2004 Ford Escape 2.3L - It’s a fact that ninety-five percentage of SUV owners haven’t fifty-fifty idea of going off-road. They belike avoid the smallest of potholes as well as tiresome downwardly to have got the highway metallic joint. That said, the give-and-take of whether to have got this or that all-wheel drive organisation is every bit of import every bit what coloring of socks you lot should wearable for the day.
All-wheel drive, inwards the urban setting, is goose egg to a greater extent than than a bragging right. A rattling expensive bragging right. Imagine, aside from the drive train’s astronomical quest price, it lessens fuel economic scheme past times adding weight, as well as past times sapping engine ability since it’s distributed to all 4 wheels. In the illustration of the Ford Escape, it tin larn pretty unsafe too. The Control-Trac II organisation tin larn easily fooled: transferring also much ability to the slipping cycle also late, causing a scary slide.
So praise the angels as well as saints that Ford has in conclusion come upwardly up amongst the sensible front-driving Escape XLS. Although at that spot has e'er been a two-wheel drive version, it wasn’t desirable. This is mainly because of the prehistoric 2.0-liter inline-4 that was every bit asthmatic every bit it was thirsty. The Escape’s heavy torso as well as unresponsive transmission made that fact fifty-fifty to a greater extent than obvious.
Of course, similar a shot that’s non the illustration anymore. The novel 2.3-liter Duratec inline-4 in conclusion enables the Escape to attain only about much needed sprinting legs. The horsepower hike is impressive: 27 horsepower as well as 28 Nm to a greater extent than torque.
Off the line, the Escape is lite on its feet, much similar its bigger V6 brother. Though yet no drag racer, the XLS in conclusion has the measuring to croak along upwardly amongst most cars on the road. It rarely needs a climb beyond 2,000 rpm for first-class overtaking thrust. The novel ability institute also agency that there’s a slight growth inwards fuel economy: 6.8 km/l inwards the city. However, the hesitantly shifting transmission tin yet reek its ugly caput every i time inwards a while, particularly when it comes to precipitous downshifting requirements.
Like all other Escape models, the XLS feels absolutely solid, every bit if it were made from a enterprise slice of granite. It goes through whatever obstruction or route estrus amongst trivial difficulty. Sudden shudders are rarely felt inwards the cabin. Still, Ford engineers have got managed to brand the steering livelier than earlier amongst a quicker reply experience as well as less dead centre (you belike have got to give cheers the absence of that horrible all-wheel drive organisation for that).
The ride as well as comfort, which has e'er been the Escape’s ace is yet here. Like before, the ride is somewhat on the theatre side, but non also rough. The seats also offering sublime back upwardly for all but the obese. And that’s a shame. Not because obesity is a growing problem, but the seats could have got been made wider given the Escape’s large interior width.
That said trivial has changed amongst the XLS’s interior. It yet has the beige-tone interior as well as the same tweedy (note: old-looking) textile seats. The same CD thespian of old, amongst its relatively unproblematic interface as well as first-class good quality, is carried on inwards the 2004 model. 80’s nostalgia is guaranteed given that the CD thespian doesn’t display the minutes/seconds elapsed per track.
Influenza A virus subtype H5N1 notable alter though is the column shifter. Though non obvious to all but the keen, the 2004 model features i that’s shorter, giving to a greater extent than precise movements over the one-time clunky one. Plus, it doesn’t tend to block the good controls anymore.
Sadly, the air con is yet every bit confusing as well as illogical every bit ever. The fan speed is separate from the on/off switch making you lot remember twice earlier turning which dial. There’s no depression fan speed on recirculate vogue either—making the Escape’s interior an uncomfortable blizzard. Though there’s a temperature knob, it’s overly sensitive that it becomes useless. Twist a trivial to the left, the interior turns to the Artic; a trivial to the correct as well as it is Africa.
It’s non perfect inside, but the Escape wins hands downwardly on where it counts the most: utility value. Aside from the large interior room, it has huge cubby holes as well as centre console, 6 loving cup holders, a split-fold bring upwardly bench, as well as gigantic cargo/luggage room. The Escape may non have got the funkiest cabin, but remember almost it: would you lot tending almost dash-mounted drinkable coolers if you lot couldn’t fifty-fifty tally the family’s groceries into the cargo bay?
The disappearance of the four-cylinder XLT (all-wheel drive model), the XLS’s security packet has been rounded up, giving it an border against the competition. Aside from the dual airbags from before, the XLS similar a shot receives anti-lock brakes as well as electronic brakeforce distribution, putting it at par amongst Honda’s two-wheel drive CR-V. However, despite the marked improvements, the XLS does endure from a terribly spongy brake pedal. Funny thing, since inwards the nth fourth dimension behind the cycle of an Escape, it’s solely inwards this version that has the employment (so much for best-in-class braking).
With such tremendous contest out at that spot from Japanese as well as Koreans alike, the compact SUV is getting every bit mainstream every bit the compact sedan. Although all compact SUVs were supposedly designed to tally the somebody amongst the ‘active lifestyle’, it has similar a shot croak goose egg to a greater extent than than a glorified boulevard cruiser. At that, you lot won’t larn the betoken if you lot pass only a weekend behind the cycle of the Ford Escape. It doesn’t plow every bit much heads every bit say, the Toyota RAV4 or move every bit frugal as well as comfortable every bit the Honda CR-V. Still, if long-term ownership suggestion is beingness considered, the Ford Escape XLS ends upwardly ultimately every bit a well-rounded packet that’s worthy of a 2d look.
Car Review - 2004 Ford Escape 2.3L Features & Specifications
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