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2021MY Escape Facelift


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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 by ExplorerDude
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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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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. 

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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. 

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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.

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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.

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