Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s 2014 Escape. Photo: Ford.
If you spend any time on the road, you’ve probably noticed a huge increase in the number of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) Escapes driving around. The Escape is one of Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F)’s many huge wins in the U.S. market since the Great Recession, and it’s been an absolute hit with critics and consumers alike. It’s on pace to top 300,000 in vehicle sales this year, which hasn’t been done since the late ’90s and early 2000s, when Americans were in love with gas-guzzling massive SUVs. This time, with a popular EcoBoost option and MPG that ranges between 22 in the city and 33 on the highway — depending on which trim and engine you buy — it’s a night-and-day difference between the SUVs of old.
Revving up
As the old saying goes, “if it aint broke, don’t fix it” — and that applies very well to the 2014 Escape. Sales have absolutely taken off and Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) figures this trend will continue.
Information from Automotive News DataCenter. 2013 is projected from sales through May.
The Escape has set monthly records almost all year, including its best March and April months in its entire history.
For the new model year, the Escape has a few small tweaks, including a backup camera and SYNC infotainment system on all trim levels. The price on its premium trim, the Titanium, has been dropped slightly, which is good, because if you load up on options, the Escape can become one of the more expensive models in the SUV segment — although consumers willingly pay the price in droves.
Through May, the Escape was the best-selling SUV in the U.S. market and was a very impressive 29.7% increase over last year. Edmunds.com — a great place to review vehicles — calls it one of their favorite standouts in a segment full of worthy competitors.
Its exterior has an aggressive look to it, with a unique grille and sleek styling. “The Ford Escape combines outstanding fuel economy, versatility and helpful, intuitive technology in a sleek package to make it the ‘smarter utility vehicle,'” said Ford Motor Company (NYSE:F) group VP Raj Nair in a press release. “This is a hot and competitive segment, and we’ve added more reasons for customers to consider Escape.”
It’s a surprisingly agile ride, and its specially engineered torque converter and revised gear ratios give it a balanced feel in any driving situation. That basically means it delivers incredible handling on pavement as well as off-road — not that many consumers will be trekking the mountainside with their new ride.
The Escape also has a handful of safety features that have been a hit with consumers. Its Blind Spot Information System, or BLIS, displays an alert in the mirror if a vehicle is detected. It also has a parallel parking feature, with which, at the press of a button, it steers itself into the space while you control the gas and brake.
Also, according to Edmunds.com, in government crash tests the Escape performed well and received four out of five stars for frontal-impact crash protection and five stars for side impact protection.
