Edmunds slams the "new" 2008 Escape

[pcsario]

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...2/pageId=117326

 

"Even the Honda CR-V with its four-cylinder engine is quicker."

 

Full test: 2008 Escape Limited AWD.

I shudder to think just how bad the base model must be.

 

- Laughable engine.

- Awful fuel economy.

- Slower than a turtle.

- Poor, downgraded brakes (from discs to drums - Last "Bold move" by Jr.)

- Coarse and choppy ride.

- Ancient transmission.

 

You too can own this wonderful new product for "just" 30+ grand!!

 

Another great legacy of Bill Ford's idiocy.

Edited January 1, 2007 by pcsario

[bystander]

Retention of that piece of shit 4 speed automatic transmission is the biggest problem with the 2008 Escape. I have had two Escapes, a 2001 V6 4x4 and a 2007 4 cyl 4x2 and neither has achieved its EPA rating on the highway. The '01 V6 usually got about 22 (rated 24) and so far the '07 four banger has gotten 23-24 (rated 26). Neither of these figures are competitive with RAV4, CRV, etc, which are rated in the upper 20s to low 30s for comparable equipment. On top of that, the 4 speed in my 2001 failed at 65k miles and had to be replaced (luckily, under the extended warranty, so Ford payed for it), and the damned thing is acting like it's about to crap out again at 110k.

 

The manager in charge of engineering for this piece of shit should be fired, and so should the idiot who decided to keep it in the 2008 program.

[tim kakouris]

i like our current 2005 escape a lot. but don't ask customers to keep paying for new grills and taillights as the competitve market keeps moving forward. it's just ridiculous that ford would evolve the escape this way. we know they have the 6-speed...we know they have the 3.5...we know they didn't have to remove the discs...and lastly, we know the competition is improving at an increasing rate...so tell me, why is the newest escape NOT A STEP FORWARD??

 

ford, i have to tell you. my wife and i are pretty much ford blue, she more than i. she just likes them, and has owned 2 escorts, 3 explorers and this escape. but we will go shopping in august, when the lease is up on the escape, and we are really, really hoping to find competitive products.

 

if not, we're going to shop elsewhere.

Edited January 1, 2007 by tim kakouris

[g48150]

The manager in charge of engineering for this piece of shit should be fired, and so should the idiot who decided to keep it in the 2008 program.

 

Done. Buddy let me tell you that this guy thought he walked on water, nothing was more satisfying when he told the group that he was "retiring". This asshole is gone.

[ANTAUS]

Let's keep in mind...there has to be many more over this specific person, that should also be responsible. I really don't see why someone would pick this, over an Edge.

[DCK]

The escape going on 7 years old should of been re-engineered and redesigned from the ground up.

 

 

Instead Ford didn't even do a complete reskin and hardly touched the engineering part.

 

 

Another abandonment by Ford....................We have the escape and the focus to get through then maybe from here on Ford will actually care.

 

 

With all their previous descisions it is as if they wanted to go out of business.

[JETSOLVER]

Let's keep in mind...there has to be many more over this specific person, that should also be responsible. I really don't see why someone would pick this, over an Edge.

 

At least in my neck of the woods, there are many who have these as second cars for wifey in uplevel trim, and more than a few being used as fleet trucklets in stripper base trim. I don't believe the Edge can even be ordered in what I would consider fleet trim.

 

Another positioning move by Ford to milk the numbers perhaps? Kill one line off in an effort to force people into the uptrim Edge? Ford seems to believe that it can make prior customers make choices based on Ford marketing idea's even if the past results don't indicate that at all.

 

The same thing, over and over...

[Kool_ZX3]

The awd fuel economy is the same as before.....

 

The transmission, though to them they wish had a extra gear worked just fine with smooth quick shifts....

 

All the acell times are about the same as before

 

Also wondering if the ride harsh ride is because of the 17"s?

 

Seems like ford did a great job with the new eps steering, GM take note since you can't seem to do it right.

Edited January 1, 2007 by Kool_ZX3

[g48150]

Let's keep in mind...there has to be many more over this specific person, that should also be responsible.

 

No seriously, it was ALL HIS FAULT. Seriously, he MADE you do what HE wanted. Seriously, it was all ONE person's fault.

 

No one cared because the Escape is the #1 selling small SUV. See?

[LSFan00]

I assume this will go away when the LR3-sourced/unibody Explorer comes on-line. Hopefully that will come with a smaller version, as Ford retires the BOF SUV in favor of a F150-style family of SUV's with different lengths/styles/engines/trans. but one name.

[David Johnson]

It is interesting to see that the powertrain from the 1996 Taurus is still intact.

[dave9991]

Done. Buddy let me tell you that this guy thought he walked on water, nothing was more satisfying when he told the group that he was "retiring". This asshole is gone.

 

 

Reminds me of the guy that did the Freestar "redesign".

[Edstock]

Drum rear brakes. I do not believe this. I could understand rear drums on a steel-wheel FWD rubber-mat 4-cyl. base model, but, those rear drums will look so way cool with the funky alloy wheels on the upscale AWD V-6 models.

 

A 6-speed automatic would've gone a long way to maxing the 3.0's output, and the vehicle's economy.

 

Just think of the money they saved with the 4-speed. Now, that's brand management.

 

I hope the Mull does something about this, like

 

[sranger]

That might be the worst full test of a "re-designed" vehicle that I have seen in a while...

 

I used to think that Ford would recover by stepping up to the plate and building better vehicles like the Fusion/Milan. The new Edge is way too heavy. I am far less optimistic about Fords future...

[retropia]

When I was shopping in late 05 for an 06 Tribute, I asked a friend in the biz to check with dealership personnel to see if the reliability had improved. He advised me that, at that time, the transmissions STILL were prone to short lives. I decided to pass.

[CurtisH]

When I was shopping in late 05 for an 06 Tribute, I asked a friend in the biz to check with dealership personnel to see if the reliability had improved. He advised me that, at that time, the transmissions STILL were prone to short lives. I decided to pass.

I have a friend with over 135,000 miles on his 01 model. We have over 79,000 miles on our 02 model. Another friend has over 80,000 miles on his 03 model. Another friend has an 03 Tribute. I am not sure how many miles she has put on her Tribute, but I know it has over 50,000 miles. None of us have had transmission problems.

 

These are all 2WD models and I live in Georgia. Is there are correlation to cold weather or 4WD models?

[Extreme4x4]

'03 Tribute ES AWD, loaded. Stellar reliability. Visited the dealership once in its 50K mile warranty period.

 

I would buy one again in a second.

 

BTW, do they show the actual stopping distances on the vehicle. In my '03, the rear drum brakes/front discs provided shorter stopping distances than any competitor with rear discs. They actually work very well.

[DCK]

I just read the front page with Richard Response about the review.

 

 

He said the guy involved with the program was given early retirement obviously to get him out of Ford.........They need to do that with a lot more old timers who ran the company into the ground.

 

 

It is laughable that a company basically admits the vehicle is not competitive before it even launches. How sad is that. A company that has to do that should be out of business. Luckily Ford has money, and their global divisions are exceeding with fantastic product.

 

But what Now? Another few years of this dated vehicle on the lots before it is cancelled due to low sales only because it is ultimately over priced junk that can't hold its own against the competition............How many vehicles did ford cancel because of the same situation.

 

Now you can say will just put in a new drive train.............But another issue is it still looks way too similar to the old escape. You say it has all new sheetmetal...........................that only shows how absolutely idiotic the people running the program for..............same powertrain but new sheetmetal which looks almost identical to the previous other than the front and for those who will even notice a slightly higher belt line...........

 

 

I just can't believe it, but unfortunately it takes years to put out a product and vehicles like the flop that will be the escape were put into motion when ford had a bunch of idiots running the show.....................

 

 

Bye Bye to number one selling small SUV, honda and toyota now take over another segment.

[GT40 2]

Can somebody get the interior pictures off this site? I cant view them for some reason.

 

http://www.edmunds.com/insideline/do/Drive...2/pageId=117326

[Transpower]

Keep in mind that Edmunds also panned the new Ford Edge. Most of their negative comments do not apply to the hybrid model, which has a CVT and disc brakes all-around. I think Ford should therefore promote the hybrid versions of the 2008 Mercury Mariner and Ford Escape, and downplay the non-hybrid versions. The new, much better sound system and navigation system should be touted.

 

I just read the front page with Richard Response about the review.

He said the guy involved with the program was given early retirement obviously to get him out of Ford.........They need to do that with a lot more old timers who ran the company into the ground.

It is laughable that a company basically admits the vehicle is not competitive before it even launches. How sad is that. A company that has to do that should be out of business. Luckily Ford has money, and their global divisions are exceeding with fantastic product.

 

But what Now? Another few years of this dated vehicle on the lots before it is cancelled due to low sales only because it is ultimately over priced junk that can't hold its own against the competition............How many vehicles did ford cancel because of the same situation.

 

Now you can say will just put in a new drive train.............But another issue is it still looks way too similar to the old escape. You say it has all new sheetmetal...........................that only shows how absolutely idiotic the people running the program for..............same powertrain but new sheetmetal which looks almost identical to the previous other than the front and for those who will even notice a slightly higher belt line...........

I just can't believe it, but unfortunately it takes years to put out a product and vehicles like the flop that will be the escape were put into motion when ford had a bunch of idiots running the show.....................

Bye Bye to number one selling small SUV, honda and toyota now take over another segment.

[BlackHorse]

The switch back to drum brakes on on the rear is not going to be received well by the buying public even if it made sense from a mechanical point of view for the vehicle. Drum brakes are by and large regarded as old or even outdated technology amidst the majority of the buying public. Ford Motor has enough problems already with public perception about it's products. This was not a good idea. Surely someone on the development team for this vehicle must have realized that the likes of Car and Driver, Motortend and the rest of the automotive periodical segment was going to point this out. More bad press is not what this company needs right now.

Edited January 4, 2007 by BlackHorse

[NickF1011]

The switch back to drum brakes on on the rear is not going to be received well by the buying public even if it made sense from a mechanical point of view for the vehicle. Drum brakes are by and large regarded as old or even outdated technology amidst the majority of the buying public. Ford Motor has enough problems already with public perception about it's products. This was not a good idea. Surely someone one the development team for this vehicle must have realized that the likes of Car and Driver, Motortend and the rest of the automotive periodical segment was going to point this out. More bad press is not what this company needs right now.

 

Back to rear drums? Gee this sounds familiar. It's exactly what they did to the Taurus when it start going to crap central in the mid-late 90's. De-content it. De-content it some more. Pretty soon it's a market loser. Way to go Ford!!

[DCK]

Keep in mind that Edmunds also panned the new Ford Edge. Most of their negative comments do not apply to the hybrid model, which has a CVT and disc brakes all-around. I think Ford should therefore promote the hybrid versions of the 2008 Mercury Mariner and Ford Escape, and downplay the non-hybrid versions. The new, much better sound system and navigation system should be touted.

 

 

Please, so Ford should just ignore the craptastic new 2008 escape and simply promote the hybrid model?

 

I mean I honestly can't believe how badly Ford wants to go out of business.

 

The new Rav4 and CR-V are getting good and some amazing reviews because they are both great small suv's...................The escape is nothing but an outdated piece lump in the market place and the "all new" 2008 excape will be the same thing.

 

Why Ford? Why did you want to go out of business.

 

Ford doesn't even care about being competitive or being deserving of the consumer money................they simply didn't care about anything.

 

 

Let's be honest that Ford does deserve to be outof business the way they handled themselves the past decade, they trully do.

 

 

The escape and the upcoming focus only solitify the screw up the Bill Ford was to the company. He should be thrown in jail for costing many people lots of money by destroying the stock price,m he really should. He was an incompetent fool and nothing more, simply look at all the pathetic half ass uncompetitive products.

 

 

I have hope and want Ford to succeed, but unfortunately the people that are capable of turning the company around just stepped i and it takes years to for their work to reach the show room in the auto industry....................two more years of crap to come out of Ford until the show room will be deserving of someones money.

[FordDieselSteve]

The drum brakes in the rear (imho) are an improvement,All manufactures have problems with rear disc brakes,at least they do here in Pa.Honda sure does I have been a Honda tech for 13 years and a Chevy tech before that. I sure have seen my share of rear disc brake problems.

[swenson88]

The drum brakes in the rear (imho) are an improvement,All manufactures have problems with rear disc brakes,at least they do here in Pa.Honda sure does I have been a Honda tech for 13 years and a Chevy tech before that. I sure have seen my share of rear disc brake problems.

 

 

They may have been an improvement if the braking distances at least stayed the same or better yet improved, but the edmunds test shows worst-in-class braking distances in the new Escape. THAT is inexcusable and practically dangerous. Personally I could care less about disk vs drum brakes on the rears of vehicles, I think properly set up they can perform equally well in everyday driving (not performance driving, but the 1% of the population that cares about performance driving probably isn't buying compact SUV's anyways).