ExplorerDude Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) So I heard through the grapevine that the 2021 Escape will be getting an emergency facelift to correct the front end that has been disliked by many. Just 1 year into its lifecycle. I have to wonder who they showed this to in a focus group and said they liked it. Wondering if anyone else heard about this? Edited September 3, 2019 by ExplorerDude 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dequindre Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Interesting if true. The new front end makes it look almost overly cute, IMO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Makes me really wish the baby Bronco was revealed closer to the Escape than it will be. I really feel the reaction to the Escape wouldn't be as strong as it is. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hbalek Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 (edited) https://www.cars.com/articles/2020-ford-escape-ford-made-you-a-porsche-macan-1420757750310/ To me it has always looked like a Porsche Macan in front and the new RAV4 in the back. Anyone else? Did anyone see the front of the Aston Martin DBX? It also resembles that! Edited September 3, 2019 by hbalek added link Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Well honestly, from many comments I read, something was just a bit "off" with the face so this isn't surprising. Wonder who participate in some of these "consumer clinics" considering the Aztek and currently, the new Silverado. I guess for some, controversy is a good thing, even if it's negative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twin Turbo Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 We own a Mk1 Kuga (UK version of the Escape, obviously) and I'm on a Kuga Owners Facebook group. I know its usual for many owners of a current vehicle not to like change, but whenever someone posts photos of the new Escape I reckon 8 out of 10 replies are negative. Personally, I like it, although I've still not seen one in the metal. I was unsure of the new Focus at first (which this shares many styling cues from), but in the metal, the Focus is pretty nice looking. As for an emergency facelift? I guess if sales haven't met expectations that would make sense. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 One thing to note-the Focus Active apparently was panned in North America due to styling. The new Escape is very similar to the Focus-I'm wondering if the rumor is due to that old chestnut. I just find it kind of hard to believe that we just hearing about it now with the 2020 Escape already in production and the differences in facsias for different markets already baked into it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danglin Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 Dumb question. Does every new vehicle design get reviewed by "Focus Groups"? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymoomoo Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 1 minute ago, danglin said: Dumb question. Does every new vehicle design get reviewed by "Focus Groups"? Pretty much Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danglin Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 2 minutes ago, fuzzymoomoo said: Pretty much Interesting, so these groups are used by all auto companies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 16 minutes ago, danglin said: Interesting, so these groups are used by all auto companies? Pretty much. I’ve done two - one for the 2003 Aviator and another for the 2014 Camry. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NLPRacing Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 21 minutes ago, danglin said: Interesting, so these groups are used by all auto companies? I've done several, including one for the current Chevy & GMC trucks. They never showed us the exterior styling, just interior, new features, powertrain & the new tailgate. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
danglin Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 3 minutes ago, akirby said: Pretty much. I’ve done two - one for the 2003 Aviator and another for the 2014 Camry. How much change was made to the vehicles final design from the input your groups provided? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 1 minute ago, danglin said: How much change was made to the vehicles final design from the input your groups provided? None that I know of. On the Aviator we actually drove one back to back with a MDX and a X5 then answered a bunch of questions about all 3. I don’t know if we were all Ford owner’s or a mix of other make owners. On the Camry it was only the exterior and we looked at it then had group discussions about it. All of us owned a competing vehicle. The best thing we could say about it was the new wheels were nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jcartwright99 Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 This seems really ridiculous to me. It’s like they are planning to fail by using focus groups. Isn’t this how we got the Aztec? IMO, don’t make changes till 3rd model year if reception is terrible. Let it sink on its own. I’m all about having contingency plans but this seems premature. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 21 minutes ago, jcartwright99 said: This seems really ridiculous to me. It’s like they are planning to fail by using focus groups. Isn’t this how we got the Aztec? IMO, don’t make changes till 3rd model year if reception is terrible. Let it sink on its own. I’m all about having contingency plans but this seems premature. From what I've read, the focus group feedback on the Aztek was overwhelmingly negative, but GM management chose to ignore it. Don't blame the Aztek on the focus groups. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
twintornados Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 34 minutes ago, jcartwright99 said: This seems really ridiculous to me. It’s like they are planning to fail by using focus groups. Isn’t this how we got the Aztec? IMO, don’t make changes till 3rd model year if reception is terrible. Let it sink on its own. I’m all about having contingency plans but this seems premature. 10 minutes ago, grbeck said: From what I've read, the focus group feedback on the Aztek was overwhelmingly negative, but GM management chose to ignore it. Don't blame the Aztek on the focus groups. ..and if I remember it correctly, the vehicle that was run through the car show circuit and focus group crowds was very different than what actually rolled off the line. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 1 minute ago, twintornados said: ..and if I remember it correctly, the vehicle that was run through the car show circuit and focus group crowds was very different than what actually rolled off the line. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jasonj80 Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 21 minutes ago, grbeck said: From what I've read, the focus group feedback on the Aztek was overwhelmingly negative, but GM management chose to ignore it. Don't blame the Aztek on the focus groups. Aztec did great in focus groups for the demographic it was targeting, the PT Cruiser bombed in them but Chrysler went ahead with it anyways. Part of this was they were targeting the wrong markets, Aztec was targeting too young of a demographic that didn't have the funds to buy it. PT cruiser bombed with the target market of younger buyers because it looked old. It ended up working well because Older people liked it, and older people have money to buy things. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 You have to take focus group input with a grain of salt. It depends on who you’re interviewing and what you’re trying to accomplish. It’s not a pass/fail just one piece of data to consider. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 2 hours ago, NLPRacing said: I've done several, including one for the current Chevy & GMC trucks. They never showed us the exterior styling, just interior, new features, powertrain & the new tailgate. I want to do one haha. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grbeck Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 58 minutes ago, jasonj80 said: Aztec did great in focus groups for the demographic it was targeting, the PT Cruiser bombed in them but Chrysler went ahead with it anyways. Part of this was they were targeting the wrong markets, Aztec was targeting too young of a demographic that didn't have the funds to buy it. PT cruiser bombed with the target market of younger buyers because it looked old. It ended up working well because Older people liked it, and older people have money to buy things. Bob Lutz has said that the Aztek fared poorly in focus groups, but the executive in charge of bringing it to market was determined to ignore all criticism of the vehicle - both internal and external. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmc523 Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 I can't see them changing Escape already. I don't think it's THAT bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mackinaw Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 3 hours ago, danglin said: How much change was made to the vehicles final design from the input your groups provided? Often times, no changes are made. The 1994 Dodge Ram was a boldly styled vehicle that polarized focus groups. A high percentage of people viewing the truck hated it. Chrysler decided to go with the bold styling and the truck was wildly successful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
T-dubz Posted September 3, 2019 Share Posted September 3, 2019 I’m probably one of the escapes biggest critics on here and even I don’t think it’s bad enough to get a facelift after one year. In fact, it doesn’t look half bad when it’s blacked out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.