Steve H Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Does anyone have any off road experiences with the new Escape or links to any off road test drives? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rscalzo Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Quite frankly I doubt many see the 2013 Escape as a capable off road vehicle. But Ford isn't billing it as they competition to the CJ. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inswva Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Unless the suspension differs greatly from the 2WD models, it's going to be a very uncomfortable ride off-road, even on fairly tame rutted dirt roads. In my '13 2WD, even the smallest of bumps in the road are pretty jarring. The AWD option is for coping with with adverse road conditions, not for running through Moab. Folks need to remember that the '13 is built off the Focus platform. It's a car, not a truck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 (edited) Yeah, off-roading with my 19" rims. Not. If I venture off-road, it will not be "Dukes of Hazard" style. Edited October 4, 2012 by Escapism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator06 Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Even though this isn't a 2013 Escape, its about as close of a comparison that I can find. Looks like it does pretty well! http://youtu.be/DcEQDmdG9iE 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted October 4, 2012 Author Share Posted October 4, 2012 Even though this isn't a 2013 Escape, its about as close of a comparison that I can find. Looks like it does pretty well! http://youtu.be/DcEQDmdG9iE That's what I'm talking about!Thanks Gator06. It looks to be very off road capable for the easy stuff at least. Now I know I'm going to trade in my "Trail Rated" Compass and accept delivery of my new Escape next week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
inswva Posted October 4, 2012 Share Posted October 4, 2012 Fairly impressive video. However, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be trying mimic that behavior if had an AWD model. If I had to run through stuff like that to get to a camp site or something, maybe... but just to do it? Nope. You can pick up a cheap, beater 4x4 for under $2k that will be far more capable off-road and you won't feel bad if you bang a fender off a tree or a rock. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Escapism Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) I'm jealous cause I'm bett'in it is a manual tranmission. Wish they sold that tranny over here. Got a screw in my Titanium's rear driver side tire. The low pressure warning lights came on right when I was getting home. So I parked, got out my pressure gauge(from the cavernous center console storage pit-of-dispair)and started checking tires. At first i was pissed cause my wifes Honda sensor acts up now and then and i thought "great, a trip to the dealer for a faulty sensor". But low and behold when I was 3 feet away(just under 1 meter for you back-country folks) from the 4th tire I heard the hissing sound. It was at 30 psi, the other three tires were at 40psi dead nuts. I have always kept the rubber cement, tire rasp and insertion tool, small compressor(12V) and plenty of repair strips in my vehicles. I do like the storage area where the spare tire is. Anyway, fixed it right there in my driveway. Edited October 5, 2012 by Escapism Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve H Posted October 5, 2012 Author Share Posted October 5, 2012 Fairly impressive video. However, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be trying mimic that behavior if had an AWD model. If I had to run through stuff like that to get to a camp site or something, maybe... but just to do it? Nope. You can pick up a cheap, beater 4x4 for under $2k that will be far more capable off-road and you won't feel bad if you bang a fender off a tree or a rock. I don't plan on intentionally testing the capabilities of my new 4WD Ti or entering any off road races just for fun. However, I occasionally leave the pavement to go hunting, fishing and gold panning and it's a real comfort to know what my vehicle's capabilities are especially when the weather gets bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ansi789 Posted October 26, 2012 Share Posted October 26, 2012 I think the 4WD or you can call it AWD work pretty good. Took it off road for hunting and it handle very good in the back roads. I tried to miss every little branch that sticking out in the road. lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gator06 Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 Just came across this: http://blogs.km77.com/celedonioycogolludo/4058/ford-kuga-circuito-off-road/ Even though its in Spanish, the pictures and videos tell the story. This looks pretty extreme for any 4x4 and it looks like the new Kuga did pretty well! Glad I got 4x4 on my order in case I ever want to get a little dirty! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted May 1, 2013 Share Posted May 1, 2013 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScapeTom Posted May 6, 2013 Share Posted May 6, 2013 First video shows the virtue of the traction control system on the AWD. Pretty nice though for it to be a serious off-roader, it would need a few more inches of ground clearance, several more inches of suspension travel, skid plates, and some gnarly tires. Still, it'll get you up the trail to a camping or hunting spot. Not sure what they were doing in the snow there, but those were definitely the wrong tires. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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