2011 Ford Escape

The overall design of the Escape feels outdated on the outside with looks that are very close to the outgoing Ford Explorer. As for the interior, the cabin feels unrefined for the most part but does have a good amount of space for up to 5 people. Starting at just $21,240, it now competes with a few other SUVs from manufacturers outside the US like the Nissan Rogue, Honda CR-V, and Mazda CX-7.

Similar to the outgoing model year, the 2011 Ford Escape is offered in three trims - XLS, XLT, and the Limited. All three trims come fitted with the same 2.5-liter engine and have drivetrain options to choose between FWD and AWD. Starting at $21,240, the base XLS is pretty basic with features like cloth seats, 4-speaker audio setup, 16-inch alloy wheels, etc. Both the XLT and Limited trims come with a lot of additional features like the 6-way power-adjustable front seats, leather steering wheel, leather interior trims, and a lot more.

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The 2011 Ford Escape XLT trim would be the best as it provides a lot of features that are better than the base trim like a leather steering wheel, satellite radio, premium cloth seats, power-adjustable driver seat, and starts from $24,670. It is also available with three optional packages that introduce a sunroof, Sync infotainment system, and 17-inch alloy wheels to the SUV.

Powering the 2011 Ford Escape is a 2.5-liter naturally aspirated inline 4 engine which churns out a decent 171 horsepower and 171 pound-feet of maximum torque. All this power is transferred through the front wheels which come standard and can be upgraded to an all-wheel system for better driveability and feedback. This engine is mated to a 6-speed automatic transmission except for the base trim which gets equipped with a 5-speed manual. Both the systems work flawlessly.

There is an optional 3.0-liter V6 on offer for better power delivery at an extra $1,000. This engine is capable of putting out 240 horsepower and 223 pound-feet of maximum torque.

In terms of overall acceleration, the 2011 Escape takes a laggy 8.8 seconds to sprint from 0-60 mph and a sweet 16.5 seconds to complete a standing quarter-mile with the base inline 4. However, the V6 engine does bring some difference with about a second faster in both 0-60 and standing quarter-mile accelerations.

The 2011 Honda CR-V puts out a tad better power of 180hp compared to the competition but that does not translate well in the accelerations and it performs quite similarly to the Escape and the Nissan Rogue that takes 8.9 seconds to the 60mph mark. As for the CX-7, it makes the least engine power and is about a second slower in acceleration in comparison to the competition.

With the smaller inline 4 engine, the Escape is capable of delivering impressive mileage figures. It can return up to 23 MPG in the city, a highway mileage of 28 MPG, and a combined rating of 25 MPG. Coupled with a relatively bigger gas tank of 17.5 gallons, the range is pretty impressive at 437.5 miles combined. With the more powerful V6 engine, the fuel economy drops by around 2 MPGs.

Ford did work well on the overall refinement which led it to return a slightly better fuel economy than the competition and the bigger tank size paved the way to a better overall fuel range. The 2011 Nissan Rogue comes next averaging similar mileage leaving the Honda and Mazda at the last managing 24 and 23 MPG, respectively. All three competitors of the 2011 Escape feature smaller fuel tanks and consequently, lose out on the essential range.

The 2011 Ford Escape’s cabin looks decent but lags compared to the competition. The quality of the cabin is defined by the extensive use of hard plastics and feels lackluster. The dashboard looks minimalistic with a chunky appearance and has a small infotainment display at the center reserved for the higher trims. There's a typical Ford-styled steering wheel with embedded media and cruise control buttons. The seats come cloth-covered as standard but the quality increases as you climb up the trims.

The cabin can hold up to 5 people and is decently spacious with an adequate amount of head, shoulder, and legroom. Both the front and rear rows are comfortable to some extent as the spaciousness is decent but the choppy ride quality and poor cabin insulation make things particularly worse. However, the Escape can carry a good amount of luggage behind the second row with up to 31.4 cubic feet of cargo capacity. This makes the Escape more practical in the budget mid-size SUV.

The CR-V has the most spacious cabin and is more refined. It has class-leading rear legroom and is followed by the CX-7, which promises abundant space. The Rogue and Escape are very similar in overall spaciousness but the Nissan has a slightly lower cargo capacity of 28.9 cubic feet. Like all other aspects, the competitive spirit of the segment is evident in the way in which each SUV aims at providing an ergonomic aura to the cabin.

A few of the standout interior features are:

• Cruise control
• Leather steering wheel
• Single zone front air conditioning
• Front reading lights
• Electrochromatic inside rearview mirror
• 6-way power-adjustable driver seats

How intuitive is the 2011 Ford Escape’s infotainment unit?

The Escape comes equipped with a lot of features for infotainment but not as standard. The base trim gets a very limited amount of features, while the higher trims get Satellite radio, USB connectivity, a 6-speaker audio set up, and an LCD screen for navigation. The SYNC system with Bluetooth connectivity helps with voice commands and does a good job in controlling the audio volumes, climate control, and even the navigation.

With the 2011 model year, there is an additional feature called MyKey which lets you set some limitations for teenage drivers.

A few of the important infotainment features are:

• LCD screen for navigation
• SYNC with Bluetooth connectivity
• Satellite radio
• CD player
• 4-speaker audio system
• USB connection
• Auxiliary audio input

With an old-school design philosophy, the 2011 Ford Escape is not the best looking among the competition but has a comparatively rugged look. It seems like it is highly influenced by the old Explorer which was a big hit during its time. At the front, there's a beefy chrome-coated intake grille with boxy halogen headlights. The rear has quite a full-size SUV look which is complemented by smaller taillights and has a slightly raised tail. Sitting on 16-inch alloy wheels as standard, the SUV comes fitted with all-season tires.

While the design language might seem big, the Escape has a very compact form factor if you put it beside the leading competitors. It has a lower curb weight too at just 3,231 pounds. The SUV has a ground clearance of 8.4 inches and a wheelbase of 103.1 inches, which makes it more practical for rougher road conditions.

The CX-7 is bigger than the rivals with increased length, wheelbase, width, and has a hefty curb weight of 3,496lbs. The Rogue is next-in-line with a big SUV feel. The Escape and CR-V are kind of similar to each other in terms of dimensions but the CR-V has the least ground clearance of 6.7 inches and also weighs 3,386lbs, which is a lot more than the Escape.

A few of the key exterior features are:

• Heated and power mirrors
• 16-inch aluminum wheels
• Digital keypad power door locks
• Cargo area lights
• 17-inch Alloy wheels 
• Sport Appearance Package

The overall safety quotient of the 2011 Ford Escape is decent but not the best in the competition. Though appreciable, its build quality suffers from blemishes both on the inside and out. The same reflects on the ratings given by the crash-testing agencies. The NHTSA has rated the Ford Escape with a 3-star overall crash rating with 2-star driver-side collision which is poor if compared to rivals. On the other hand, the IIHS has been a bit gracious to the Escape and has rated with “Good” in almost every category.

A few of the key safety features on offer are:

• 4-wheel ABS with traction control
• Tire pressure monitoring
• Front and rear row head airbags
• Post-collision safety system
• Electronic brakeforce distribution
• Stability control
• Ventilated front and rear discs

Waiting for a design overhaul for a long time, the 2011 Ford Escape is one of the last compact SUVs which looks more rugged and SUV-like in its appeal and stands out in the crowd. It has a generously powerful engine and does return a slightly better fuel economy than the competition. It also has a spacious cabin but lacks proper comfort. But with poor crash test results and sub-par build quality Ford has a lot of room for improvement in the future with this long-time popular offering.