Pleasantly Surprised and Happy With Escape XLT, A Woman's Opinion

I am not as skilled as some people as it pertains to general auto knowledge, but I believe I have some important things to note when shopping for your next SUV if you are considering the Escape.

As a single woman I always drove a Mustang GT. (Five of them to be exact) Upon getting married two years ago, I knew my fast-driving, top-down days were numbered. When my lease was up four months ago, I went back and forth with the hubby as to what car I should get. Since we live in Ohio and have our share of "snow days" we talked about getting an SUV instead of a car. I immediately test drove all Ford SUV's and was not impressed with the first Escape I drove. It was a four cylinder and had only the basics as features. I then test drove various brands: Chevy, Nissan, Honda, Mazda and so on. When I went back to drop my Mustang off I saw a sharp SUV sitting near the dealership. It was an Escape! Titanium green with greyish metal-like siding. I was confused since the Escape I test drove a few days earlier had dark plastic siding and lacked the extra features this model had: electronic sun-roof, all leather sports seating, white face odometer, V-6, etc. This sales guy explained that there are several models in the escape line and that I would surely only be interested in this model the Escape XLT or the top one which included heated seating and upgraded stereo. I was in love with the looks of the one in front of me and took it for a day. I went back 24 hours to sign the papers and made her mine. Immediately driving it was a pleasure. Smooth riding, roomy for it's size, handles great and sharp too.

There are a few issues I have with my Escape. For one, it does not block sound out very well. It can be somewhat noisy especially on a windy day. The base stereo in it is also pretty weak. It actually max's out when I am trying to turn it up. I would highly recommend upgrading the stereo. I added Sirius satellite to it and am thankful I did that every day. I did that through Best Buy as Ford wanted more than Best Buy. I also have a concern with the sun roof. On two occassions my husband has thought he shut it only to find out he left it opened the following morning. It pops up electronically when it closes so be careful to know how it works prior to closing it up for the night.

Other than those few issues it is a great vehicle. Make sure Ford throws in the hatchback cover that rolls out to cover the cargo in the back. I had to request it from them three times before they finally got it for me. I use it often so it is pretty important. It is pretty zippy with the V6 despite the reservations I had from leaving my V8 behind. My hubby and I fight over who gets to drive it but I generally win. I did give up my sports car so that is the least he can do. :)