2013 Ford Escape: What a Difference $11,000 Makes
Well, for starters, there are a several versions of this vehicle — some we love and some we could live without. I drove both the base model evaluated in the Shootout and a loaded Titanium-trim test car, and let’s just say our relationship status is “complicated.”
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The 2013 Ford Escape is available in four trim levels with three engines. There’s base S, SE, SEL and Titanium. Under the hood, there’s the base 168-horsepower, 2.5-liter four-cylinder and two new turbocharged four-cylinders: a 173-hp, 1.6-liter and a 231-hp, 2.0- liter.
The base model’s engine is a carryover four-cylinder from the outgoing Escape; the turbocharged 2.0-liter in the Titanium model is smooth and powerful, replacing the outgoing V-6.
The base model’s cabin was a disappointment with large, uneven panel gaps, loads of hard plastic surfaces and chintzy seat fabric. The Titanium model’s interior looked high class; it was comfortable and wrapped in soft-touch materials. The base model lacked many features similarly priced competitors offer, but the Titanium was stocked with comfort and technology features.
But there’s a catch, and it’s a big one: all that refinement and comfort costs money — a lot of it, actually. At $23,295, including an $825 destination charge, our two-wheel-drive Shootout test car fell well under the $25,000 mark and had no options. For this Shootout, vehicles needed to come in below $25,000, excluding destination charges, to qualify. To get more features in the 2013 Escape, we needed to jump to the SE model, which brought it just over $25,000 and disqualified it.
Although I was quite impressed by the Escape in Titanium trim, I didn’t love the extra $11,440. It seems the 1.6-liter SE model will be the bulk seller at $25,895 before adding all-wheel drive or MyFord Touch. We just haven’t seen one yet.
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