So- another milestone. Polished off 5100 miles in a loaded Chevy HHR. The good: quiet, great gas mileage, and very reasonably priced. Roomier inside than it looks like it would be on the outside. And..... another demo that completed the 5,000 turn without a warranty claim. My only gripe is the limited visibility of traffic signals out of the front windshield- other than that, it was a fun little scooter.

The replacement looks absolutely enormous- a '07 Ford Escape. Relatively speaking, after the HHR, the Escape feels like driving an Expedition. It'll be interesting to see the counterpoint. The last Escape i had was a '05- i notice this is quite a bit peppier, and they've done some nice interior upgrades. Decent sound system too.

 

I have a hard time picturing an older gentleman cruising down the road in an Escape with the radio cranking-
But then, you've told us before about your more youthful adventures.

 

I love the concept of the HHR. Weld up the paddenger doors, Get rid of the side glass and to it into a pnael. Then shoe horn an LS2 and you've got a fun rig.

I have like the Escape I have rented in the past. Much better IMO than the GM counter parts.

 

Bought my daughter an '05 Escape. 18 months later it has been a great vehicle for her. Cost of insurance isn't to bad either.

 

You would have a very difficult time getting my 58 year old wife out of her bright red Escape. One little sensor has gone bad in 95,000+ miles. What more can you ask?

 

If my kids would stop stealing my CD's, I'd have a lot more to crank up.

I'm with Terry on the HHR- put a LS-family V8 in it, Rr Wheel drive.... yee haw!

 

HAHAHAHAHAHA a Ford Escape with an old guy with the stereo crankin'......

Thats my wife's Grandpa and his new '06 Escape....... it sounds like a symphony orchestra riding up the street..................

 

"Turn that crap down!" That would be wifey, right before she gets in the car.

A few more Escape notes: Just crosed 800 miles, still waiting for a defect to generate a warranty claim. That, in itself, seems to be typical of most GM/Ford products i've been driving. Gas mileage is in the low 20's, which is quite a bit better than the last '05. And i swear there's an extra 20-30 horses under the hood. Anyone know if they changed anything in these things?

 

The torque convertor and the transmission calibration... both for better fuel economy and throttle response.

 

Thanks Big- really a noticeable difference.

 

Did you guys get the styling and interior update on them this year?

Turned them into a classy little truck.

 

Yep- mine is an XLT Sport. I like the single-color look better than the two-tone clading, interior has some nice updates. Seats feel really hard at first, but are actually pretty comfy on a longer trip.

 

Ok, what interior upgrades did you get? Because it looks the same as the Escape available here pre-facelift.

Ours come with a floor mount console shifter, and a nicer interior in general.

 

Interior looks about the same. Nice floor shifter, some satin-finish matierials to break up the monotony. I understand '08 will generate another facelift to fold it into the lineup with the Edge and a facelifted Freestyle.

 

I wonder when we are going to get the steering wheel on the same side as you? I couldn't call it the passenger's side.

-Matt