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Escape Versatility for City Driving and Outdoor Fun
Staff, Wednesday February 21, 2001.
Page 1 of 1
Based on an all-new platform, the Ford Escape brings a confident new offering to Australia’s growing compact 4WD segment. Designed for the active lifestyles of the young or young-at-heart, Escape offers new levels of comfort, convenience and versatility, combined with the toughness inherent with every Ford 4WD.
Escape comes in two models, with the well-equipped entry model XLS offering all the usual passenger car creature comforts and the XLT providing an even sportier execution and level of comfort.
Key attributes include:
150kW 3.0 litre Duratec quad cam EFI V6.
4-speed electronic control automatic transmission.
Full-time 4WD with auto torque proportioning and 50/50 lockup mode.
An all-new platform with unibody construction – designed for manoeuvrability, low stance for ease of entry and exit, and enhanced safety protection.
Fuel consumption at 13.0 litres for every 100km of city driving and eight for highway driving.
Four-wheel independent suspension for car-like ride and handling.
Best-in-class interior spaciousness for people and cargo carrying.
1600kg towing capacity with Ford approved tow bar – enough to pull jet skis, snowmobiles or a boat.
Four doors and rear lift-gate with flip-up glass for access to the cargo area.
Standard in-dash single CD player (XLS) or six-stack CD changer (XLT).
A comprehensive safety package featuring dual airbags, side intrusion beams and ABS (ABS XLT only).
“The Escape mechanical and safety and security package is second to none,” says 4WD and Commercial Marketing Manager, Kevin Lillie.
The market
Escape marks Ford Australia’s entry into the growing compact 4WD market segment. Sales in this market are continuing to grow each year, from 3.9% of the total market in 1998, to 4.7% in 1999, and 5.1% in 2000.
“Escape is designed to appeal to younger buyers as well as the young-at-heart – drivers who may not have considered buying a larger 4WD before but now require the space and versatility that one provides. Escape will provide them with the perfect solution.
“Whether they are young singles, newlyweds, families or empty nesters, Escape is designed to be an affordable and fun option that allows them do all the things they enjoy such as skiing, camping and biking.”
Design, package and ergonomics
Escape has a confidently poised stance with wide body cladding and integrated bumper guards to give it an assured look of off-road readiness and functionality.
The interior package – the most spacious in the compact all-terrain wagon segment – is designed for maximum comfort, convenience, passenger roominess and cargo flexibility. Escape has room to carry five adults and their cargo comfortably.
Its low sill height and wide door openings give good access and have assist grips for both front and rear seat occupants.
Audio and climate controls are located in the easy-to-reach and easy-to-read centre stack, with the controls logically arranged so the more often used audio buttons are located above the less frequently used climate controls.
An in-dash AM/FM stereo with single CD player is standard on the XLS with the XLT adding a cassette plus six disc CD changer.
The XLS is the well-equipped entry model with dual airbags, standard airconditioning, remote power locks and windows and split fold-flat rear seating. The XLT adds such features as a large centre console, anti-lock (ABS) brakes, cruise control, 16” tyres and alloy wheels as standard equipment.
Optional features available from Ford dealers reflect the active lifestyles of Escape owners, including bike carriers, side steps, grille guards, tow bar, and REX (Rear Entertainment Xtreme).
Driving dynamics
Based on an all-new platform and developed in conjunction with Mazda, the new Ford Escape is a versatile, compact 4WD that combines maximum convenience and comfort with a unibody design for refined passenger car-like ride and handling.
Off-road capability with the all-new full-time 4WD system, a four-wheel independent suspension and fine-tuned rack-and-pinion steering, means Escape is truly an all-round vehicle.
Escape comes with a 150kW 3.0 litre Duratec quad cam EFI V6 engine with four-speed automatic transmission. With a Ford approved tow bar, Escape has an impressive towing capacity of 1600kg – enough to pull a pair of jet skis, snowmobiles or boat.
Fuel economy for the Escape will average 13.0 litres for every 100km of city driving and eight for highway driving.
The full-time 4WD system provides the driver with the option of two different settings, “4×4 auto” or “4×4 Lock.” The automatic setting allows the vehicle to determine the torque split to the rear wheels, while the “4×4 Lock” setting splits the torque between the front and rear drive wheels, enhancing performance when driving off-road or in other uncertain driving conditions.
Safety and security
From the foundation of its unibody platform to its comprehensive list of safety features, Ford Escape has been designed with safety as a top priority.
The architecture has been carefully designed to channel the energy created in a frontal crash and spread it out over a larger area of the vehicle. Typically, energy created in a crash is absorbed by a vehicle’s frame rail. For Escape, a front fender reinforcement helps to direct the energy load of a crash between the lower frame rail and an upper path that goes through the roof.
An energy-absorbing steering column also helps to absorb the impact of a crash. Escape also features energy-absorbing knee bolsters, located below the instrument panel, which are designed to reduce the risk of leg injuries for front seat occupants.
Standard high-tensile-steel side-intrusion door beams also help protect passengers in side impacts.
Driver and front passenger air bags are standard.
Buckle pretensioners combined with load limiting retractors are standard on front seat belts. In a crash, these devices automatically take up slack in the belts while the load limiter is designed to reduce the risk of chest injuries in severe collisions.
Child seat anchors are located in the rear roof to maximise luggage space.
The Ford SecuriLockTM engine immobiliser system is standard on both models. The system uses a key containing an electronically encrypted transponder that is written to and read through a transceiver unit attached to the ignition key cylinder. Without the proper key, the vehicle cannot be started.
Passenger comfort
The interior design of the Escape is focused on enhancing individual features, both aesthetically and functionally.
Placement of controls and switchgear was tested using blindfolded occupants while the vehicle was parked. The theory was that while the controls during the first hour of driving would be unfamiliar, drivers should be able to operate them without taking their eyes off the road after that time-span.
“People operate their radio, air-conditioning and rear defrost functions while driving, so the development team made them easy to operate without distracting the driver,” says Kevin.
“The buttons and knobs on the Escape also have a consistent feel, sound and range of motion when activated. That attention to craftsmanship was carried throughout the entire vehicle, from door latches and handles to fasteners, interior trim plastic and even under-the-bonnet wiring.”
The instrument dials are large and legible with dial type speedometer, trip odometer, tachometer, fuel gauge and temperature gauge, for recognition of key information at a glance.
Stalks on the steering column control the lights and wipers. A tilt-adjustable steering wheel is standard.
Hiding and holding places
Escape provides abundant, easy-to-use interior storage. The development team looked at storage requirements worldwide, including ensuring that the centre console is large enough to stow the large Melways and UBD road maps used in Australia.
In the XLT, the console accommodates a small purse, a storage bin, and two forward and two rear pop-out cup holders. The XLS floor console includes five cup holders (two at the rear of the console for rear-seat passengers), an open storage bin and coin holders. The cup holders fit most common container sizes.
The centre stack of the instrument panel incorporates a storage compartment large enough to hold CD cases or sunglasses.
The glove box locks and each front door includes large, deep map pockets, open storage bins (capable of holding a first aid kit or emergency road-side triangle), are located in the rear quarter panel on both sides of the cargo area.
A 12-volt power point is located in the cargo area. The cargo area, with the seats up, offers 935 litres of storage space. A removable cargo cover (XLT only), helps to keep cargo concealed and can be removed when not in use.
Keeping cool
Heating, ventilation and air conditioning in Escape features outstanding air volume and quick-cooling capacity. Optimised louvre locations on the instrument panel and efficient side window demister vents provide efficient circulation, and rear-seat heater ducting is provided for greater warmth for all passengers on cold days.
Seating comfort a global challenge
The Escape team conducted dozens of comfort drives with people of all statures and, as a result, the bucket seats were tailored using anthroprometric data to fit smaller drivers while still comfortably accommodating larger adults. Every aspect of comfort and convenience was examined with the seats even being pressure mapped to gauge the occupant’s true comfort scientifically.
XLS has manually adjustable high-back bucket seats trimmed with cloth and vinyl. XLT vehicles have a premium cloth seating surface.
Integrated head-rests are standard on the front seats with rear seats having separate two-way adjustable head restraints in the outboard positions.
Both the XLS and XLT rear seating systems can be folded flat, for increased cargo space. The latched seat back can be folded forward and the head restraint removed. The rear seat cushion can also be removed, further enhancing load-carrying capacity.
Four hand grips are mounted in the ceiling, with a further two in the A-pillars. The handles are not only designed to aid ingress and egress, but also absorb energy in a crash. Other trim elements and energy absorbing foam in the ceiling also help to provide additional impact protection.
Sun visors have straps to hold documents or glasses. The XLT also has vanity mirrors in each visor.
Pricing
The 2001 Ford Escape is on sale in mid-March. The RRP for the XLS is $33,200 (plus dealer and delivery charges) and the XLT RRP is $37,300 (plus dealer and delivery charges).
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