The 2017 Ford Escape Has a Few Tricks Up Its Sleeve

By Derek Shiekhi - November 25, 2015

Let’s just say Ford chose an…interesting way to reveal the 2017 Escape on television. It featured magician Larry Wilson, Youtube beauty and lifestyle vlogger Meghan Rienks, a late night talk show host’s sidekick, axes, and a giant pinata. You’ll see what I mean in the video below.

It’s hard to blame the Blue Oval for wanting to try something different. So many new vehicle reveals involve words from a rep, a few seconds of silence, and the removal of a cover. However much or little you like the 2017 Escape’s televised reveal, at least it stands out. It needs to; the Escape is an important vehicle to Ford in the increasingly vital SUV segment. According to the company, sport utility vehicles make up one third of the US auto industry and could make up 40 percent of it by 2020.

The 2017 Escape will be entering that sector of the market next year with three trim lines (S, SE, and Titanium), Edge-ier styling, new engines, and a bundle of new technologies. The 2.5-liter Duratec I4 will be carried over from the 2016 model year and be standard equipment under the hood of the Escape S, but a 1.5-liter EcoBoost I4 with an expected 180 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft. of torque (standard on SE and Titanium Escapes) will replace the current, slightly less powerful 1.6-liter unit.

The top of the line engine will continue to displace two liters and wear an EcoBoost badge. However, horsepower and torque will climb by five to 245 and 275 pound-feet, respectively, thanks to twin-scroll turbocharging, new pistons, and an integrated exhaust manifold. Both EcoBoost engines will come standard with fuel-saving Auto Start-Stop technology; all three Escape power plants will route their output through the familiar six-speed automatic.

SYNC Connect, which will allow users to remotely start the Escape, lock and unlock it, and check its important levels via smartphone, will join a variety of other useful technologies. According to Ford, “SYNC 3 features faster performance, conversational voice recognition, intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface.”

In addition to available driver assists such as the Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert and auto high-beam control, the fatigue-sensing Driver Alert System, enhanced active park assist for help in parallel or reverse perpendicular parking spots, a lane-keeping alert/aid combo, and adaptive cruise control will also be available on the 2017 Escape.

PRESS RELEASE

FORD LAUNCHING TECHNOLOGY-PACKED NEW ESCAPE; MORE CONNECTIVITY, INNOVATIVE FEATURES MAKE DRIVING SAFER, EASIER
-New Ford Escape gives SUV customers even more of what they want – additional innovative features to make their daily drive safer and easier, greater connectivity, two new EcoBoost® engines and technology that saves fuel in heavy traffic
-Escape is first Ford vehicle in the world with SYNC® Connect – customers can unlock and lock their doors, start engine, even locate vehicle through smartphone app
-Driver-assist technologies including enhanced active park assist, lane-keeping system, and adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning with brake support make driving easier and safer
-Environmentally friendly Auto Start-Stop standard with Escape’s two new EcoBoost engines – a 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter twin-scroll; technology shuts off engine in common stops so the vehicle uses no gas, improving fuel economy by 4 percent to 6 percent in stop-and-go traffic

LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2015 – The popular Ford Escape SUV is newly engineered to make customers feel unstoppable – with even more driver-assist technologies to help enable safer and easier driving, new mobile connectivity that allows owners to interact with their vehicle from anywhere through a smartphone app, and two new efficient EcoBoost® engines.

The new Escape is the first Ford vehicle in the world with available SYNC® Connect, allowing users to unlock doors, check fuel level and even locate where a vehicle is parked.

To help drivers feel more confident behind the wheel, driver-assist technologies available for the new Escape include adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning with brake support, a lane-keeping system and enhanced active park assist. That’s all packed in a vehicle that has been redesigned from the inside out, including a driver and front passenger area upgraded with more storage space and mobile device charge ports.

“The compact SUV segment is the largest and most competitive in the United States, and the new Escape delivers even more of what our customers want – more technology they can really use to make their daily drive safer and easier,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The Americas.

SYNC Connect keeps drivers in touch with remote vehicle access
Need to lock your new Escape from across town? There is an app for that.

With SYNC Connect, owners can remotely start their vehicle and schedule future starts, as well as lock and unlock their Escape using their smartphones. The technology provides vehicle location, as well as key vehicle information such as tire pressures, battery and fuel levels.

SYNC Connect, available with SYNC® 3 for the new Escape, comes with complimentary activation for five years. A user enables the system through a two-step authentication process designed to protect personal information. SYNC 3 features faster performance, conversational voice recognition, intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and easier-to-understand graphical interface.

Driver-assist technologies SUV drivers want
Other driver-assist features available help make the daily commute safer and easier for drivers of the new Ford Escape:

·Adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning with brake support: Sensors detect when Escape is approaching a slow-moving vehicle, and adjust cruise control accordingly
Enhanced active park assist: Provides steering assistance to park the vehicle in a parallel or reverse perpendicular parking spot, and pull out from tight parallel parking spots; driver controls brake, accelerator and shifter. Technology includes side park distance control
Lane-keeping system: The system includes lane-keeping alert, which alerts drivers when they drift unintentionally from their lane, and lane-keeping aid, which provides steering assistance to guide an unintentionally drifting vehicle back into its lane
Driver Alert System: Using data from the lane-keeping system, the Driver Alert System can detect signs of fatigued driving and provide a warning on the instrument cluster
Already available driver-assist features for the new Escape include:

Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert: BLIS® can alert drivers when a vehicle enters the defined blind spot in a neighboring lane. An indicator light provides a warning in the side mirror corresponding to the side on which the vehicle is approaching
Hill-start assist: The feature holds the vehicle stationary on a hill long enough for the driver to transition from brake to gas pedal
Auto high-beam control: System automatically switches from high to low beams, and vice versa, depending on ambient lighting
Hands-free, foot-activated liftgate: Opens liftgate with the simple kick of a key fob-carrying customer’s foot beneath rear bumper – perfect for those whose hands are loaded with gear
Two new EcoBoost engines with Auto Start-Stop
Escape is the first Ford vehicle to make Auto Start-Stop standard with either of two EcoBoost engines new to the model – a 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter twin-scroll. The technology senses when the vehicle is sitting idle and shuts off the engine to conserve fuel, resulting in a 4 percent to 6 percent improvement in fuel economy in stop-and-go traffic. The engine restarts automatically – in less than half a second – when the driver releases the brake pedal.

“Auto Start-Stop is the equivalent of turning off the lights when you leave a room, or turning off a water faucet when you’re done washing dishes,” said Milton Wong, Escape chief engineer. “It’s a high-tech approach to more efficient driving.”

Escape SE and Titanium trim levels come standard with the new 1.5-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost, while the powerful new twin-scroll 2.0-liter EcoBoost is optional. A six-speed automatic transmission is standard across the line, with new paddle-shift technology available for Escape SE and Titanium.

The twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost delivers 245 horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. of torque, along with greater efficiency and improved noise, vibration and harshness performance. New pistons provide a higher, more efficient compression ratio, and a newly designed, integrated exhaust manifold is optimized for the twin-scroll turbo system.

The aluminum-block, twin-cam 1.5-liter EcoBoost with integrated exhaust manifold is projected to deliver horsepower and torque output comparable to the 1.6-liter – an expected 180 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft. of torque.

Along with the new EcoBoost offerings, the 2.5-liter i-VCT four-cylinder engine carries over as standard equipment for the Escape S series.

Three trim levels, with new Sport Appearance Package
Escape customers can continue to select from S, SE and Titanium trim levels, as well as a new Sport Appearance Package available for SE and Titanium.

Charcoal Black with subtle Deep Space black trim is available for Escape Titanium. Salerno leather seats feature a unique horizontal pattern. Titanium customers can also opt for Medium Stone seats to contrast with the black interior.

Escape will be offered in three new colors – Canyon Ridge, White Gold and Lightning Blue. Six new wheel designs are also available.

Built to lead in a growing segment
Overall SUV sales continue to trend higher – both in North America and around the world. SUVs now account for about one third of the U.S. auto industry, a number Ford projects will grow to 40 percent by 2020. In the United States, SUV sales are expected to exceed 5 million units in 2015 for the first time ever.

Small SUVs play an increasingly larger role, and Escape remains one of the most popular. Since its launch in 2000, more than 3 million units have been sold in the United States, including a record 306,212 Escape vehicles in North America in 2014. Ford expects Escape sales this year will exceed that figure.