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Non Hybrid folks can get their documents at http://www.motorcraftservice.com/ Thanks, Dan, for this information. From responses to my previous question regarding engine braking capability, this will not excite a lot of people, but the 2009 users manual explicitly states that the new 6-speed transmission has the O/D lockout button controlling both the lock-out and also a Grade Assist feature. This sounds like an excellent compromise between maximum driver control and user simplicity, and should be of great value to drivers in hilly regions. Thanks again!

Really hoping someone here can answer this. I really like as much control over an auto trans as possible. Pictures of the new 2009 Escape show the auto trans shifter has an O/D lockout button and positions PRNDL. Does anyone know whether the it will have more control possiiblilties than the Fusion, or will pressing the O/D button also engage a Grade Assist feature as on the Edge and Flex? It seems Ford has a variety of philosophies in effect on how much driver control should be offered. I'm thinking of accessing various degrees of engine braking in hilly driving or also selecting an intermediate gear for slick, icy urban conditions. I would have preferred full manual control via a + or - mode, but the Grade Assist seems a good compromise, in that it seems tapping brakes causes a downshift (without banging all the way down to 2nd or 1st gear. Anyone know the facts here??

Dan, Thanks, but note the last sentence of the intro-- "This report is based on evaluations of the 2008 Ford Escape." They seem to have cobbled the pre-release information with 2008 impressions, so no real new information. My guess is that it is still too early for any actual review of a production 2009---that is to begin in late June.

Thanks, Ice! What interests me particularly is that the I-4 engine seems to also be available in the Limited models. My wife and I love our "03 Escape XLT but might be tempted to trade if we could get the 4 cyl. with heated leather seats, and since I have inadvertently backed into some things over the last few years, the reverse sensors make a lot of sense too. We'd also appreciate a somewhat quieter car. What I'd like to know more about is the 6-speed trans, especially the layout of the gear selector. We live in a hilly area, and also where snow and ice plague our winter driving. Therefore, I like to have some control over downshifting for engine braking. Altho many have criticized the 4-speed automatic, it is true that you can select any of the gears as necessary. Pusing O/D lockout accesses 3rd and locks up the clutch, good for mild and fast hill descents. If more braking is needed, you can directly select 2nd or even 1st gears. Now with 6 ratios available, I wonder what access will be available. The Fusion, for example, seems to only provide an "L" choice (no O/D lockout) which I suspect goes directly to 2nd (am not completely sure). On the other hand, in the Edge, the O/D lockout apparently gets you to 4th but also accesses "Grade Assist" which allows lower ratios if brakes are applied. So I'm now wondering what the Escape transmission control will allow. If it is as crippled as in the Fusion, that would almost be a deal breaker for me.

Wow--just after posting this question, I read the revised Edge manual posted on this website, and the reference to "grade assist" that was in the original manual is now deleted, and instead of saying that the button locks out 6th and causes the tranny to operate in first through fifth, the revised manual simply says the trans operates in first through fourth! Wonder if someone with a new Edge could try this experiment--at around 50 mph, push the button with throttle closed and watch the tach. RPMs should rise somewhat and you should feel engine braking--allow car to slow down--are there further downshifts or does car hold fourth? This raises the question of whether the transmission has been altered or is this just a change in the manuals? This interests me because there is an Australian Ford (the Territory) which does tout a "Grade Assist" feature. Ford definitely does have the technology. Would love to have someone from Ford shed light on this.

I'm interested in the the Edge, and because I live in a hilly area, I've been concerned with availability of engine braking. I noticed in the Edge manual, the button on the transmission selector in not just an overdrive lockout, but also engages a "Grade Assist" feature which may initiate downshift(s). Can anyone elaborate. It sounds as if it might not just lockout 6th speed but may also downshift from 5th to 4th or maybe even lower. This sounds like a great and unpublicized feature (it's not referred to in the Edge website) that some owners may hardly be aware of. Is there an Edge owner out there who has experimented with this and can report on how the feature works? Thanks much in advance!

Thanks AKirby and OAC Sparky, The Owner's Manual was most helpful--If I read it correctly, the OD lockout gets the box down to 5th or maybe even to 4th for higher speed braking and the L postion has automatic speed restrictions. The Fusion box seems to also have a "smart" L postion but no OD lockout button. It does appear that the Ford engineers have set up good protocols for engine braking. I agree with AKirby, these features may not be used often, but it's good to know what to do when the occasion presents itself. Thanks again--I now feel much better about planning an Edge purchase when the time comes.

Well, it seems nobody wants to do the experiment. Let me ask it a simpler way--what does the Edge Owners Manual say about the use of the "L" selector position in terms of engine braking or descending hills. Is there at least an overdrive lockout button that helps in this regard?

I'm hoping someone with an Edge can answer this question, regarding downshifting for engine braking. If you are traveling in Drive at say 30-40 mph and encounter a long steep hill that would otherwise require continuous application of brakes to control speed, and you shift the selector to L, what will result? Will trans shift to first, or second gear, and what will be the approx rpm--is the downshift well controlled or does it stress engine or trans? If you allow car to coast, will it downshift to a lower gear if it did not select the lowest initially. What is motivating this question is that, altho I like the Edge a lot, its transmission selector does not seem to have been designed to allow much driver control.. I'm drawn to the Mazda CX-7, one reason being its auto trans with + or - ratio change options. However, maybe Ford engineers have designed a downshift protocol into the D-L transition that is fairly workable. Just wondering if anyone can shed more light on this. Thanks in advance!

MGallun, Suggest you reread my message--regarding the auto shift selector, it's not a matter of being cool or getting extra performance, it's a matter of being able to select an appropriate lower gear for engine braking. Driver control when needed!

nlpracing, You did well in that tough situation. Possibly in that situation, the foot brake might have been even better than a handbrake, since you were able to keep both hands on the wheel. But I still think a centrally located handbrake, accessible to the passenger too would be better, overall. I notice you're in Texas, so probably my comments about engine braking are irrelevant in your area. In hilly New England, more control of the transmission is pretty important.

Ovaltine, Exactly--I think the same goes for Hyundai and so many other makes. If you check out the Ford.com website, go to world websites, and pick, for example Ford South Africa, you will find the Focus sold there also has a manually selectable auto trans. It galls me a little that Ford does sell in South Africa a better equipped Focus than the 2008 Focus will be here in the US, but we will get illuminated cupholders and variable colored footwell lighting!

OK, one more time, short and sweet--an emergency brake is a potential safety feature that ought to be as accessible as possible. Also, an easily downshiftable, controllable transmission is also a safety feature. Both are effective before the accident!

Roadrunner, But to me it's not an issue of feeling "exotic"--it's simply a question of safety. Whether it be an SUV , sedan, or two-seater, it's a real safety advantage if a passenger can also apply a brake in an emergency. I can understand many people not caring much about this, I've been driving for 51 years and didn't take this seriously until a few weeks ago. I now think it is an important consideration, though I would probably be willing to purchase another car, even if it had a foot-brake, if other features were compelling.

Opposite to some others who have posted here, I have come to Ford late in life after spending years in VW's and Voyager/Caravans. We are very pleased with our curent '02 Focus ZX5 and '03 Escape AWD. However, I see changes being made in the newer models that suggest to me that Ford believes American drivers want or will settle for dumbed down products.. 1. First, I note that the new Escape (and Edge and Freestyle) have the handbrake positioned as a left-foot brake. All for the sake of a bigger storage bin or bigger cupholders! Think logically, the centrally located pull-up hand brake is an immense safety feature. Maybe I'm thinking like an old foggie, but if I'm driving with my wife or anyone else, and I have a seizure or stroke, in my current Escape or Focus, my wife can pulll up on the handbrake and at least slow the car down a bit. With those footbrakes,, the passenger is helpless to cut car speed. In my view, I think handbrakes, centrally located, should be mandatory in all cars. What a step backward. 2. Just as important, I think, is the ability of the driver to be able to select , in an auto transmission-equipped car, a reasonable lower ratio for descending steep hills or negotiating slippery mountain roads. Well, in my current Focus or Escape, there is a nice pushbutton for locking out the OD, but there is also a position 2, or 1 on the shifter. I can approach a downhill, maybe snowy or icy, at say 25 mph and select 2 and get fairly gently, reliable engine braking. So I look at the new Edge, 2008 Focus or Fusion, and I see PRNDL choices, and it appears that there is no way to effect a predictable downshift. I gather, from Edmunds.com test of the Edge, that if you select L at highway speeds, you get dramatic downshift to 2nd, and this is surely not good for the trans or engine, and on slippery surfaces, may be a dangerous change. Well, the obvious answer is that Ford auto selectors should allow D, 3,2, or L, but they do not. Yet, please everyone , look at the European Ford websites, and you'll see that even the Focus can be had with a much more controllable manumatic type selector. So what can I conclude, but that Ford decision makers are more interested in gimmicks and less interested in giving consumers the sophisocated equipment other companies are successful with. If I were to have to replace a car right now, in this current lineup, I see no Ford that suits me and would likely go to the nearest Subaru dealer for an Outback! Please, Ford, give us Americans credit for being on a par with our European cousins, and truly give us car choices that are really competitive. By the way, I've got nothing but praise for my Ford dealer (Marcotte Ford, Holyoke MA), and I would like to support them and the Ford company, so I'll give you a couple years to correct this trend.