Gator06

I watched the show last night as well. The LED's were on by themselves with no other lamps, so it looks like they stay on with the ignition. I was really hoping they would operate this way! It does add a nice touch to the look just like the Audi's. :yup:

The only reason I caught it is because I knew I had seen that picture from the opposite side before and thought it was too much of a coincidence that they'd look so similiar. It was a "wheres waldo" to find what looked different in the photo and I just happened to catch that little detail.

The official Ford pictures show the sport seats and the photo caption says its the Titanium, so I think its safe to assume those are a match. The other seats must be the SEL, especially considering you can't even get that color in the Titanium. To simplify: SEL = Standard full leather (straight lines pattern in seat trim). Available in light and dark colors. Titanium= Standard partial cloth/leather, optional full leather. (Both have the "sport" pattern in the seat trim.) Only available in dark color.

It's an inverted photo. If you look closely the AIRBAG lettering on the passenger dash is reversed. Here is the original: My link

I could be wrong, but I think those are the sport seats in the Titanium trim. The SEL seats are proably these:

Delete.

I'm finding it harder to find reasons to keep my 06 Fusion. Normally trading up to a SUV from a car you expect to lose mpg as a compromise of gaining the additional room and hauling capacity, but in this case I'd actually be getting better mpg AND more power. It's almost hard to believe. Way to go Ford!

I bought a 2006 Fusion new and I will admit I was slightly uneasy about a first model year build. Thats why I decided to get the extended warranty as it was good piece of mind. I can happily report I'm still driving that car today after 85k miles and the only out of the ordinary work I've had to do was replace an A/C compressor that is likely a common part across multiple vehicles and thus has nothing to do with it being a first year car. I know people are naturally hesitant to be one of the first buyers of something new for fear of experiencing teething pains, but I think things are better now than they used to be in that regard. All auto manufacturers, and especially Ford, have placed a large emphasis on quality in the past 5 years. I have no doubt they designed and tested these engines thoroughly. Turbocharging is only stressful if the components of the engine aren't designed with forced induction in mind (like someone bolting a turbo onto a stock naturally aspirated engine.) These engines were designed from the ground up for this application so I don't see it being any different than the 3.0 V6 in regards of durability. It sucks you lost an engine, but the Duratec is an older design so I'm not quite sure I follow your logic of avoiding new models. Are you suggesting someone go for something older even though that was what you had an issue with? The best resource for any consumer is the internet and message boards such as these. Common problems on any product will become well known quickly (and hopefully solutions as well!) Nothing is more reliable then hearing from the consumer themselves. Until we start hearing of issues with these new Ecoboost engines, I don't think its fair to use a blanket statement telling people to avoid them. I prefer the innocent until proven guilty theory.

For those of you on the fence on getting the factory tow package, you may want to take a look at this: http://www.ford.com/suvs/escape/2013/specifications/towing/ There is a 1500lb difference the tow package adds....which leads me to believe they are doing more than just slapping a hitch on. It seems logical that there are some aux coolers and/or radiator/fan upgrades. I've sent an email to Ford for clarification but it seems like you won't be able to tow much without that tow package, even if you get the 2.0.

Edit: Deleted post.

From what I understand, the SEL comes with standard full leather seating. The Titanium comes standard with partial leather/cloth seats and full leather is a $895 option. It looks like the stitching is different between the two trims but I really have no idea if the padding/shape of the seat is the same or not (they call it a "sport" seat for the titanium.) In my opinion they have these configurations backwards, as I'd expect to see full leather standard on any vehicle on its top trim level. Looks like an easy way for Ford to pick up a few hundred extra dollars on each Titanium as I doubt too many people would want cloth at that kind of price point. Don't forget you also get HID lights with the Titanium; they are not available on the SEL. I've been curious to know what exactly the trailer tow package adds too. So far I've only seen the trailer sway control listed as an extra feature. It sucks to lose the hands free, but adding an aftermarket hitch and messing with the wiring doesn't seem worth the effort unless you really would use the handsfree that often. Don't forget that its still a power liftgate that you can operate with either a button on the liftgate itself or the key. Honestly I think the novelty of the handsfree will wear off pretty quick. Unless your hands are too full of items to take the key out of your pocket, it will always be quicker to press the button on the key as you are walking up to the vehicle so its open by the time you arrive to the rear. To each their own though.

Just ran across this video. Looks very smooth and responsive. The navigation looks great!

Thanks for the info! I'm a little puzzled by the mix of features Ford has decided to use on the high trim levels. Seems to me that Titanium should have standard full leather, back up camera, and power passenger seat. Any vehicles costing $30k+ at top trim level should have these standard! It seems the only real reason to get a Titanium over the SEL is for the HID's, unless you were really that hung up on the larger wheels. In terms of the other things you mentioned, I could care less about active shutters on the 2.0L. In my opinion thats something you don't want to have fail in the closed position and since I live in FL with high temperatures most of the year, I don't see them closing very often anyway. I was also looking at that tire size for the Titanium and there aren't many options out there. It's making me reconsider whether or not AWD is worth it. I just want something that can keep from getting stuck on the beach and an occassional light off roading to get to a camping spot etc. but I don't see any tire in existance that could handle even those light duties. Hmm... All that being said, otherwise I think its going to be a great vehicle and I'm looking forward to driving one myself!

No joke...last week I was filling out some paperwork in my car in a parking lot and this minivan parks next to me at about a 20 degree angle, about 6 inches away from me at the rear. I managed the squeeze out of the narrow door opening I had to politely ask her to be careful when she leaves to not hit my car. Her response was giving me a dirty look and muttering something under her breath in another language like it was my fault. Unbelievable! Sorry, didn't mean to threadjack. Back to Escape discussion.

Thanks a lot for the info. Who am I kidding, I might as well just bite the bullet and just get one loaded. Nothing worse than post-purchase regret (well except for maybe an empty bank account...)

I see. Well that explains things then. Can you let us know if you are able to get the backup camera as a standalone option without the $1k parking package? You'd think that would be a standard feature on the Titanium trim level. My girlfriend really wants that on our next vehicle but I'm not sure I'll use the self parking feature enough to justify the cost of the package. Thanks!

Good question. I've been trying to find it online all week!