- New Ford Escape gives SUV customers even more of what they want –
additional innovative features to make their daily drive safer and
easier, greater connectivity, two new EcoBoost® engines and technology that saves fuel in heavy traffic
- Escape is first Ford vehicle in the world with SYNC® Connect – customers can unlock and lock their doors, start engine, even locate vehicle through smartphone app
- Driver-assist technologies including enhanced active park assist,
lane-keeping system, and adaptive cruise control and forward collision
warning with brake support make driving easier and safer
- Environmentally friendly Auto Start-Stop standard with Escape’s two
new EcoBoost engines – a 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter twin-scroll; technology
shuts off engine in common stops so the vehicle uses no gas, improving
fuel economy by 4 percent to 6 percent in stop-and-go traffic
LOS ANGELES, Nov. 17, 2015 – The popular Ford Escape SUV is
newly engineered to make customers feel unstoppable – with even more
driver-assist technologies to help enable safer and easier driving, new
mobile connectivity that allows owners to interact with their vehicle
from anywhere through a smartphone app, and two new efficient EcoBoost
® engines.
The new Escape is the first Ford vehicle in the world with available SYNC
® Connect, allowing users to unlock doors, check fuel level and even locate where a vehicle is parked.
To help drivers feel more confident behind the wheel, driver-assist
technologies available for the new Escape include adaptive cruise
control and forward collision warning with brake support, a lane-keeping
system and enhanced active park assist. That’s all packed in a vehicle
that has been redesigned from the inside out, including a driver and
front passenger area upgraded with more storage space and mobile device
charge ports.
“The compact SUV segment is the largest and most competitive in the
United States, and the new Escape delivers even more of what our
customers want – more technology they can really use to make their daily
drive safer and easier,” said Joe Hinrichs, Ford president, The
Americas.
SYNC Connect keeps drivers in touch with remote vehicle access
Need to lock your new Escape from across town? There is an app for that.
With SYNC Connect, owners can remotely start their vehicle and
schedule future starts, as well as lock and unlock their Escape using
their smartphones. The technology provides vehicle location, as well as
key vehicle information such as tire pressures, battery and fuel levels.
SYNC Connect, available with SYNC
® 3 for the new Escape,
comes with complimentary activation for five years. A user enables the
system through a two-step authentication process designed to protect
personal information. SYNC 3 features faster performance, conversational
voice recognition, intuitive smartphone-like touch screen and
easier-to-understand graphical interface.
Driver-assist technologies SUV drivers want
Other driver-assist features available help make the daily commute safer and easier for drivers of the new Ford Escape:
- ·Adaptive cruise control and forward collision warning with brake
support: Sensors detect when Escape is approaching a slow-moving
vehicle, and adjust cruise control accordingly
- Enhanced active park assist: Provides steering assistance to park
the vehicle in a parallel or reverse perpendicular parking spot, and
pull out from tight parallel parking spots; driver controls brake,
accelerator and shifter. Technology includes side park distance control
- Lane-keeping system: The system includes lane-keeping alert, which
alerts drivers when they drift unintentionally from their lane, and
lane-keeping aid, which provides steering assistance to guide an
unintentionally drifting vehicle back into its lane
- Driver Alert System: Using data from the lane-keeping system, the
Driver Alert System can detect signs of fatigued driving and provide a
warning on the instrument cluster
Already available driver-assist features for the new Escape include:
- Blind Spot Information System with cross-traffic alert: BLIS®
can alert drivers when a vehicle enters the defined blind spot in a
neighboring lane. An indicator light provides a warning in the side
mirror corresponding to the side on which the vehicle is approaching
- Hill-start assist: The feature holds the vehicle stationary on a
hill long enough for the driver to transition from brake to gas pedal
- Auto high-beam control: System automatically switches from high to low beams, and vice versa, depending on ambient lighting
- Hands-free, foot-activated liftgate: Opens liftgate with the simple
kick of a key fob-carrying customer’s foot beneath rear bumper – perfect
for those whose hands are loaded with gear
Two new EcoBoost engines with Auto Start-Stop
Escape is the first Ford vehicle to make Auto Start-Stop standard with
either of two EcoBoost engines new to the model – a 1.5-liter and
2.0-liter twin-scroll. The technology senses when the vehicle is sitting
idle and shuts off the engine to conserve fuel, resulting in a 4
percent to 6 percent improvement in fuel economy in stop-and-go traffic.
The engine restarts automatically – in less than half a second – when
the driver releases the brake pedal.
“Auto Start-Stop is the equivalent of turning off the lights when you
leave a room, or turning off a water faucet when you’re done washing
dishes,” said Milton Wong, Escape chief engineer. “It’s a high-tech
approach to more efficient driving.”
Escape SE and Titanium trim levels come standard with the new
1.5-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost, while the powerful new twin-scroll
2.0-liter EcoBoost is optional. A six-speed automatic transmission is
standard across the line, with new paddle-shift technology available for
Escape SE and Titanium.
The twin-scroll turbocharged 2.0-liter EcoBoost delivers 245
horsepower and 275 lb.-ft. of torque, along with greater efficiency and
improved noise, vibration and harshness performance. New pistons provide
a higher, more efficient compression ratio, and a newly designed,
integrated exhaust manifold is optimized for the twin-scroll turbo
system.
The aluminum-block, twin-cam 1.5-liter EcoBoost with integrated
exhaust manifold is projected to deliver horsepower and torque output
comparable to the 1.6-liter – an expected 180 horsepower and 185 lb.-ft.
of torque.
Along with the new EcoBoost offerings, the 2.5-liter i-VCT
four-cylinder engine carries over as standard equipment for the Escape S
series.
Three trim levels, with new Sport Appearance Package
Escape customers can continue to select from S, SE and Titanium trim
levels, as well as a new Sport Appearance Package available for SE and
Titanium.
Charcoal Black with subtle Deep Space black trim is available for
Escape Titanium. Salerno leather seats feature a unique horizontal
pattern. Titanium customers can also opt for Medium Stone seats to
contrast with the black interior.
Escape will be offered in three new colors – Canyon Ridge, White Gold
and Lightning Blue. Six new wheel designs are also available.
Built to lead in a growing segment
Overall SUV sales continue to trend higher – both in North America and
around the world. SUVs now account for about one third of the U.S. auto
industry, a number Ford projects will grow to 40 percent by 2020. In the
United States, SUV sales are expected to exceed 5 million units in 2015
for the first time ever.
Small SUVs play an increasingly larger role, and Escape remains one
of the most popular. Since its launch in 2000, more than 3 million units
have been sold in the United States, including a record 306,212 Escape
vehicles in North America in 2014. Ford expects Escape sales this year
will exceed that figure.
