delz05 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Looking for some honest and unbiased opinions from ACTUAL OWNERS of the 08 Escape. I am considering an 08 Limited 4WD. (New England location) May opt for a FWD platform. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flanaganman Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Looking for some honest and unbiased opinions from ACTUAL OWNERS of the 08 Escape. I am considering an 08 Limited 4WD. (New England location) May opt for a FWD platform. Thanks! ive had mine since may 04 its an 05 so its 3yrs old never had it in the shop 27mpg in town luv it thinking about trading it in on a hybird. ive use it as a work truck all its life i do a/c work i haul a lot of tool parts etc i cant find anything to complain about but maybe its a 4cyl fwd but i got it for the mpg will replace it with a new escape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeman84 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Looking for some honest and unbiased opinions from ACTUAL OWNERS of the 08 Escape. I am considering an 08 Limited 4WD. (New England location) May opt for a FWD platform. Thanks! We have an 08 hybrid that is really working out well for us so far. We have had it for about two months and have approximately 2000 miles on it. Traded a 05 Escape with the V6. We liked the 05, but the 08 is a huge improvement. Averaging 32 mpg. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delz05 Posted May 26, 2007 Author Share Posted May 26, 2007 Thanks for your input. Zeeman84.....About your 08...how harsh is the ride...shake/rattle/roll? What about road noise? I'm looking at a V6 model, have to decide between FWD and AWD. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeeman84 Posted May 26, 2007 Share Posted May 26, 2007 Thanks for your input. Zeeman84.....About your 08...how harsh is the ride...shake/rattle/roll? What about road noise? I'm looking at a V6 model, have to decide between FWD and AWD. My wife puts about 80 miles a day on this vehicle on her commute to work and she reports a very nice, smooth ride. The times I have driven it, I have noticed how well put together it feels, much like my explorer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Yellowsnake Posted May 27, 2007 Share Posted May 27, 2007 My wife puts about 80 miles a day on this vehicle on her commute to work and she reports a very nice, smooth ride. The times I have driven it, I have noticed how well put together it feels, much like my explorer. We have just about 3000 miles on ours since we bought it March 3rd, first one the dealer had on the lot. Over all well put together, and well equipped for the price. Sirus is good, Sun roof is good, rides like a small SUV/CAR, good in the rain, gas mileage the same as the explorer, just a smaller fuel tank, so its really better, seats front and rear are very confortable, groceries and other goodies fit fine in the rear, fit a finish very good for the price. Looks, pretty cool, chrome front grill, looks like a baby explorer, compared to the last body style. As for the comments ive read about drum brakes, carpet and old motor technoldgy, the 3.0l is OK for me its a tried and tested drivetrain, yes it old but it provide the get to power and fuel mileage for us just fine, drums for rear brakes are fine too, I guess guys who want disc's are just afraid to change shoes over pads, realistically I think disc's would be a waste, the size of the vechicle doesnt,nt warrant them. and the carpet is fine, heck I cant see much of mine for the floor mats. Good buy in my mind, I would buy another if wanting another small SUV. We looked at the rav-4 the Nisssans, the santa fe, and went back to Ford. We like ours........ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
focus05 Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 Overall, I think it's much nicer than the old Escape. I only ever rented the old Escape, but the new hybrid is quite nice. Ironically, I recently got side-swiped in my Focus, and my rental was a V6 Escape to go with our hybrid. The ride is not the most luxurious, but it's good. The ride is pretty quiet and handling feels fairly crisp (no Focus, but what is...). I would say it feels a little less refined than the Rav and the new CRV (both of which we test drove), but not far off. It has taken me a while to get the seat in the right position for me, but it does exist. Once there, I felt more in control and have enjoyed driving it much more. The interior is very nice, although I still don't like the door moldings. Everything else, the controls, the console, the steering wheel, I quite like. The overall fit and finish is very good in both our normal Escape and the rental Escape I had. I averaged almost 20 mpg in a mix of city and highway driving in the AWD V6 over a 12 day period. A friend of mine who bought the FWD said he's been averaging a little better (21-22) in about the same mix that I drive. The FWD hybrid is getting like 33 in a similar mix to mine - although it's a little more traffic heavy during that commute. It's beyond what we expected. The power on the V6 is not overwhelming, but it is more than enough in all situations. I felt a bit lacking when trying to get up hills on the highway (in town, no issue), but I also drive a bit fast, so I can understand why it reacted that way. There is a HUGE gap between 3rd and 4th, and the 4th is tuned really low for gas mileage (there's your culprit). It is a bit hesitant to downshift, although I've been told it can learn your driving pattern and adjust. The noise, though, at 3,500 rpm is very subdued. The first time it downshifted going up the hill on the highway, I knew it had done it by the feel, but the expected noise coming from a Focus never materialized. I was quite impressed. The hybrid was definitely the right choice for us. The hybrid is fantastic. Not sure about the V6, although certainly it can hold its own in its class for value. It's not the outright top small SUV package in my opinion, but it's no slouch. You can get it for less than a CRV or Rav4 and use the extra money for some nice bikes or something. I certainly far prefer its looks than the Rav or the CRV. I couldn't buy the CRV even if it were the same price just because of how it looked. If the Rav4 were $2k cheaper, I'd consider it more strongly, but it wasn't THAT compelling. I would say give it a test drive or try renting one for a couple days. I have really enjoyed the hyrbid, and I quite liked the V6. I would recommend the FWD unless you have a pressing need for AWD because it's lighter and gets better gas mileage, but both contribute only minor improvements compared to the safety of AWD in snow, for example. The new Escape, while it could have used a new powertrain, seems much better than the old one, and I would recommend you check it out. It's a good little SUV and has exceeded my expectations. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mtp96 Posted May 28, 2007 Share Posted May 28, 2007 Looking for some honest and unbiased opinions from ACTUAL OWNERS of the 08 Escape. I am considering an 08 Limited 4WD. (New England location) May opt for a FWD platform. Thanks! My wife and I had an 02 Escape v6 FWD and an 05 Mercury Mariner v6 FWD. We just got the 08 Mariner v6 FWD and it has a much better ride and much quieter than the previous models.We've had it over a month now and we love it. 18 mpg city same as previous models Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delz05 Posted May 31, 2007 Author Share Posted May 31, 2007 Thanks to all who have posted. Your opinions and input is greatly appreciated. I signed my purchase agreement today for an 08 AWD Limited. Expected build date next week, with deilvery by 07/02/2007. Keeping my fingers crossed. Has anyone gotten an update on step bars for the 08's? I do not want the flat platform side steps offered from the factory. I want to put a set of chrome tube bars to matche the chrome exterior package and the chrome wheels. Any input? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sksuh Posted July 11, 2007 Share Posted July 11, 2007 Thanks to all who have posted. Your opinions and input is greatly appreciated. I signed my purchase agreement today for an 08 AWD Limited. Expected build date next week, with deilvery by 07/02/2007. Keeping my fingers crossed. Did your Escape arrive on schedule? My Escape Hybrid was factory ordered on May 16/2007 and I've just learned that it's not due to arrive until mid-August. Not impressed with this factory ordering concept. SK Suh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Furious1Auto Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 Did your Escape arrive on schedule? My Escape Hybrid was factory ordered on May 16/2007 and I've just learned that it's not due to arrive until mid-August. Not impressed with this factory ordering concept. SK Suh With factory ordering at least you get exactly what you want but, KC needs to work on their delivery times. Although I read yesterday that Ford is limited to 20,000 Hybrids a year so, if your due to get one your lucky! Hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
89-Pony Posted July 12, 2007 Share Posted July 12, 2007 We have a 2005 XLT Sport, V6 AWD. We absolutely love it. I had opportunity to drive an '08 Limited V6 AWD for the better part of 2 days. They hit many things perfectly, but failed miserably on one. The '05 makes some engine ruckus, like a gagged Tasmanian Devil, but it's peppy enough. The '08 is a HUGE improvement in noise reduction from that point of view. Home run on that point. I love the style and the new interior, especially in black leather. There is one problem which really bothered me, and that is the DRUM BRAKES. What the hell!? And to those who say it's no difference? I say bulls---, I've driven them both, and the difference in the '08 is hugely disappointing. I found I had to really stand on the brake pedal of the '08 to make it stop in comparison to my '05. Relatively same equipment. Maybe the '08 is a little heavier because of additional sound deadening. Being VERY pleased with the braking in the '05, the drastic reduction in braking performance on the '08 is pretty much a DEAL-STOPPER for me. I am exploring (no pun) other options. The Escape is the perfect size/cost for me, but the Edge is too much $$ for my budget. So I love the style and relative quietness of the '08, but I have not made the go-forward decision yet, due to my disappointment in the braking performance. By the way, our '05 is a Jeckyl-and-Hyde for gas mileage: 16-17mpg around town in the hills of western PA, but 24-25 on the highway, fully loaded in 90+ degree heat (read: extreme A/C usage) driving from Pittsburgh to Baltimore and back. My commute is 75% turnpike, so MPG would be good enough for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
delz05 Posted July 13, 2007 Author Share Posted July 13, 2007 SKSUH...I could not believe the timing between order/build and delivery. Order placed and accepted by Ford 05/08/07. Build was week of 06/01/07 with a completed dated of 06/09/07. it somehow made it from the factory to the rail yard by 06/11/07 evening and was in Boston, at my dealership on 06/18/07. Paperwork day on the 19th and it was delivered to me on the 20th. Everyone at the dealership was shocked....they had never had a special order arrive so quickly. I know Ford had their July shut down these first 2 weeks, so I did not expect to see my truck untill the end of this month. Hope your's arrives soon. I now have about 1100 miles, no troubles mechanically, but a few trim pieces have to replaced. Very minor things though. I am very pleased. Average about 18MPG mixed driving, very comfortable. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sksuh Posted August 15, 2007 Share Posted August 15, 2007 SKSUH...I could not believe the timing between order/build and delivery. Update regarding my factory order of May 16/07. Ice blue 4WD hybrid arrived at the dealer on Mon Aug 13 so I'll be taking possession on Fri Aug 17. Another Hybrid Escape will be at home in the Canadian Rockies shortly. Stephen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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