Fun. Rugged. Down to earth.

Those were the objectives Ford’s designers set for themselves when they started the Escape project back in the mid-1990s. Toyota and Honda had shown that a big market existed for small sport-utility vehicles (SUVs) and as the maker of the most SUVs in the world (the Explorer is the best-selling SUV on the planet), it was only right that Ford should offer a model in this growing segment.

Distributors around the world were asked for their input on how such a new model should be and from the outset, it was decided that the target market was the younger buyer with an active lifestyle. In other words, the new SUV had to exude a sense of youthfulness, adventure and delight, and more importantly, it had to appeal to customers not only in North America but around the world. Observing and listening to what those who owned a RAV4 or CR-V had to say was useful as Ford product planners were able to determine what was missing and aimed to provide that in the Escape.

Preliminary work began in Dearborn, Michigan, but across the Pacific in Japan, engineers at Ford’s Mazda affiliate were also at work on a small SUV. Keith Takasawa, chief program engineer for the Escape, along with 30
other engineers and designers from the US, travelled to Japan to find out more about Mazda’s concept. Shortly after that meeting, the two teams decided to combine the projects. Takasawa was named the senior chief program engineer on both projects, and Yoshihito Nagamoto of Mazda became the chief engineer for the Mazda version. Separate Ford and Mazda design teams were established to ensure that each vehicle would be designed to meet market needs and brand identities. A common Ford-Mazda engineering team developed the platform.

“We were confident with our Ford SUV heritage,” said Craig Metros, the Escape’s design manager. “Much of the design inspiration came from research aimed at understanding customer lifestyles, needs, tastes and activities.”

As the design evolved, it was clear that the theme would have to be universally recognized for this model to have appeal in the 167 markets worldwide where it was intended to be sold. Ford engineers and designers
spent two years in Japan working alongside Mazda engineers to ensure that the Escape would have outstanding spaciousness in interior and cargo room, yet be an efficient, internationally sized package. Mazda engineers also spent time in Dearborn with Ford team members. This merging of groups helped economize development costs for Ford and Mazda without sacrificing the brand image of either vehicle. It also helped to identify common components that could be used, further reducing the production cost.

“We wanted to keep the Ford a Ford and the Mazda a Mazda,” emphasised Paul Linden, who was the Escape’s project management supervisor. “Both SUVs were given completely unique exterior designs. Functionally, the Escape is a ‘tough sport utility vehicle’, while the Mazda vehicle (called the Tribute) is positioned as a ‘sports sedan of small SUVs’.”

Ford engineers wanted a vehicle with overall cargo area width to accommodate 4-foot widths of building material (for D-I-Y purposes), an important consideration for many customers in North America. The Mazda side, however, wanted a design that provided ample package space so owners could easily load bicycles in the rear. The end result was an SUV designed slightly taller and wider to satisfy the needs of consumers in both major markets.

“In some cases, we were on the same page,” recalled Metros of the development process. “In others, we worked on ‘win-win’ solutions.”

Research had shown that many small SUV buyers and even those buying large SUVs were women. They appreciated the higher ride height that gave a commanding view all round and the extra security of the ‘rugged’ body. So women’s inputs were given a lot of attention, particularly when it came to the package and proportions of the Escape.

For example, ensuring the rear door could easily be reached and pulled down by all buyers, regardless of height or strength, was an issue that came out of such consumer interaction. So, too, did Escape’s 1770 mm height. Unlike some other SUVs, the Escape sits at a comfortable height, while retaining the solid, sturdy stance that SUV buyers like.

“Input from female consumers was important because we knew that, even though many women buy SUVs, a large number were staying away from larger SUVs,” said Takasawa. “We paid a lot of attention to keeping the sill height low and packaging the driver’s seat and major controls very carefully with all drivers in mind. All drivers benefit as a result.”

The overall dimensions of the Escape – 4395 mm in length, 1780 mm in width – were important considerations for the more densely populated cites in Europe and Asia. Clearly, a large vehicle would be less welcome and so it required clever interior packaging to also achieve the spaciousness required. This was helped by the generously dimensioned floorpan which has a 2620 mm wheelbase with a track of 1555 mm in front and 1550 mm in the rear, almost 70 mm wider than the Explorer.

“We wanted a vehicle that looked like an agile and sure-footed athlete with the capability to go off-road but we did not want it to look toy-like because of its smaller size. So we also gave it a ‘serious SUV’ image,” said Metros

To help underscore the athletic image, black side step bars are standard. These step bars feature non-slip surfaces, aiding ingress and egress and
access to the roof rack for shorter people. The designers held numerous clinics with both men and women to help improve the location and design of the step bars, which are also a common sight on bigger Ford SUVs.

“We located the step bar on the Escape after a very detailed analysis of this testing,” Takasawa revealed. “With the step bar in the new location, approximately 70% of women participating in a special test actually used it to get in and out of the vehicle. That is double the current usage rate for most step bars.”

The Escape team knew that first impressions of a vehicle can be lasting, so great care was taken to ensure that Escape created a lasting impression. The full-grip door handles are just one example of the attention to detail in creating a robust identity. The handles are wide and thick, designed to be a handful when a customer grips them, giving a strong, durable, sure feel. Sophisticated computers were used to map the size of different hands. “We didn’t want anything that felt fragile,” Metros said. “The door handles were designed to feel confident and refined without losing Ford’s tough and rugged image.”

Even sounds were studied meticulously. Door latches “borrowed” from the Lincoln LS (a luxury passenger car model) were modified to produce a more “truck-like” closing sound when used in the Escape.

Attention to detail continued under the bonnet. Wires were grouped in neat bundles and even the caps for fluids such as coolant, windscreen and engine oil were positioned to face the customer when the bonnet is raised. “We went through the whole under-bonnet appearance,” explained Noah Mass, vehicle integration supervisor for the Escape. “When a customer looks at it, we want the engine compartment to look good. It’s yet another detail that strengthens the bond between the Escape and the customer.”

“We believe we have created the ultimate blend – a tough SUV that will suit active, urban lifestyles.” declared J. Mays, Ford’s vice-president – Design.

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.

Power windows are standard front and rear and can be operated from the driver’s door as well as individual doors. The central locking system has a nice touch in that there are unlock buttons on both the driver’s as well as the passenger’s doors. This comes in handy for the passenger who may be waiting in the car while the driver pops out to the ATM to get money. When the remote control is used, a single press unlocks on the driver’s door which is a good idea for security. Two presses will unlock all doors and the rear door. The courtesy light comes on whenever the doors are unlocked or the ignition key is pulled out. And if you are the forgetful type, the headlights will be automatically switched off 30 seconds after the ignition key is removed, preventing the battery from going flat overnight.

The boot volume (924 litres) is quite large and deep and a roll-up cover is provided to hide the cargo. There are also pockets along the sides and strung right across the opening is a cargo sack which is a sort of netting that is handy for dropping in groceries and keeping them from tumbling around. For larger items, there are folding loops on the floor which can be used to attach elastic cords or string. The spare wheel (a full-sized one) is stowed under the carpet and there’s a moulded tray to contain the few tools that are provided.

The cargo area can be accessed either by opening the whole top-hinged door or by popping open the glass alone. Personally, I prefer a side-hinged door as you can still open it a bit to put in things even when parked up against a wall. However, the pop-open window is a convenient feature and is likely to be used more.

In most cases, the cargo area should be adequate for most people but on those occasions when extra-long items need to be carried, the backrests can be folded down separately or together. The nice thing in the Escape is that the seats also fold forward to allow the backrest to lie flat. And not only that, they can be easily removed for an extra 200 mm of space, a feature which I have not come across in other SUVs (although I understand the new Renault Scenic RX4 also has it).

Ford Malaysia has also included a roof rack in the locally-assembled model (it’s an option in most other places) although it seems more to enhance the ‘adventure image’. Few people are likely to make use of it (it can take a load of 44 kgs) and given the height of the vehicle, mounting a bike rack on the roof would also be impractical.

Well aware that SUVs are prime targets for thieves, Ford Malaysia is providing a high-grade vehicle security system known as ‘PATS’. This has the immobiliser integrated in the engine management system, unlike some other systems which have the immobiliser as an independent unit that can be removed. The system is claimed to have 72 quadrillion codes (don’t know how many zeros that is!) which change each time it is activated. Like more expensive models, the key carries a tiny transponder that sends a signal to the sensor in the steering column, so care needs to be taken not to lose it.

POWERTRAIN
The Escape is powered by a 2.0-litre 4-cylinder DOHC 16-valve sequential EFI engine which comes from the Zetec family. Camshaft drive is by a glass-reinforced nitrile rubber belt. The output from this long-stroke engine is 98.5 kW/134 ps at 5400 rpm which is about average for this type of engine. Torque is 185 Nm, peaking at a rather high 4500 rpm. In compliance with the latest Malaysian regulations, the engine meets the Euro-2 emission control standards which are applied to new models introduced from this year.

Power flows primarily to the front wheels via a Ford CD4E 4-speed electronic automatic transmission with adaptive capabilities, meaning the shifting characteristics adapt to the individual driving style. However, the adapting is not immediate as the transmission management system has to ‘study’ the way the driver shifts and according to Ford, the change gradually comes over a few hundred kms.

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This is where monocoque construction is better. In the body-on-chassis construction, the bodyshell sways during cornering as it is bolted to the chassis frame and the handling is usually mushy. But with monocoque construction, sway is reduced although given the higher ride height of an SUV to get more ground clearance, the higher centre of gravity still means that there will be some body roll.

Ford engineers also spent a lot of time giving the Escape a strong body which would protect its occupants in accidents. focussing on ‘energy management’ for better occupant protection. Typically, energy generated in a frontal crash is absorbed by a vehicle’s rail frame but in the Escape, a fender reinforcement has been added, allowing the energy load of a crash to be spread between the lower rail frame and an upper path that goes through the roof. In addition, high-tensile steel beams inside the doors offer additional resistance during side impacts. The body panels are also stamped in single sections that encompass the door openings, a practice which minimizes build variations, ensures more accurate door openings and facilitates consistent quality.

While on the subject of safety, the Escape also comes with second-generation dual front airbags as well as 4-wheel ABS with Electronic Brake force Distribution (EBD). With EBD, the influence of load and weight distribution is prevented since a sensor measures the slippage between the front wheels and rear wheels. The brake pressure is constantly adjusted so that optimum braking is achieved at all times. You could say EBD enhances ABS for more effective braking.

For those who have childseats to install in the back, Ford has thoughtfully provided LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for CHildren) in the outer locations of the rear seats. Comprising anchor points in the seats and ceiling mounted attachment points, LATCH makes it easy to quickly and easily secure childseats inside the Escape. Hopefully, owners will make full use of LATCH.

INTERIOR
With a volume of 3.8 cubic metres, Ford claims the Escape’s cabin space is the largest in class. This is apparent the moment you get inside. The ceiling is high up (so high that the map lights don’t seem bright enough) and the seats are nice and wide. The windows are also large so the ambience is one of airiness and pleasant for any journey.

The dashboard has some design cues from the Explorer with its somewhat vertical presentation and depending on the body colour, you get either a light gray or light brown colour. The instrument panel has white-faced meters which make for better legibility and at night, the white faces turn black while the numbers and calibrations become green. As with many of the newer cars, the tripmeter and odometer are now displayed on a small LCD panel and an be alternately displayed by pressing a short stalk sticking out from the panel. The audio system is situated in the upper middle section of the dashboard and the standard unit comes with a built-in CD player. Below it are the ventilation controls which are within easy reach.

As with all its North American SUVs, Ford has also located the Escape’s shift lever at the steering column instead of the usual position between the front seats. This is supposed to liberate space between the seats although the designers chose not to create a walk-through concept like that in the CR-V.

Storage space is one of the Escape’s stronger points and it’s not surprising because input from women was given a lot of attention. There’s a small slot below the audio unit which is good for toll cards and down near the floor, a deep compartment which is good for a tissue box. Between the seats are two cupholders and a removable circular ashtray can be slotted into one of them. The console box that doubles as an armrest is incredibly huge and deep, able to swallow more things than the glovebox.

Rear accommodation is as spacious as the front and three adults are unlikely to feel discomfort. Additionally, the backrests can be angled a bit for a bit more comfort. Ford is one of the few companies to provide air ducts under the front seats to deliver more air to the rear area. There are also cupholders provided but these are right down at floor level, swinging down from the back of the console box.

Generally, the Escape is a well equipped SUV and comes with just about every convenience feature an owner would need. It doesn’t have a clock, though, which is surprising although there is a clock in the audio unit’s display. Presumably Ford feels that since most people will take an audio unit and it has its own clock, there is no point in duplication.

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Malaysians have been reading a lot about the Ford Escape since late last year when the company announced it would assemble the small SUV in Malaysia. Positive test-drive reports by motoring journalists in April increased interest and in a new approach to marketing, Ford Malaysia specially imported a batch of Escapes from Japan so that customers could try them out at dealerships. It was a break from tradition where people place orders and never really try before deciding to buy since no units are available until local assembly commences. It was so unusual that many people thought the Escape had been launched and were puzzled why they would only be able to get their units in August.

From the end of April until the official launch tonight, Ford Malaysia collected a couple of hundred orders, indicating that the strategy was effective and also that the Escape was appealing. That’s good news for the company since it has decided to stop offering the Telstar, its representative in the 2.0-litre sedan segment. For non-national makes, this segment (which accounted for 5.4% of all cars sold in 2000) has become smaller as prices have risen since the economic crisis of 1997/1998; non-national makes had a 54% share of the segment in 1997 and it fell to 25% last year. As such Ford Malaysia feels it is no longer worth competing in the segment for small volumes and has decided to offer an SUV instead.

The switch to an SUV makes sense since such vehicles are increasingly popular and the duty structure is also not as high as for passenger cars. This is why the Escape can be priced at RM140,000 (without insurance), an acceptable price level for many.

DESIGN
At a glance, the Escape looks fairly generic for an SUV and resembles a cross between a Honda CR-V and Land Rover Freelander. Perhaps it’s hard to be really different when designing a SUV but if you look a bit longer, you will notice that there are some styling elements which are cleverly incorporated to give a more rugged image to the Escape. The way the middle section of the front bumper extends upwards on either side of the grille gives the impression of a strong front end while the same treatment is evident at the rear end.

The North American influence seems strong in the rear end as the external spare wheel is absent. This is common in many North American SUVs and it tends to stray from the image of the typical 4WD SUV where the spare wheel is prominently hung on the back. However, there are good reasons why the spare wheel should not be there, as an independent organisation in the USA discovered recently after crash-testing SUVs. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, the externally-mounted spare wheel, “which is predominantly for styling reasons, guarantees excessive damage and high repair costs from a whole range of rear-end collisions”. Apart from saving you money, having the spare wheel inside also keeps it cleaner and you have less worries of it being stolen.

While the rivals would include the Toyota RAV4 as well, it is the CR-V which the Escape is directly challenging since the RAV4 and Freelander are both full-time 4WD vehicles and besides, they aren’t assembled locally and have a different price structure. So we’ll restrict comparisons to the CR-V and in size, the Escape is shorter by 55 mm but wider by 75 mm. It is also taller than the Honda by 65 mm, giving it interior headroom that is even greater than its much bigger brother, the Explorer. However, while both SUVs have the same wheelbase of 2620 mm, which is quite generous. More on The Development Story

Structurally, the Escape follows the trend of today’s small SUVs in that it has is monocoque or ‘unibody’, as Ford terms it. Although many people may think it was the RAV4 which started this trend, Jeep actually started using it for its Cherokee as far back as the mid-1980s.

With monocoque construction, the bodyshell and floorpan are welded as a single unit, like a passenger car’s. This differs from the separate bodyshell and chassis frame design used for the larger SUVs. There are pros and cons for the two construction methods, the separate type being claimed by hardcore off-roaders to be tougher for rough conditions. But for the sort of driving envisaged by 99.9% of Escape owners, such robust engineering is unnecessary and the owners would prefer comfort and handling sharpness.

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