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Compact SUV Battle: Ford vs. Honda vs. Mazda vs. Subaru vs. Toyota vs. VW


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I'm just gonna throw this out there:

the restyling was/is...a major failure.

The previous generation had the Aston Martin face, while this one looks like a kid that eats all the paste in kindergarten.  That front end is just...bad.

It''s very hard to get past that, at least for me.  As far as the test went...yeah, C/D didn't do much for the credibility of the test and/or its author, but their remarks also repeat what's been said since this Escape came out: it's absolutely mediocre.  I've yet to see anyone rave about it, really, in any way...it's just known to be a market-demanded CUV stepping in to be the replacement for both the Fusion (for the moment) and the Focus.

Ford didn't put their best work into the little beast, and it's shown.

 

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The Chinese spec MK3 Kuga interior design is unique, as EU MK3 Kuga is the same low rent vibe as the North American. Yes the EU ST-Line spec has the slightly better looking front clip, and Vignale albeit still a happy looking chap looks IMO a tad nicer then the lower trim Titanium and Trend front clip.

 

As far as sales in EU, it's a little early to tell as the first couple months of 2020 when the MK3 begin to make it to dealerships in "some" EU markets. The MK2 Kuga sales as comparison for the months of January and February average around 9,500 units. The MK3 2020 sales for January 2,555 and February 2,413.

 

Most reviews have said the same as what the North Americans are reporting,  nothing standouts, dated interior, nondescript exterior design but the Plug-in-Hybrid gets the pick of the pack.

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53 minutes ago, jasonj80 said:


That is what happens when it is in a segment that commands a higher price point in the market. Remember the Old Kuga is still sold in China so it takes the value spot. 

 

That is a much nicer dash and center console,  I also like the shape of the screen vs. the U.S. one though wonder how that works for navigation maps.   Does that dash really add that much more to the cost? The Dash of the Car and Driver escape (Picture below) is hideous compared to the Chinese Escape/Kuga

2020-ford-escape-se-awd-comparison-104-1587151658.jpg

interior-overlay-7.jpg

Edited by Fordowner
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3 minutes ago, Fordowner said:

 

That is a much nicer dash and center console,  I also like the shape of the screen vs. the U.S. one though wonder how that works for navigation maps.   Does that dash really add that much more to the cost?


Probably $200-$300, it would get marked down in U.S. for reviews as most physical buttons get moved to the screen and American reviews don't like that; where in China it is seen as a benefit. 

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5 minutes ago, jasonj80 said:


Probably $200-$300, it would get marked down in U.S. for reviews as most physical buttons get moved to the screen and American reviews don't like that; where in China it is seen as a benefit. 

 

Have to admit I like having buttons/dials in addition to screen controls - wish there was a way they could do both. 

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35 minutes ago, Fordowner said:

 

Have to admit I like having buttons/dials in addition to screen controls - wish there was a way they could do both. 


That was a huge problem with the One Ford, different market like different things and vehicles need to be personalized for that market. China LOVES huge screens, and Ford is responding. 

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I recall looking at the Escape Hybrid at our local auto show. It's interior is nicer than the SE, especially the instrument panel. The base one does look cheap (plain?) in comparison. Not that it's bad, I just think we are used to a lot more bling in our instrument panel. Makes for good initial impression.

 

I thought the Escape compared well with the RAV4 which was right next to the Ford's display. I like the simpler and cleaner style of the Escape but I may be an outlier.

 

I also noted in article that this car was pre-production FWIW.

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19 hours ago, akirby said:


Not allowed.  They specifically requested models with the BASE ENGINE.

 

So why is Ford is ONLY one that doesn't make its comparable trim available with base engine?

 

To be fair, Escape Titanium is not significantly more expensive than RAV4 XLE or CR-V Touring but it does come with much more powerful engine. But this is just more self-sabotage... Ford lost about 8 points in the lack of amenities and made it up with 1 point due to lowest MSRP. Had there been a 1.5 EB Titanium, Ford would have end up... still in last place ? 

 

I have no driven the 1.5 EB I3 so I don't have any reference but if NVH is really as bad as C/D says, I think Ford needs to address it. I think that's about the only thing that you can say about Escape at this point that is totally straight and fair. 

Edited by bzcat
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Ford could easily take the Chinese escape interior and modify it a bit to suit American needs. There’s plenty of area to put physical buttons.

 

They also need to bring that screen here fast. Kia seems to be rolling out the 10” screen on everything these days (I briefly looked and the soul, seltos and telluride all have one). The screen is such a focal point in an interior that it can completely change the look. It can make the interior seem more luxurious than it actually is. 
 

For example, here is the seltos (a sub compact cuv) interior. I think it’s a pretty nice interior and looks more handsome then the escape.s3ypklwhmfj08aipnhnn.jpg

2020_Ford_Escape_Hybrid_27.jpg

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15 hours ago, jasonj80 said:

 


Well the base engine in the SE Sport is the Hybrid and 2.0l is standard on the titanium. However it’s not like this matters with their “subjective” score. For all the small issues with trim and fit and finish they say how small the cargo area is then pick the vehicle with the smallest cargo area. The amenities score would have been considerably higher with a higher trim. They need to give price points and allow manufacturers to submit vehicles that meet that threshold. It also shows why these magazines are irrelevant to the majority of car buying population. CR for all its faults at least has some basic scientific methods  for scoring. 

 

 

But they apparently wanted base engines for the whole lineup.

 

3 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

2020 Escape for China.

 

interior-overlay-7.jpg

 

 

This looks so much better with the detailing on the door panels and dash.

 

1 hour ago, jasonj80 said:


Probably $200-$300, it would get marked down in U.S. for reviews as most physical buttons get moved to the screen and American reviews don't like that; where in China it is seen as a benefit. 

 

I feel like they could slot the US buttons in that spot where the buttonless setup is there below the air vents.

 

28 minutes ago, bzcat said:

 

So why is Ford is ONLY one that doesn't make its comparable trim available with base engine?

 

To be fair, Escape Titanium is not significantly more expensive than RAV4 XLE or CR-V Touring but it does come with much more powerful engine. But this is just more self-sabotage... Ford lost about 8 points in the lack of amenities and made it up with 1 point due to lowest MSRP. Had there been a 1.5 EB Titanium, Ford would have end up... still in last place ? 

 

I have no driven the 1.5 EB I3 so I don't have any reference but if NVH is really as bad as C/D says, I think Ford needs to address it. I think that's about the only thing that you can say about Escape at this point that is totally straight and fair. 

 

It seems as though the competition offers a base engine even on higher trim levels, whereas Ford gives you a better engine on higher trims, making upper trims ineligible given the base engine requirement.  That also results in the price disparity.  Naturally Escape is going to fall short of competitors in this comparison with those requirements.

 

Not saying Escape doesn't have problems - it does, but comparing the lowest trim of a vehicle to the top trim of another vehicle sets it up for failure off the bat.

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13 minutes ago, rmc523 said:

It seems as though the competition offers a base engine even on higher trim levels, whereas Ford gives you a better engine on higher trims, making upper trims ineligible given the base engine requirement.  That also results in the price disparity. 

 

That's nothing new for Ford.  From F150 to Fusion and almost everything else you get the better engine standard on higher trims.  It's a different strategy than the imports.  How that affects them in comparisons really isn't relevant - the question is how does it affect sales and profits?

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An ST for NA with the Chinese front and body painted moldings, tuned 2.0L or 2.3L could help the Escape. Ford could also command a higher ATP for an Escape ST. With no entry level performance vehicle these days with the lack of a Focus or Fiesta ST, an Escape ST seems like a good case, although it would be much more expensive than those two ST models listed above.

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