Nov. 17--Ford unveiled the redesigned 2017 Escape on the eve of the press preview of the 2015 Los Angeles Auto Show.
The compact crossover is all new from the windshield forward, with the same trapezoidal split grille as the redesigned 2015 Ford Edge. The headlights are a bit sharper, the side vents more rectangular, and its slightly wider, but the biggest difference on the second best-selling crossover in the U.S. is it's loaded with the latest technology.
The 2.5-liter four-cylinder base model engine remains, but Ford offers two new EcoBoost engines in the Escape. A direct injection 1.5-liter turbo four cylinder is available in all three trims, while a direct injection 2.0-liter twin scroll turbo four cylinder available in SE and Titanium trims. Both Eco engines come with available all-wheel drive.
Over 80 percent of Escape customers bought the outgoing 1.6-liter EcoBoost, and Ford expects 90 percent of customers to use the more fuel efficient and punchier engines.
Both Eco engines come standard with start/stop technology that shuts down the engine while idling at stop lights and starts back up when you let off the brake, thereby conserving gas.
"The average driver spends 16 minutes a day idling," said Ford spokesperson Mark Schirmer. Start/stop is expected to improve fuel economy by an estimated 4 to 6 percent in stop-and-go traffic, Ford says.
Fuel economy numbers will be out nearer the release date late in the second quarter of 2016. The current front-wheel-drive EcoBoost Escape gets 23 mpg city, 32 mpg highway.
On the inside, the center console is freed from the clunky parking brake in place of an electronic brake button.
Designers also opened up interior cavities to stow all our plugged in devices, which aims to please the Escape's target demographic of Millennials and Boomers.
"We've put in a lot of usable space for bigger smartphones, bigger sunglasses," said Escape engineer Milton Wong.
The Escape is loaded with advanced safety features and connected car technology, including available self-parking and Sync Connect, which lets owners locate, unlock, start and warm up the interior of the car from a smartphone app.
"The Escape has always been synonymous with the launch of our new technology," Schirmer said.
Introduced in model year 2001, the Escape is the second best-selling model in Ford's lineup behind the F-150 pickup truck, which is the best-selling vehicle in the U.S.
With the fourth generation Escape, Ford expects to avoid the problems that plagued the 2013 Escape, which was recalled 11 times for mostly minor problems.
