So today is the 1 year anniversary of buying the Escape. I purchased it used with 9500 miles for $29,800 last year. 12k miles later and I thought I would post a few thoughts on the vehicle.
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2022 Ford Escape SE PHEV - Atlas Blue
Starting off, I'll say I have had no major or minor issues with this CUV since I bought it. It has worked flawlessly and is driven nearly daily in EV mode with several long trips in hybrid mode.
A word on performance, the Escape is surprisingly quick in Sport mode with batteries charged and can light up the tires fairly easily. Stability is great at all speeds, body roll is minimal, and even during the downpours we get here in the rainy season (Houston), it always feels planted. I think a lot of that is due to the 600lb battery pack under the rear seats keeping the center of gravity low and weight over the rear wheels.
I am also really surprised how well the rear seats are designed to accommodate adults, Not only do they slide forward and back in all trims, but the knee room is terrific even with driver's seat in my driving position (1 click off the floor and all the way back). I do wish the rear seats folded flat, but it is a necessary compromise with the seat design and in most cases doesn't actually affect me that much. Speaking of the cargo area, I am also quite pleased that the hatch clears my head while standing. At 6'1", bending to get into the cargo area or risk smashing my brain box are both things I like avoiding.
Even in an SE trim, I am surprised what Ford offers (and doesn't offer) such as the USB A and USB C ports for the rear passengers. Individual rear air vents, individual overhead lights, manual up/down driver's seat, power mirrors, Sync 3, 5" In dash display, Adaptive Cruise (opt) are all very nice, but only 1-touch down on only the driver's window and a manual rear-view mirror seem like cheap touches for an MSRP of $37,000. The cloth seating is durable, but feels rough like a new pair of jeans (I think they will eventually break in, just like jeans). Front seats are supportive, but there is no adjustable lumbar. I haven't sat in the rear seats enough to judge, but passengers have had no complaints. The footwell is adequate (for size 14's), but having to adapt to the accelerator being buried way behind the brake is definitely an adjustment. "Toe and go" has a new meaning here.
Interior noise is ok, but on textured pavement it can be deafening. I believe part of it has to do with the EV tires and partly to do with Ford cheaping out on addressing NVH in lower trims. (I rode in a friends 2024 Corsair Grand Touring and he in my Escape and we both noticed that the noise was above average) Fortunately the model I bought came with a spare tire to help deal with the resonating coming from the empty spare tire tub under the cargo area. I also took the OEM floormats and placed them under the cargo floor to help with noise when I swapped to all-weather mats. It helps, but I need to decide if I am sticking with these Michelin Primacy's (I mean, Michelin Pricey's @ $230 apiece, Yikes!) and dealing with the noise in exchange for the MPG or going to something like an LTX.
Engine noise is an odd duck. In every mode other than Sport, the 2.5L I4 clanks around in its Atkinson cycle when starting up, making some very unusual and off-putting noises for those of us accustomed to the Otto's dulcet tones. Put it in Sport, however, and the engine and eCVT come together to make some very nice "giggity" noises from under the hood (and from the driver's seat).
Speaking of the eCVT... its fantastic! The brake blending between physical brakes and regen braking is practically seamless. (I'll note, I have had 2 or 3 times where it feels like the regen dropped off halfway through a stop and it caught me off guard, but its pretty rare.) The eCVT uses electric motors, a big planetary gear, and a clutch to make the infinite gear ratios possible. It's diabolically simple in operation (though not in execution) and with few wear parts, I expect the unit to be very reliable. Also in Sport mode, It changes its mapping to mimic a 6 or 7 speed automatic and gives you the bumps as the engine goes through its rev range. Quite excellent!
Gas MPG is quite good with around 28MPG if you leave it in Sport mode (which runs the gas engine nearly all the time and the accelerator tip-in is steep), 35 MPG in Normal hybrid mode, and with the Eco mode you could get close to 40mpg. I drive in Normal most of the time and only kick it into Sport when I feel like it. The Eco mode pedal feel is sluggish by design and can feel a little underwhelming when getting on the highways in Houston (which double as NASCAR tracks in the off season).
EV mileage is all over the place. Climate control, road conditions, and throttle play a huge part in how much of the "38 projected miles" Ford says you get. Flat out doing 80 on a highway, 73 degrees in the cabin, you'll get "maybe" 24 miles before moving to the ICE. Keep your foot out of it and you might see 30 miles.
Sync is like a child, some days it's the most well-behaved kid and its up when you get ready to go and responds quickly to your instructions. And then there are days when the car has been on the road for 5 minutes before its even woken up and the delay between input and output is enough time to watch glaciers melt. It's annoying, but from all accounts wiping its memory seems to help. (I meant SYNC!)
Also that function that cools the cabin down when you schedule it and it's plugged in is a godsend. The 25" and 21" wiper blade design, however, is not. Leave it to Ford to spec a wiper blade than most chain stores don't carry. And yes, I am using a 26" now and its not cleaning correctly (Rain-x or Michelin brand if you must know) and a 24" may not clean the glass over the radar enough. Another minor complaint is that the heater during EV mode is quite underwhelming and I'll put the vehicle in sport mode to kick the engine on to help with the defrosting effort on 85% humidity mornings.
Odd note, but I bought the vehicle for under Black Book Value and it seems like there is a large depreciation hit for at least 2 years on these models as I am being told it is now worth only $21k. I figured on the first year, but to wipe $16k off MSRP for a 2 year old vehicle with less than 25k miles seems... unusual.
To summarize, the Escape is comfortable, reasonably quite, the gas mileage is great and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I have some nitpicks (mostly to do with road and engine noise and the Sync system) and actual gripes (tire choice, wiper blades, and EV mode heater) but overall, this has been a great purchase for me and the Escape has fit my needs quite well. I think I would have gone with an SEL or Titanium trim if I had another go, but for the miles and the price, this fit my budget much better and gave me 90% of what I wanted.
2022 Ford Escape SE PHEV - Atlas Blue
Starting off, I'll say I have had no major or minor issues with this CUV since I bought it. It has worked flawlessly and is driven nearly daily in EV mode with several long trips in hybrid mode.
A word on performance, the Escape is surprisingly quick in Sport mode with batteries charged and can light up the tires fairly easily. Stability is great at all speeds, body roll is minimal, and even during the downpours we get here in the rainy season (Houston), it always feels planted. I think a lot of that is due to the 600lb battery pack under the rear seats keeping the center of gravity low and weight over the rear wheels.
I am also really surprised how well the rear seats are designed to accommodate adults, Not only do they slide forward and back in all trims, but the knee room is terrific even with driver's seat in my driving position (1 click off the floor and all the way back). I do wish the rear seats folded flat, but it is a necessary compromise with the seat design and in most cases doesn't actually affect me that much. Speaking of the cargo area, I am also quite pleased that the hatch clears my head while standing. At 6'1", bending to get into the cargo area or risk smashing my brain box are both things I like avoiding.
Even in an SE trim, I am surprised what Ford offers (and doesn't offer) such as the USB A and USB C ports for the rear passengers. Individual rear air vents, individual overhead lights, manual up/down driver's seat, power mirrors, Sync 3, 5" In dash display, Adaptive Cruise (opt) are all very nice, but only 1-touch down on only the driver's window and a manual rear-view mirror seem like cheap touches for an MSRP of $37,000. The cloth seating is durable, but feels rough like a new pair of jeans (I think they will eventually break in, just like jeans). Front seats are supportive, but there is no adjustable lumbar. I haven't sat in the rear seats enough to judge, but passengers have had no complaints. The footwell is adequate (for size 14's), but having to adapt to the accelerator being buried way behind the brake is definitely an adjustment. "Toe and go" has a new meaning here.
Interior noise is ok, but on textured pavement it can be deafening. I believe part of it has to do with the EV tires and partly to do with Ford cheaping out on addressing NVH in lower trims. (I rode in a friends 2024 Corsair Grand Touring and he in my Escape and we both noticed that the noise was above average) Fortunately the model I bought came with a spare tire to help deal with the resonating coming from the empty spare tire tub under the cargo area. I also took the OEM floormats and placed them under the cargo floor to help with noise when I swapped to all-weather mats. It helps, but I need to decide if I am sticking with these Michelin Primacy's (I mean, Michelin Pricey's @ $230 apiece, Yikes!) and dealing with the noise in exchange for the MPG or going to something like an LTX.
Engine noise is an odd duck. In every mode other than Sport, the 2.5L I4 clanks around in its Atkinson cycle when starting up, making some very unusual and off-putting noises for those of us accustomed to the Otto's dulcet tones. Put it in Sport, however, and the engine and eCVT come together to make some very nice "giggity" noises from under the hood (and from the driver's seat).
Speaking of the eCVT... its fantastic! The brake blending between physical brakes and regen braking is practically seamless. (I'll note, I have had 2 or 3 times where it feels like the regen dropped off halfway through a stop and it caught me off guard, but its pretty rare.) The eCVT uses electric motors, a big planetary gear, and a clutch to make the infinite gear ratios possible. It's diabolically simple in operation (though not in execution) and with few wear parts, I expect the unit to be very reliable. Also in Sport mode, It changes its mapping to mimic a 6 or 7 speed automatic and gives you the bumps as the engine goes through its rev range. Quite excellent!
Gas MPG is quite good with around 28MPG if you leave it in Sport mode (which runs the gas engine nearly all the time and the accelerator tip-in is steep), 35 MPG in Normal hybrid mode, and with the Eco mode you could get close to 40mpg. I drive in Normal most of the time and only kick it into Sport when I feel like it. The Eco mode pedal feel is sluggish by design and can feel a little underwhelming when getting on the highways in Houston (which double as NASCAR tracks in the off season).
EV mileage is all over the place. Climate control, road conditions, and throttle play a huge part in how much of the "38 projected miles" Ford says you get. Flat out doing 80 on a highway, 73 degrees in the cabin, you'll get "maybe" 24 miles before moving to the ICE. Keep your foot out of it and you might see 30 miles.
Sync is like a child, some days it's the most well-behaved kid and its up when you get ready to go and responds quickly to your instructions. And then there are days when the car has been on the road for 5 minutes before its even woken up and the delay between input and output is enough time to watch glaciers melt. It's annoying, but from all accounts wiping its memory seems to help. (I meant SYNC!)
Also that function that cools the cabin down when you schedule it and it's plugged in is a godsend. The 25" and 21" wiper blade design, however, is not. Leave it to Ford to spec a wiper blade than most chain stores don't carry. And yes, I am using a 26" now and its not cleaning correctly (Rain-x or Michelin brand if you must know) and a 24" may not clean the glass over the radar enough. Another minor complaint is that the heater during EV mode is quite underwhelming and I'll put the vehicle in sport mode to kick the engine on to help with the defrosting effort on 85% humidity mornings.
Odd note, but I bought the vehicle for under Black Book Value and it seems like there is a large depreciation hit for at least 2 years on these models as I am being told it is now worth only $21k. I figured on the first year, but to wipe $16k off MSRP for a 2 year old vehicle with less than 25k miles seems... unusual.
To summarize, the Escape is comfortable, reasonably quite, the gas mileage is great and it still looks as good as the day I bought it. I have some nitpicks (mostly to do with road and engine noise and the Sync system) and actual gripes (tire choice, wiper blades, and EV mode heater) but overall, this has been a great purchase for me and the Escape has fit my needs quite well. I think I would have gone with an SEL or Titanium trim if I had another go, but for the miles and the price, this fit my budget much better and gave me 90% of what I wanted.
