2023 Escape Orders & Discussion

[ice-capades]

23 minutes ago, irisheyes_13 said:

It has been almost two weeks, and still, no update to reflect "Shipped".  Too bad I can't drive to Louisville and keep up my vehicle, I am only an hour and a half away in Richmond, KY.  Does it always take this long to ship a vehicle? 

 

 

 

The vehicle has to actually be "Released" for shipping, a rail car has to be available, and they have to be able to fill the rail car with vehicles headed to the same final ramp destination. If shipping by 'Convoy" there has to be a contract carrier available, etc. The car hauling firms have had a shortage of drivers and other issues which has caused a lot of delays the past couple of years.

 

FYI... Dealers are not allowed to pick up vehicles at either the plants or final rail ramps. 

[irisheyes_13]

25 minutes ago, ice-capades said:

 

The vehicle has to actually be "Released" for shipping, a rail car has to be available, and they have to be able to fill the rail car with vehicles headed to the same final ramp destination. If shipping by 'Convoy" there has to be a contract carrier available, etc. The car hauling firms have had a shortage of drivers and other issues which has caused a lot of delays the past couple of years.

 

FYI... Dealers are not allowed to pick up vehicles at either the plants or final rail ramps. 

It is being shipped by "Convoy" to Lexington, KY dealership.  The ETA has changed three times since last Tuesday.  I knew that the dealership was not able to pick up the vehicle, but was hoping that I could.  I am just worried that the vehicle was damaged during the severe storms we has this past weekend in Kentucky.  Especially, in central Kentucky with baseball-sized hail.  Hopefully, they keep the vehicles in a warehouse and not out in the elements. 

[ice-capades]

2 hours ago, irisheyes_13 said:

It is being shipped by "Convoy" to Lexington, KY dealership.  The ETA has changed three times since last Tuesday.  I knew that the dealership was not able to pick up the vehicle, but was hoping that I could.  I am just worried that the vehicle was damaged during the severe storms we has this past weekend in Kentucky.  Especially, in central Kentucky with baseball-sized hail.  Hopefully, they keep the vehicles in a warehouse and not out in the elements. 

 

Well, if Dealers can't pick up vehicles at the plant, customers certainly can't. And for warehouse storage... in your dreams! 

[tbone]

On 6/14/2023 at 1:31 AM, MrCurvedLimos said:

 

• The 10-speaker B&O audio is not very good. The subwoofer seems to know only 1 frequency, about a 50Hz buzz that pulses with the music, bzzt-bzt bzz bzz-bzt. The only way to make it stop is to turn the bass control all the way down, with predictably horrible results for how the music sounds. 

Im starting to feel like this is a theme with Ford’s B&O systems.  The bass in my Unleashed system in my Raptor is poor compared to the Sony system in my old Raptor.  I think they need to reassess their relationship with B&O, as I’ve read a lot of complaints about the bass setup.  

[rperez817]

6 hours ago, tbone said:

Im starting to feel like this is a theme with Ford’s B&O systems.  The bass in my Unleashed system in my Raptor is poor compared to the Sony system in my old Raptor.  I think they need to reassess their relationship with B&O, as I’ve read a lot of complaints about the bass setup.  

 

On 6/14/2023 at 2:31 AM, MrCurvedLimos said:

• The 10-speaker B&O audio is not very good. The subwoofer seems to know only 1 frequency, about a 50Hz buzz that pulses with the music, bzzt-bzt bzz bzz-bzt. The only way to make it stop is to turn the bass control all the way down, with predictably horrible results for how the music sounds. 

 

Sounds like Escape's and F-150's B&O branded audio systems have the same issues as that in Explorer, which Savagegeese determined to be "horrendous" - one of the worst OEM audio systems they've ever tested.

 

[j2sys]

6 minutes ago, rperez817 said:

 

 

Sounds like Escape's and F-150's B&O branded audio systems have the same issues as that in Explorer, which Savagegeese determined to be "horrendous" - one of the worst OEM audio systems they've ever tested.

 

 

"Horrendous" is quite the over exaggeration if you've ever compared it against Ford's base audio system in these vehicles..

[rperez817]

52 minutes ago, j2sys said:

 

"Horrendous" is quite the over exaggeration if you've ever compared it against Ford's base audio system in these vehicles..

 

That would suggest the base Ford Escape's system is worse than using 2 cans and a piece of string to transmit audio. ?

[Rangers09]

On 6/13/2023 at 11:31 PM, MrCurvedLimos said:

Here are some observations from my first 4 days with my PHEV Premium. 

• The pedestrian alert sounder is horrible. It's like this agonized, Giger-esque whine that plays any time the car is moving less than about 25 mph. It's louder inside the car than outside. We got caught in stop and go traffic on the highway for 45 minutes and the alert sounder made me want to rip my ears off. The C-Max didn't have that bit of hyper-paranoia installed on it. 
• The first plastic piece broke on Sunday... One of the retainer clips for the cargo cover. It snapped the 3rd time I opened the tailgate. Now the cargo cover just flops around in the back and won't stay attached. 
• The 10-speaker B&O audio is not very good. The subwoofer seems to know only 1 frequency, about a 50Hz buzz that pulses with the music, bzzt-bzt bzz bzz-bzt. The only way to make it stop is to turn the bass control all the way down, with predictably horrible results for how the music sounds. 
• I can't figure out how to turn off the "grade assist" or "descent control." It's about 4 miles to work. I live up on a hill. I back out of my driveway in EV Now mode, point the nose down the hill, and need to coast about 100 feet down to the stop sign at the corner (you can see the stop sign in my 2nd photo above). As soon as I touch the brake, the gas engine comes on. When I stop at the corner, gas engine shuts off. Total run time: 3 seconds on a stone cold engine. One block over, down another one-block hill, the engine runs about 15 more seconds before I get to the next stop sign, then shuts off. The whole 4 miles to work, every time the car is coasting down any kind of incline and I touch the brake, the gas engine comes on until I take my foot off the brake, then it shuts off, running for only seconds at a time. The environmental controls are on air-only; no heat, no AC, no defrost. The only time the C-Max did anything like this was when grade assist was on. But on the C-Max, there was a button on the side of the shift lever to turn grade assist on and off. On the Escape, I can't find the control. I've been digging through the poorly-organized touch screen menus and just can't find it, even though the online manual talks about it. I also don't see the grade assist light displayed on the dashboard. I'm starting to think maybe Ford decided grade assist doesn't need a control, it's OK if it's just enabled all the time.  ?  I need to go back to the dealer tomorrow morning, so hopefully they can show me where the control is. If this is the way the Escape is designed, to run the cold gas engine in little, short, seconds-long bursts without any kind of warm up, I'm worried it's gonna play havoc with the engine longevity. The C-Max never did that; if the engine came on for any reason, it stayed on until the warm-up cycle completed. But usually it didn't come on.

 

We also live at the top of a fairly steep hill, with some of the grades being as much as 15%. Had the PHEV now about 2 weeks and heading down hill we have never found the engine start. The only difference, is we have left it in EV Auto. Can't see how EV Auto and EV Now would make a difference, but might be worth trying to change the mode. Good luck getting it resolved.

[tbone]

10 hours ago, rperez817 said:

 

 

Sounds like Escape's and F-150's B&O branded audio systems have the same issues as that in Explorer, which Savagegeese determined to be "horrendous" - one of the worst OEM audio systems they've ever tested.

 

I will say the system in our Explorer ST is better than the Raptor.  I’m not an audiophile, but I do like bass, and the Explorers system does a better job with bass. 

[Aguy]

Fix for the wind noise if you are having that issue:

 

https://www.fordescape.org/threads/door-seal-wind-noise.115055/page-2#post-1185680

[irisheyes_13]

Seems like a lot of people understandably are excited when they get the built notification. It's kind of like congrats, your car didn't get held up in production and will soon be on its way. As much as we all hope they'd get delivered as quickly as possible, that's simply not the case. When your car is built it's slotted into a Ford delivery schedule which the consumer and dealer simply don't have access to or knowledge of.

That said,

How long did it take from getting the built notification to the car arriving at your dealer?

[MrCurvedLimos]

On 6/29/2023 at 4:48 PM, tbone said:

S A V A G A GEESE Notes: It is horrendous. Subjectively it lacks clarity, mids are shrill, bass is muddy and no EQ setting fixes it. 

A very adept summary. To that, I would add that the woofer is poorly integrated and never sounds like part of the music, just an afterthought. Almost like it's coming from someone else's car. 

[CoolScoop]

^^^According to B&O Corp the system they designed for the Escape is awesome: 

 

https://corporate.bang-olufsen.com/en/partners/automotive/ford/escape

[MrCurvedLimos]

Hahaha, I find it really funny that they even admit the woofer is purposely ported outside:  "Where traditional subwoofers require a separate enclosure, the innovative Externally Coupled Subwoofer (ECS) uses the outside space surrounding the vehicle as a bass enclosure. Being mounted to the sheet metal of the Ford Escape and vented directly to the outside air, we not only cut down on weight, but can strategically place the ECS to maximize space inside the Escape."

 

As I said, the effect is that it sounds like you're listening to bass coming from someone else's car.  It is in no way integrated with the rest of the audio, and as is usually true of listening to the bass from someone else's car, it's very muddy.  Adjusting the available treble-mid-bass controls do nothing to make the bass sound better, all you can do is turn the bass down all the way so it's not quite as intrusive.

 

Thanks for that link.

Edited July 7, 2023 by MrCurvedLimos

[ice-capades]

I spent a lot of years as a professional sound engineer in studios and with 20-24 piece orchestras for 8-10 performances each week while on tour. In the studios, projects included every type of music you can imagine from solo artists to bands covering classical, jazz, rock, disco, gospel, polka, etc. A lot of the work was producing 'Demos" for artists and groups trying to get contracts with various record labels. Others were with established artists recording new tracks for albums to be released. One of the studios I worked out of for a while was the home studio (Intermedia Sound - Boston) for one of the legendary rock groups, Aerosmith, although I wasn't involved with their studio sessions.  

 

Ironically, I drove a lot of company vehicles over the years with the optional, high-end audio systems but just accepted them as an upgrade to the basic factory systems and didn't spend time analyzing the quality to any great degree. For studio and sound reinforcement use, most were either Altec or JBL professional monitors and custom sound reinforcement systems with JBL systems being my personal preference. 

 

The automotive upgraded systems are just too inconsistent to bother spending time analyzing. 

[CoolScoop]

2 hours ago, MrCurvedLimos said:

Hahaha, I find it really funny that they even admit the woofer is purposely ported outside:  "Where traditional subwoofers require a separate enclosure, the innovative Externally Coupled Subwoofer (ECS) uses the outside space surrounding the vehicle as a bass enclosure. Being mounted to the sheet metal of the Ford Escape and vented directly to the outside air, we not only cut down on weight, but can strategically place the ECS to maximize space inside the Escape."

 

As I said, the effect is that it sounds like you're listening to bass coming from someone else's car.  It is in no way integrated with the rest of the audio, and as is usually true of listening to the bass from someone else's car, it's very muddy.  Adjusting the available treble-mid-bass controls do nothing to make the bass sound better, all you can do is turn the bass down all the way so it's not quite as intrusive.

 

Thanks for that link.

https://www.cars.com/articles/whats-so-special-about-the-2021-ford-f-150s-bo-stereo-436723/

 

This reviewer seems to like the ECS in the F150...

[fuzzymoomoo]

1 hour ago, ice-capades said:

I spent a lot of years as a professional sound engineer in studios and with 20-24 piece orchestras for 8-10 performances each week while on tour. In the studios, projects included every type of music you can imagine from solo artists to bands covering classical, jazz, rock, disco, gospel, polka, etc. A lot of the work was producing 'Demos" for artists and groups trying to get contracts with various record labels. Others were with established artists recording new tracks for albums to be released. One of the studios I worked out of for a while was the home studio (Intermedia Sound - Boston) for one of the legendary rock groups, Aerosmith, although I wasn't involved with their studio sessions.  

 

Ironically, I drove a lot of company vehicles over the years with the optional, high-end audio systems but just accepted them as an upgrade to the basic factory systems and didn't spend time analyzing the quality to any great degree. For studio and sound reinforcement use, most were either Altec or JBL professional monitors and custom sound reinforcement systems with JBL systems being my personal preference. 

 

The automotive upgraded systems are just too inconsistent to bother spending time analyzing. 

To that point, If you really want a stellar automotive audio system, get the upgraded system for the extra speakers (the wiring for them won’t exist with the standard system)  and spend the money to replace them all and fine tune it to your liking. To 99 percent of the public it’s not worth the trouble. 
 

Personally I tend to prefer the standard systems over the premium one ever since Ford shifted away from the Sony branded premium systems to the B&O branded ones. 

Edited July 7, 2023 by fuzzymoomoo

[tbone]

10 hours ago, CoolScoop said:

https://www.cars.com/articles/whats-so-special-about-the-2021-ford-f-150s-bo-stereo-436723/

 

This reviewer seems to like the ECS in the F150...

Then they don’t like bass because I believe ECS is the problem and the bass sucks compared to a traditional enclosure.  

[akirby]

8 hours ago, tbone said:

Then they don’t like bass because I believe ECS is the problem and the bass sucks compared to a traditional enclosure.  

Or maybe what you like is just different.  Audio quality is at least 80% subjective.  

[dchan]

23 minutes ago, akirby said:

Or maybe what you like is just different.  Audio quality is at least 80% subjective.  

Yup. I don’t blast my ears to get a thump to “feel”?. The bass Is not as good as a real good enclosure, the balance of space gained and weight saved I think is a good compromise for me.  Install an additional enclosure if the bass is not enough. 

[tbone]

1 hour ago, akirby said:

Or maybe what you like is just different.  Audio quality is at least 80% subjective.  

Fair enough, but the Sony system was more than adequate for a factory system, and my family concurred.  I thought the sub in our 22F250 was not functioning since it was so weak, but unfortunately it was.  And with the unleashed system in the Raptor I had high expectations that it would actually be unleashed since we paid extra,  but I was wrong.  I prefer factory systems so I don’t have to mess around with aftermarket hardware.  I would rather not have to pay more to get the bass up to par but it looks like I will have to if I want it improved.  I did read where someone closed off the ECS port and it was better, so I will try that first.  
 

 

[Rangers09]

51 minutes ago, tbone said:

Fair enough, but the Sony system was more than adequate for a factory system, and my family concurred.  I thought the sub in our 22F250 was not functioning since it was so weak, but unfortunately it was.  And with the unleashed system in the Raptor I had high expectations that it would actually be unleashed since we paid extra,  but I was wrong.  I prefer factory systems so I don’t have to mess around with aftermarket hardware.  I would rather not have to pay more to get the bass up to par but it looks like I will have to if I want it improved.  I did read where someone closed off the ECS port and it was better, so I will try that first.  
 

 

 

I'll also suggest that it highly subjective. We have a 22 F-450 and 23 Escape with the B&O system and for audio quality in a vehicle, find it more than adequate. I also consider it about comparable to the Sony systems in previous vehicles. None are comparable to home systems, so I don't set my expectations overly high.

[dchan]

1 hour ago, Rangers09 said:

 

I'll also suggest that it highly subjective. We have a 22 F-450 and 23 Escape with the B&O system and for audio quality in a vehicle, find it more than adequate. I also consider it about comparable to the Sony systems in previous vehicles. None are comparable to home systems, so I don't set my expectations overly high.

Same here. I found it to be fine too

 

if I wanted a traveling sound studio, I

would not have bought an Escape 

[tbone]

Well back on the Escape.  I thought I had posted this last night, but my daughters 2020 SE got totaled when an uninsured driver rear ended her.  Fortunately she and her friend were ok, but the car was not. I picked up this ST Line as a replacement for a good price. I still find it a better value to buy new when compared to buying used, as I did explore both options.  
 

I do find the updates to be nice.  It’s definitely an improvement in the looks department, and the interior is a bit nicer.  I wish they had not gotten rid of most of the physical buttons  when you get the tech package though.  I also am very disappointed they got rid of the keyless keypad.  It’s a useful feature that our family regularly uses, but seems to be typical of Ford cost cutting as of late.

I also felt the ST line was a little better value and nicer looking than the Active.   When you add the tech and cold weather package to it. the price difference is pretty negligible. 
 

And yes, the bass sucks on the standard system too, but at least I didn’t pay extra for it.  

[tbone]

3 hours ago, Rangers09 said:

 

I'll also suggest that it highly subjective. We have a 22 F-450 and 23 Escape with the B&O system and for audio quality in a vehicle, find it more than adequate. I also consider it about comparable to the Sony systems in previous vehicles. None are comparable to home systems, so I don't set my expectations overly high.

I understand your perspective, but our family likes a lot of bass, which is where we are coming from.  The B&O system in our Explorer is good, but the truck leaves a lot to be desired for us.