Posted: 8/1/2008 2:00:21 PM EDT
| Are these pretty good vehicles. I gotta get the girlfriend/baby's momma a new ride. They seem pretty expensive to me, for what they are. |
The Mazdas probably get better reviews because they don't come in 4 cyl or anything less than pretty much loaded. With the Ford you can get the crappy 4cyl base model with drum rear brakes that I'm sure is probably less than impressive. My mom has an Escape Limited and its very nice. Drives great, decent power, very nice interior. The mileage isn't stellar. I think she gets in the very low 20s. I believe if you look on edmunds.com you can find good info. |
The four cylinder has always been the base engine in the Tribute, and even today they have rear drum brakes except for the hybrids. The Tribute is the exact-same-vehicle as an Escape or Mercury Mariner. It uses the same electronics, powertrain, suspension, it's built in the same plant stateside as the Ford and Mercury. But since it has a Japanese brand name attached to it, the automotive media thinks it's great while the American versions are unorganized steaming piles of dogshit. 
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Leather seats, and some other interior improvements. The towing package with full size spare, transmission cooler, larger tires, and built in hitch. It also includes running boards and a REALLY sweet rack that pulls out and folds down in back, attaching to the bumper. Like this:  I don't have the top basket or the bike carriers, but the fold out rack has been very handy for me. Unfortunately, they don't offer it this year. I'm not sure why. Shane |
Hmm...I would have sworn the Mazdas didn't come in a more basic trim line. I stand corrected. |
That is very unfortunate, but completely true. It seems that some foreign cars get a pass on some things an American car would be berated over. |
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I have a 2006 XLT V6 with 32K miles on it. Reliable, comfortable, not real bad looking .... I snazzed it up with a front brush-guard and tail-light guards. So far, just standard maintenance .... oil/filter, etc ..... Mileage is about 22 over all ..... Just right for my needs. If I did not have a vehicle or really needed a new one, I would not hesitate to buy the hybrid version .... about 30MPG average. The Escape is a very nice small SUV and has been around long enough to have most of the bugs knocked out it it. |
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My brother has one, an '04 I think, AWD with the 3.0-litre. It's been nothing but problems...has some sort of electrical issue that the dealer hasn't fixed despite several returns for service, is now losing coolant somehow and has been getting terrible gas mileage. Wish I knew more details, but the few times I get to talk to him aren't spent discussing the trouble he's having with his new vehicle. 
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I bought a 2001 Escape in '03 or so... Very reliable car, fairly comfortable, gets about 22-24 MPG if I drive carefully.I do a lot of freeway driving. I accelarate slowly, and try to stay at or below 65. I had some problems a couple of weeks ago with the alarm system but it was just an unplugged alarm... the factory add-on alarm has an ignition/fuel pump lockout, and the car wouldn't start. Complaints: I have long legs so I think the steering column could be about 3" longer. Everything seems to be about 1 foot too big for the rear compartment. That is about how much smaller the Escape is than the Explorer. And it is NOISY! Mine gets a lot of road noise; maybe they've eliminated that in the newer models. Mine is a 4x4 and during the heavy snows 2 years ago (we got 18 inches in some parts of Albuquirky), my car was about the only reliable vehicle on campus (Security department)! And I didn't even have snow tires on it! Being a 4x4 it goes most anywhere I want it to go. But I DO have to be careful how I drive, because it doesn't have locking axels; it will spin one wheel if it gets high-centered. It is really, REALLY neat helping big cars (pickups and such) get out of ditches because they've dug themselves in! |
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We have an '06 hybrid at work. It is the biggest POS my workplace has ever bought. Problems overheating bigtime. It turns out that Ford in it's finite wisdom has decided to grace the hybrid with TWO small fans instead of one big one. When one of the two fans go out it goes into limp home mode. Not to mention the fact that you get no A/C in the summer if the engine isn't running, no heat in the winter if the engine isn't running. The electric reverse doesn't have enough power to even get out of it's own way We have 99K miles on it and it is long past due for the scrap heap. |