Ford Escape - What the Auto Press Says

The 2011 Ford Escape is the best compact SUV for you if you want to drive a relic, albeit a popular one.

The 2011 Ford Escape represents – thank goodness -- the final model year for a vehicle that dates from the Clinton administration. Escape went on sale in summer 2000 as a 2001 model, and despite some new engines and styling revisions, its basic engineering and structural design are original. Ford’s kept Escape priced right and relevant to enough buyers to make it America’s No. 2 best-selling compact SUV. Crash-test ratings are good, a hybrid version is available, and Escape can even park itself. But the interior is cramped, road manners archaic. This SUV was good in its day, but its day has passed.

Should you wait for the 2011 Ford Escape or buy a 2010 Ford Escape? Actually, you should skip both the 2010 and 2011 Escape and hold out for the 2012 Ford Escape. It’ll be an all-new and fully contemporary crossover with European-bred engineering and world-class design credentials.