My take on Escape's MPG is that AWD really hits the mileage - more than the claimed numbers. I average about 21 MPG (starting to drop now with the cold weather). As a test, I've tried getting up to highway speed (say 60), holding it in cruise, and resetting the MPG. Even in that ideal situation, I can't get upto 25MPG.
I'm not sure how much to believe the intelligent AWD display, but it shows all tires engaged at just about any level of acceleration. Maybe that has something to do with it.