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The 4-wheel drive capability of the Escape is similar to the CR-V’s, ie power is transmitted to the rear wheels only when necessary. This differs from the drivetrains in the Freelander and RAV4 where all four wheels are powered all the time, the differences between front and rear axles being compensated by a torque-sensing differential in the middle. The Escape’s system, known as Control Trac-II is a more economical approach and less complex too. Ford also believes that the majority of Escape owners will not require full-time 4WD capabilities and would be fine with a part-time capability. In fact, in the US, there are also Escapes with only front-wheel drive and some other manufacturers also find such FWD-only SUVs quite popular.

Most of the time, 100% of power goes to the front wheels but when slippage is detected on the front wheels, power is immediately transferred to the rear wheels and depending on the amount of slip, the amount transferred can reach up to a maximum ratio of 50:50.

One of the key elements of the Control Trac-II system, which was developed jointly by Ford, Mazda and Dana, is a power take-off unit (PTO) that attaches to the transmission. The PTO is a series of gears that transfers power to the rear axle through a two-piece drive-shaft – a design that allowed engineers to have a lower floor without sacrificing passenger roominess or cargo space. The ‘brains’ of the system is a rotary blade coupling (RBC) that governs the front/rear power proportioning. The RBC is located between the end of the drive-shaft and the rear axle differential. It contains a clutch pack and hydraulic pump. The system can detect differences in the rotational speed of the front and rear wheels. As soon as any slippage is detected, the hydraulic pump generates pressure to engage the clutch pack that redirects power to the rear wheels.

Aiming perhaps to be one-up on the CR-V, the system also has one extra feature and that is a sort of differential lock which maintains the power split at 50:50 all the time. This is activated by a switch on the dashboard and is intended for extreme conditions like deep mud. It can’t be used for normal driving as there is no compensation in rotational speeds between the two axles. Incidentally, there is no transfer case to provide the dual gear ranges that are found in the larger SUVs, an omission which won’t be missed by Escape owners but which the ‘hardcore’ 4WD types would criticise!

The Escape rides on 15-inch alloy wheels which seem a bit on the small side and this is pretty obvious from the way they look in the wheel wells. However, the standard rubber is a broad 225/70 and the pattern is a new one that Goodyear Malaysia is making just for the Escape. Called the GT Sport 70, it is street-oriented since most Escape owners are likely to travel in the urban jungle rather than the natural one.

The suspension system is independent all round and together with the wide tracks, it offers a good stability. At the front are MacPherson struts which attach to rearward facing L-shaped lower control arms for lateral stiffness and road impact isolation. The springs and shocks are separately mounted to a dual-path upper-strut mount, further helping to isolate shock forces that
otherwise would hamper suspension tuning and ride qualities.

The independent rear suspension system is claimed to have, not surprisingly, a level of robustness beyond that of a sportscar and meets Ford’s light truck durability requirements. It has a multi-link layout with dynamic toe control for a degree of steering during cornering. When the vehicle is making a sharp turn on a rough road or taking a curve at speed, the vertical tyre orientation with the road is maintained, enhancing grip. However, the camber on the front and rear suspension cannot be adjusted.

The steering system is a rack and pinion type (with power-assistance) mounted on a cross member. To increase rigidity and produce a tighter, more responsive steering feel, the steering gear has widely-spaced
mounting locations.

MAINTENANCE
As with all Fords sold here, maintenance costs can be expected to be fairly moderate. The company suggests that, compared to the CR-V, Escape owners stand to save about RM3,400 over a 5-year period of ownership. That’s because the Escape service interval is 10,000 kms, longer than the CR-V’s 5,000 kms which means halving of the cost of engine oil among other things. The costs of changing parts according to the schedule during the same period for the Escape is said to be RM804.70, while for the Honda, it is RM2,224.20 (although Honda has lowered its parts prices since Ford made this calculation). Furthermore, Ford Malaysia offers five free services but Honda offers only three, which means that you would not pay for labour charges for the duration of the warranty which is 2 years/50,000 kms (whichever comes first.

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