallel parking slot. All the driver has to do is to operate the accelerator and brake.
The Escape features Sync with MyFord Touch, a system that allows voice command of various features such as the entertainment system.
Inside, the Escape features Sync with MyFord Touch, a system that allows voice command of various features such as the entertainment system. It also connects to a smartphone to pipe in voice calls or music to the car’s audio system.
Dino Obias, Ford AVP for cars
On the passive safety front, the Escape uses high-strength steel to provide better rigidity. A reinforced ring around the panoramic roof helps to maintain cabin integrity. In case of an accident, the SUV is equipped with dual airbags and side curtain airbags for first and second rows.
Exterior colors for the Ford Escape will be ingot silver, oxford white and tuxedo black, with black interior for the 1.6-liter variant. The 2-liter variant gets a choice of white platinum, magnetic metallic and tuxedo black with black interior, or sunset red with beige interior.
The Escape will target the mid to higher-end of the compact SUV market. The 1.6L SE EcoBoost AT is priced at P1.49 million, while the 2.0L Titanium EcoBoost AT will sell for P1.79 million.
“We are excited to launch the all-new Escape, which further expands our unmatched lineup of SUVs and gives Filipino customers even more choice. This premium SUV features an array of smart and safe technologies, style and capability, and terrific fuel efficiency,” said Kay Hart, Ford Philippines managing director.
If the 2.0 EcoBoost is fit to propel the much-heavier Explorer, it should deliver exciting performance in the Escape.
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