1. How do escapes 'wheel? And by that I don't mean put it in 4L. I mean do they do well off-road, or are they not meant to see dirt? I'm not going to go through mud bogs, but I like to get to my destination without much trouble.
2. Generally, which is the best year for 4WD Escapes? Any tranny, any engine
Truck-like car. Good for sitting up high, getting 4 adults comfortably from one place to another, getting stuff home. Can do some very basic off-roading; for example some beaches, clay- or dirt-based roads (like in Vermont) and so forth.
Ford, yes. Ford Tough like a 4x4 F-150 or a larger Ford SUV? No.
They are a front wheel drive CAR with a second driven axle and no frame.
They do well in snow and dirt but not so well in ruts or rocks or mud.
Do not expect to be getting a truck.
I agree. While my two Escapes have been FWD, they look just like the wife's Honda Accord from underneath. All they did was add an additional diff/axle to the FWD model.
Maybe I should be more specific. How does the newer 4x4 (full time) system work versus the old style (Selectable)? Is it a system where you have to be going a certain speed for the wheels to grab, or can you throw 'er in "L" and climb up a slippery hill? I'm not going to buy strictly on how they perform off-road, but I'm strongly considering an X-terra for their off-road prowess. I'd sure love to stick with Ford, like I always have, but we want a small, capable utility vehicle. We aren't pavement pounders, we 'wheel. So they do OK in certain situations as you all mentioned, but really, driver skill has a lot to do with it.
So all of you who actually take your rigs on more than dirt roads, speak up. Not to sound pushy or ungrateful, but I need to know these things. Like if you start to spin out on ice, will the 4wd engage properly, or does it hesitate.
We bought an '05 about 6 months ago and we LOVE it. The 4wd system is totally automatic. It is more like AWD on a car. Of course, I had to try it out right after we bought it and it works flawlessly. I took it down a rutted up mud trail the power company uses to check power lines with and it done just fine. A few points to make though are that I was in mud that was only about 4-6 inches deep. The ruts themselves were much deeper so I had to worry about clearance, the Escape does not have near as much ground clearance as a "real" 4x4. I also did notice some body twist in really rough terrain--I couldn't feel anything twisting but I was really making the joints groan and squeak. No, it is not a heavy duty off-road machine. Yes, it will more than likely get you out of trouble if you do something you shouldn't have. The 4x4 system works exactly like it should (almost too good if you like to spin the wheels). I could plow through the mud with no problem and really had to apply the power to force the wheels to spin. If you stay on fairly mild trails I don't think you will have any problems. Remember also, that the Escape does NOT have a 4LO option. It is in "AWD" mode all the time and computer does all the work.
Took My Wifes 01 Escape Many Times To West Virginia On Hunting Trips, Vacation And So On. I Took It High In The Mountains On Jeep Trails And Logging Roads. I Never Ended Up Walking, But Probobley Sould Have. I Pretty Much Abused It. It's A Great 4x4 If Kept In It's Limits. I Didn't, But Still Made It Out Of Alot Of Bad Situations. Some Kind Of Limited Slip Diff Would Off Helped Alot. They Do Sell A 2 Inch Lift, So You Can Run A Little Bigger Tire. Running Boards Needs To Come Off, Or The Ruts Will Take Them Off For You. The Uni-body Is No Big Deal, The Jeep Cherokee, Comanche And Liberty Are Uni-body And They Do Fine. Just Keep It In It's Limits And You Will Do Fine, The Better Driver You Are The More You Can Do !!!!!!!!!!!
I was surprised at how well my '05 4WD does on the beach. It has no problems in places where the sand is real loose although I stay away from areas where ground clearance would be a big problem. It does okay in mud, but again I wouldn't try anything too deep especially since I have stock tires.
The suspension travel is not very long, so it's easy to bottom out (hit the bump stops), but for the kind of offroading it's meant for that just means you need to keep your speed down. Of course, better tires and shocks would help, but it does fine on dirt roads, snow, sand, or light mud. It seems to do better in dirt/sand than my 1999 Grand Cherokee did in full-time 4WD mode (better tires maybe?) although the ground clearance is less and I would guess the body might flex more if pushed harder.
I agree. While my two Escapes have been FWD, they look just like the wife's Honda Accord from underneath. All they did was add an additional diff/axle to the FWD model.
I haven't had my '03 that long, but just from checking the vehicle out underneath and the way it drives, the roughest roads I would take it on would be the streets of NYC after a bad winter and all the potholes, even then I would watch out for the deep potholes...
It is just a big tall station wagon with an AWD option...even though in NJ it is classified as a truck..
My girlfriend '05 Escape works nice. I really wouldn't take it anywhere hardcore.. There is absolutely no transition from front wheel to 4wheel, it just goes..
However, I drove an '05 Explorer, and it would spin, then grab, and jerk.
I wouldn't take it any where rough (rocks etc). It works great in ice, snow, and the mud at the fairground.
__________________ http://mav.wastegate.net
'00 in the drive, '85 F250 that runs, '84 F150 in the weeds, minus 1 '85 F150- I finally got rid of some junk..
I was suprised at how well my 05 4wd did in un-plowwed 8" snow . having come from my 00 exp sport with the sohc 4wd hi/lo etc...the escape definitly held the road much better (pretty boring though....sigh....). The exp had $180 michelins and escape has the fact 16" crapola but got better traction (drivetrain,weight dist,luck????). I came home and bored the little woman to death about how well it handled.............off-road........anything can go off road if you can drive and know your (and veh.) limitations.......but an escape imho is a VERY capable car/truck that can do most things but ITS NOT A 4X4 OFF ROAD TRUCK...........and if you treat it like one you'll be wasting ur $!
Stu (happy new year to all)
Join Our Site - Its free, quick and easy!
Escapes in general
Damn good
. having come from my 00 exp sport with the sohc 4wd hi/lo etc...the escape definitly held the road much better (pretty boring though....sigh....). The exp had $180 michelins and escape has the fact 16" crapola but got better traction (drivetrain,weight dist,luck????). I came home and bored the little woman to death about how well it handled.............off-road........anything can go off road if you can drive and know your (and veh.) limitations.......but an escape imho is a VERY capable car/truck that can do most things but ITS NOT A 4X4 OFF ROAD TRUCK...........and if you treat it like one you'll be wasting ur $! 
