Thoughts on 2013 Ford Escape~

[fatabbot]

Originally Posted by statueim

I know people complain about the body roll in the 4th gen outbacks and you'd hear a lot more complaining if you made those individuals drive an escape. It's to be expected for a vehicle of it's size, but it just wasn't as fun to drive as my outback.

I actually owned a 2008 Escape Ltd. at the same time I owned my OB. The Escape handled much more crisply than the OB (in routine handling, in emergency handling it was very twitchy and unpredictable). Driving it was night and day more fun than my OB, until.....the car turned 2 years old and decided to fall apart. I b*tched about my OB a lot, but I think I'd prefer a car to be a POS at the beginning and get fixed than fall apart at 30k miles.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Ford, but I'll shy away from the Escape. The 2013 model has nothing in common with the one we owned, but I still have a mental block on it.

[jp1203]

Originally Posted by fatabbot

I actually owned a 2008 Escape Ltd. at the same time I owned my OB. The Escape handled much more crisply than the OB (in routine handling, in emergency handling it was very twitchy and unpredictable). Driving it was night and day more fun than my OB, until.....the car turned 2 years old and decided to fall apart. I b*tched about my OB a lot, but I think I'd prefer a car to be a POS at the beginning and get fixed than fall apart at 30k miles.

I wouldn't hesitate to buy another Ford, but I'll shy away from the Escape. The 2013 model has nothing in common with the one we owned, but I still have a mental block on it.

Apart from their heavier-duty pickups (F-250, F-350), I think I'd be leary of buying anything Ford. We've had a bunch of various Ford models in the past and they all developed lots of weird issues pretty quickly. The engines and transmissions tend to be solid, but everything else isn't even close.

[upflying]

Fords tend to have average depreciation and resale value. Subaru is among the best.
That cost savings alone is enough not to consider Ford.

[Phil83]

I was aslo sort of digging the new 2013 Ford Escape and if your going to look at that you should also be checking out the new 2013 Mazda CX-5. The Escape reminds me of the Forrester but with a modern transmission (six speed) and it can tow up to 3,5000 lbs with the larger engine and tow package. And I really like the design and fuel efficiency of the CX-5 (25/31 mpg EPA rating) but the interior is blah.



I'm still leaning towards the Outback because it seems to best fit my lifestyle and still feel to be the most safe and reliable vehicle. It would be interesting to put these two new CUV two the roller test.

[SAR-K9's]

Originally Posted by Phil83

I was aslo sort of digging the new 2013 Ford Escape and if your going to look at that you should also be checking out the new 2013 Mazda CX-5. The Escape reminds me of the Forrester but with a modern transmission (six speed) and it can tow up to 3,5000 lbs with the larger engine and tow package. And I really like the design and fuel efficiency of the CX-5 (25/31 mpg EPA rating) but the interior is blah.



I'm still leaning towards the Outback because it seems to best fit my lifestyle and still feel to be the most safe and reliable vehicle. It would be interesting to put these two new CUV two the roller test.

Yeah... The '13 Escape would "probably" have met my needs well...but I finally decided against it. Wasn't sure exactly when it's release date is, and as been mentioned in this thread, the very 1st year of a MAJOR redesign is probably not the smartest year to buy due to all of the bugs & glitches that need to be worked out.
Then, I saw the new Mazda CX 5...and fell in love with the look...and every 1st drive review that I've read raves about how fun and responsive it is to drive....BUT....it's only 155 HP and many reviewers felt that despite it's many Pros...a big "Con" was that it was somewhat UNDERpowered (and it might have been a bit on the small side for my needs anyway).
So....after a few months of driving myself freakin' CRAZY over this decision...I finally pulled the trigger on a '12 OB 2.5 CVT Limited this past Thursday, and will pick it up this coming Tuesday. I at least feel that I MORE than did my "due diligence" in researching everything out there (at least in my price range) and no matter what, I just kept coming back to the '12 Outback as the best/smartest choice to make.
One of the reasons I think that I kept looking for so long is that I just prefer more of the "SUV look", and higher seating position, and really WASN'T too keen on the "station wagon" look of the OB.....but....I have to say that even that has grown on me.

[statueim]

Originally Posted by fatabbot

I actually owned a 2008 Escape Ltd. at the same time I owned my OB. The Escape handled much more crisply than the OB (in routine handling, in emergency handling it was very twitchy and unpredictable). Driving it was night and day more fun than my OB, until.....the car turned 2 years old and decided to fall apart. I b*tched about my OB a lot, but I think I'd prefer a car to be a POS at the beginning and get fixed than fall apart at 30k miles.

Maybe it was just the car I drove then. The Escape I drove felt underpowered and I got really worried about the potential of roll-over when I started out by taking turns/curves at the same speed I take them in my Outback. Maybe it was just the car I drove; it did have a knocking issue between 2nd and 3rd, but I'll say that they'd better get quality control under wraps because I certainly would never buy that model year Escape based on my short experience with it.

Originally Posted by jp1203

Apart from their heavier-duty pickups (F-250, F-350), I think I'd be leary of buying anything Ford. We've had a bunch of various Ford models in the past and they all developed lots of weird issues pretty quickly. The engines and transmissions tend to be solid, but everything else isn't even close.

100% agree with this statement.

I hope you enjoy your new outback SAR-K9.

[ported]

Lots of people at work buy new(er) NA made vehicles. Within about 3 years the problems start for them.
I've driven Subaru for 10 years out of 38 driving, I don't see myself switching brands. Dollar for dollar, performance, safety and value....the Big 3 don't stack up.

[Looby]

Originally Posted by jp1203

I'd be leary of buying anything Ford... The engines and transmissions
tend to be solid, but everything else...

My experience with Ford engines has been pretty dreadful.

'98 Contour SVT (2.5L Duratech V6) -- spun a main bearing at 98k mi.

'04 Mazda 6s (FORD 3.0L Duratech V6) used too much oil from day#1,
and the valves were getting excessively noisy when I dumped it at 110k.

Our non-Ford engined Mazdas have all lived to well over 150k miles,
and up to 250k+ miles, with no engine problems whatsoever.

Also, my experience with local Ford dealer service was a nightmare.

ymmv

[MB77monza]

Two of my last four Fords have had terminal transmission problems. All maintenence was done on time.

[jp1203]

Originally Posted by Looby

My experience with Ford engines has been pretty dreadful.

'98 Contour SVT (2.5L Duratech V6) -- spun a main bearing at 98k mi.

'04 Mazda 6s (FORD 3.0L Duratech V6) used too much oil from day#1,
and the valves were getting excessively noisy when I dumped it at 110k.

Our non-Ford engined Mazdas have all lived to well over 150k miles,
and up to 250k+ miles, with no engine problems whatsoever.

Also, my experience with local Ford dealer service was a nightmare.

ymmv

Maybe I'm the exception instead of the rule! Our last remaining Ford is a 99 Taurus SE Wagon with the 3.0L 24v DOHC Duratec V6 in it. It's a pretty nice engine and has a lot of guts for a wagon, doesn't burn any oil or anything and starts/runs good and reliably after 140k. Transmission on that car is also solid, but it has a number of other issues. Weird things...not usually major, but annoying things and it sure has a lot of them! One of the current ones is that the driver's door lock has problems (key doesn't unlock the driver's door, power lock doesn't work, you have to manually pull the tab to unlock it--I have to take apart the door and see if I can figure that one out).

The one before that was a '95 Taurus Wagon with the Essex 3.8L in it. That engine and tranny was also solid, but the body wasn't. Rust issues were exponentially worse than any other vehicle we've ever had. Subframe was almost totally gone after 120k. It had tons of quirks, too...speedometer that bounced and nobody could figure out why, some electrical issues, things like that...

There were a number of other years and models we've had, but the experiences have been basically the same...the engines and transmissions tend to be okay, but everything else that can fail probably will.

Not just Ford, though...we also had a 1993 GMC Jimmy that threw a rod at 110k even after being cared for its entire life. When the transmission went at 130k we were done with it. We added up the receipts and did over $5000 in repairs just between 110k and 130k. Should have gotten rid of it much sooner!

We've had awesome luck with Subaru and Nissan, though...I had a 1995 Maxima that was totally trouble-free up to 230k where it started having some transmission issues. Got rid of it due to that and some frame rust damage and bought my Outback.

My father has a 98 OBW Limited that is up to 230k and going strong...though head gaskets, water pump, timing belt, etc. were done at about 200k. He also had a '91 Loyale, and an '88 and '86 GL before that...a few with well over 300k to them. They just wouldn't die. Believe it or not, all three were rear-ended and totaled otherwise we'd probably still have them to this day.