2012 Ford Escape

The 2012 Ford Escape is available in three different trim levels to choose from, viz. XLS, XLT, and Limited trim levels. Depending on the trim level and spec, it has a starting price range of $21,440 to $28,120. The base XLS trim comes pretty barebones with standard features like manually adjustable front seats, full-power accessories, air-conditioning, cruise control, a CD player with AUX connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity, and a generic four-speaker sound system. Even a steering wheel with audio controls is an optional extra.

The steering wheel with audio controls is standard for the XLT trims along with a few other features such as automatic headlights, fog lights, auto-dimming rearview mirror, and a 6-way power driver seat as well. You can also upgrade to a 7-speaker sound system if you want to. Then there is the top-of-the-line Limited trim which comes with a couple of standard luxury features such as leather upholstery and heated front seats. Other upgrades include different 16-inch wheels, chrome exterior highlights, Sync, and a 6-speaker sound system.

Depending on the trim level, there are quite a few packages and standalone optional features available for the 2012 Ford Escape as well. The Leather package for the XLT trim adds leather upholstery, heated front seats, and ambient lighting. The Sun & Sync package adds Sync and a sunroof. The Sport Appearance package adds 17-inch wheels along with a slightly upgraded interior and exterior trim. And a 7-speaker sound system upgrade is also available as a standalone option.

The top-of-the-line Limited trim gets the Limited Luxury package which adds dual-zone automatic climate control, rear parking sensors, and a rearview camera. The Moon and Tune package adds a sunroof and the seven-speaker sound system upgrade. The Limited trim gets a few interesting standalone options as upgrades which include:

• Automated parallel-parking assist
• Rear-seat entertainment system
• Navigation system

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Among the three available trim levels for the 2012 Ford Escape, the top-of-the-line Limited trim might just have the best value for money proposition in the lineup. The fact the base XLS trim comes pretty barebones, you would be tempted to go for the mid-range XLT trim, which again lacks a few comfort and convenience features, which might not be a very big deal as you can equip them at an additional cost anyways. Or just spend less than a couple extra thousand dollars and opt for the Limited trim which comes with those features as standard in the first place.

The 2012 Ford Escape comes with a 2.5L Inline-4 engine as standard across the trim levels. This power unit can be paired with either a 5-speed manual, or a 6-speed automatic gearbox, and is good for 171 HP and 171 lb-ft of torque as well. Except for the base XLS trim, both the remaining trims can be had with a bigger and more powerful 3.0L V6 which produces 240 HP and 223 lb-ft of torque. 

The V6 can only be had with the automatic gearbox. That being said, all the trim can be had either with front- or all-wheel drive. While the base 2.5L 4-pot motor is pretty slow in reaching from 0-60 mph in and around 9 seconds, the V6 is a little bit faster taking 8.1 seconds for the same.

In terms of power output figures from their base engines, the Ford Escape and its competitors are more or less in a very similar ballpark. That being said, despite having one of the torquiest engines in the competition, the 2012 Escape is surprisingly one of the slowest in its class in terms of acceleration. The Hyundai, Honda, and Toyota are all almost half a second quicker, but the 2012 Hyundai Tucson leads the segment in the quarter-mile run taking 14.8 seconds. 

The standard 2.5L Inline-4 engine with front-wheel drive is capable of delivering 21, 28, and 23 mpg in the city, highway, and combined cycles respectively. Opting for all-wheel drive will drop that to 20, 26, and 22 mpg in the same order. The V6 engine on the other hand with front-wheel drive delivers 19, 25, and 21 mpg respectively in the city, highway, and combined. Opting for all-wheel drive will drop that to 18, 23, and 20 mpg in the same order. Overall, the fuel-economy figures for the 2012 Ford Escape are pretty good for its segment.

On top of having one of the most fuel-efficient engines in its segment, the 2012 Ford Escape also has a segment-leading fuel tank capacity of 16.5 gallons, which makes it one of the best long-distance warriors in its class. The 2012 Hyundai Tucson has the smallest fuel tank and thus its driving range took a significant hit.

The interior of the 2012 Escape has a rugged and industrial-looking design to it, which might or might not be for everyone. While its interior was overhauled a few years back with better quality materials and a more attractive design, it still falls short in terms of overall quality and richness, especially when we compare to what the competitors have to offer in this regard. Nonetheless, the interior of the 2012 Escape is pretty functional with a neatly grouped set of buttons in the center stack.

In terms of features, the base XLS trim starts off barebones with manually adjustable seats with cloth upholstery. Also, there is nothing much in terms of comfort, and the seating position might feel too tall for most people. That being said, you can get a power-adjustable driver seat with heating function and leather upholstery in the higher trim levels.

In terms of interior dimensions, the Ford Escape is in a similar ballpark with its competitors for the most part. While the rear-seat legroom in the Escape is pretty decent, its competitors offer far better legroom than that, on top of offering better cargo space. Hyundai Tucson which provides better rear-seat legroom than Ford falls short in terms of cargo capacity. The 2012 Honda CR-V and 2012 Toyota RAV4 lead the way with their massive boots that have total trunk volumes of 37.2 and 36.4 cubic feet, respectively.

Standout interior features:

• 6-way power-adjustable driver seat
• Heated front seats
• Leather upholstery
• Ambient lighting
• Dual-zone climate control

How intuitive is the 2012 Ford Escape’s infotainment unit?

The 2012 Escape has a pretty intuitive infotainment system with a well-laid outset of buttons and knobs in the center stack for the controls. While the steering wheel with audio controls is optional in the base XLS trim, it comes as standard in the higher trim levels. Other standard features include a CD player with AUX connectivity, Bluetooth connectivity, and a generic four-speaker sound system. 

The higher trim levels include the Sync infotainment interface, along with a USB port, satellite radio, and a 6-speaker audio system. A 7-speaker setup is also available as a standalone option for the XLT trim and is included in the Limited Luxury package for the Limited trim.

Standout infotainment features in the 2012 Ford Escape include:

• Sync electronics interface
• steering-wheel audio controls
• 7-speaker audio system
• Rear-seat entertainment system
• Navigation system

The Ford Escape has a tough and rugged-looking design to it. It might not be that striking, but no one can deny its strong road presence. It has the typical boxy appearance of an SUV, and many people might like the fact that it looks more like a purpose-built SUV than a tarmac-loving soft-roaders like all these modern crossover SUVs.

As standard, you get 16-inch alloy wheels and an integrated blind-spot mirror. You can also upgrade to 17-inch wheels and add chrome exterior highlights and add a sunroof to the package.

While the Ford Escape holds the middle ground in the competition with regards to exterior dimensions, it does have one of the highest ground clearances in the segment at an incredible 8.4”, which goes in tune with its proper utilitarian looks and gives it that extra edge when the going gets tough. However, with longer wheelbases of 103.9 and 104.7 inches, the Toyota RAV4 and Hyundai Tuscon do promise better space on the inside.

Standout exterior features:

• Liftgate with flip-up glass
• 17-inch wheels
• Power side-view mirrors with integrated blind spot mirrors and manual fold-away design
• Rear-window defroster
• Solar-tinted glass

The 2nd gen Ford Escape is developed on the Ford CD2 platform, which is an automobile platform developed specifically for crossover SUVs. Standard safety tech on the 2012 Ford Escape includes dual-stage front airbags, front-seat side airbags, and full-length side curtain-type airbags. But everything seems to fall apart when we look at the NHTSA crash test report for the 2012 Ford Escape. You might think that a big and rugged-looking SUV like the Escape should fare pretty well in an unfortunate event of a crash. But it is not always like that. It scored a below-average overall score of 3 out of 5 stars with 3 stars in most of the individual tests, along with a few four stars as well. With a rollover star rating of 3 stars, the 2012 Escape has a pretty high rollover risk of 23.70%.

While there aren’t any active driving aids in order to prevent crashes from happening in the first place, it does come standard with side-view mirrors featuring an integrated convex blind spot mirror that helps alert you to vehicles and objects nearby so you can avoid them.

Standout safety features:

• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• Blindspot mirror
• Traction control
• Stability control
• Antilock brakes

While the 2012 Ford Escape might seem like a pretty good proposition at first glance in the compact crossover segment, its underwhelming interior, low safety ratings, and the lack of standard features will make you think otherwise. On the plus side, it does have efficient engines and is relatively well suited off-road than most of the other crossover SUVs in the competition.