Hello Fordies.

We have an 02 4wd Escape with the V6, and my wife loves that vehicle.

She has to go to work, no matter what weather, and notices the difference between the on and off 4wd switch on the dash. (Such as "I was stuck until I switched it in, and then it came right out").
I was impressed with that statement, (and a little upset she gets in that bad of places!).

So, in a worst case scenario, would a later model do as well in severe traction situations? I have found an 05 with 40k on it, if a newer one isn't as good as what she has now.

I would like a little more head room in a new vehicle, if that can be as well.

I have such a time looking at dealerships and such, I end up looking for the "pumpkin" under the rear to see if it is AWD or not!

Thanks!
Jamie

 

4WD systems that are switched in or shifted in are usually on something with more aggressive tires and tires mean a lot!

Not sure how long Ford has used the ITCC 4WD system in the Escape but it's "always" ON and engages "every" time you accelerate from a dead stop. That was something I didn't know before I purchesed mine. I thought that it kicked in "only" when needed in slippery driving conditions, etc. but that isn't the case. Seems like unneeded wear and tear along with some loss in MPG too!

I later read where under heavy throttle, more torque is sent to the rear wheels. In the last few months I got all the books on the '09 Escape and have measured/monitored the duty cycled rear wheel torque. I've never seen more than 30% even under heavy throttle and you "can't" leave from a dead stop without rear wheel torque either!

 

Thanks for the reply, Bill. We are running the Firestone Destination AT's. They are pretty noisy, but work well.
I don't mind all that stuff spinning, as it is easy on gas, and as sure footed as a cat.
That's why I was wondering how it compares to the newer systems used by Ford.

My Super Duty has manual hubs, and a big lever, just like thirty years ago, haha.

 

I wouldn't see much benefit going to an 05 from your current 02 Escape in terms of traction capabilities.

Now on the new models (08-09) you get the stability control programs and I think they add to the capabilities immensely and could help your wife out in some sticky situations. They aren't so much about straight line traction but if the vehicle starts sliding side to side the stability system works extremely well and straightens that baby out real smooth. If you get into oversteer or understeer situations on the slick stuff the programming makes the vehicle pretty neutral and IMO really safe. Now it may not save you on pure ice, but in slick snow or rain it works amazing. Sometimes I go out of my way to try and upset the vehicle in snowy conditions and I often can't get it to swing loose, it works so well. From a pure safety point of view I'd feel more comfortable having my wife in an 09, price not being a factor.

 

I have a '02 and I really like that year over the new ones for:
1.- No retarded drive-by-wire computer to decide when to get the gas on (my '02 is the real throttle linkage that my foot controls)
2.- Manual AWD switch. In my opinion the auto-mode is fine but a bit too gentle cause the front need to slip before the rears engage and that can cause a bit of a surprise while on icy roads, I like the fact that I can lock it to 4x4 and I feel is way more predictable. And will definitely get you out of mud/snow that the auto can't.. Ask me how I know

 

That's not correct. The 4WD engages "every" time you accelerate from a stop and not just when a front wheel slips. I can't say about winter driving as I didn't have the ability to monitor rear wheel torque then as I do now.

A pinpoint test right from the Ford shop manual for a noise or binding problem is to monitor rear wheel torque, make sharp turns at no more than 5MPH. You should see more than 20% rear wheel torque.

 

Maybe, but my perspective is on winter conditions, when the engaging of the rear might be linear (not on/off) but still too abrupt.
Imagine this, turn right at the light and hit the gas hard cause there is traffic comming, with the Auto it's very easy to get out of control (remember no stability control) but when the 4wd switch is on I don't feel any surprises, the escape just goes and easier to control.

That scenario is something I deal with every day during the Canadian winters.

Happy Canada day!

 

Pulling out into traffic when you really shouldn't can be done anywhere and anytime!

The '09 Escape has AdvanceTrac, the traction, stability, etc. system.

The 4WD has no dash icon to show when its active but the AdvanceTrac does. Turning hard and bit fast in snow is where I've seen the traction control activate.

Since with proper coding, a ScanGuage-II can show rear wheel torque, I'll be able to easily monitor that next winter.

 

I presently own both 02 and 09 Escapes and the 09 is such an overall better vehicle you can't compare the two. Faster acceleration, better mileage, far quieter, tows waayyyy better, less NVH, etc. I live in the woods in central PA and both go where ever I have asked them to go.

 

on my 06 Escape I got caught by surprise on one ocassion going around a decent curve that was really slick. The front wheels slid a tiny bit and then more power was sent to the rear wheels and then she fishtailed on me. It happens so fast you have to react quickly. Let off the gas steered into the skid and caught it pretty well, I wasn't driving very fast at all but the road was super slick in the one area of the curve. One area that was very noticeable was when you made a turn on the slippery stuff, you go from an understeer slide to an oversteer slide really quickly. I can see where it might catch unsuspecting drivers, and I try to caution my sister (who owns an 06 ) on this all the time but she just doesn't get what I'm talking about. I'd be a bit concerned if my wife had to drive in such conditions.

With the current generation Escape alot of those issues have been solved with the stability control, which corrects things really well and really quick. Rather than going from understeer to oversteer , it results in a more neutral driving situation. I think it is a much safer driving system. Although if you hit really slick ice (black ice) with a bit of speed I think your at the mercy of physics and no system can really save you. I really like the current generation stability control, it's pretty impressive.

 

I've only ran into "black ice" once and that was enough driving my '97 Ranger 4x4 at the time!

 

I haven't driven any ford with stability control but my wife has a CRV w/stability control and all I can say is that is impressive... Next car/truck I buy will have stability control.

 

having driven many thousands of miles in Canadian winters I've been fortunate enough so far to avoid large expanses of black ice. I've come across small patches over the years but it was never enough to really send you spinning, just enough to get your attention. I've known people who have gone for major slides on black ice and they didn't fare so well. I hope my luck continues

 

It was about a 4 1/2 trip to work, 1/2 on one road was clear then I wondered why everybody was going so slow. While turning, I found out. Speed limit is 50mph, lucky if I hit 10mph that morning!

 

You wont see much of a difference going to a newer Escape. The newer ones are a little bit bigger and roomier, but arent any more capable on snow/ice.
They drive mostly with the front tires and as they sense a loss of grip they send more power to the rears.
My girlfriend has an '08 Escape 4WD V6 and we love it. Its good in the snow, has pretty good performance for a compact SUV and its so easy to change oil on. It seems to be pretty solidly built too.