2013 Ford Escape to Tow 3,500 lbs.

[Gary and Cheri]

Autoweek is reporting that the 2013 Ford Escape with Ecoboost will be abel to tow 3500 lbs which is greater than other vehicles in it's class. I looked at them before buying my current Jetta Sportwagen TDI but was only mildly impressed. If they get rid of shift on the tree I may look more seriously in the future. If you are interested here is the article.

Gary

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2012031 ... dailydrive

[Gary and Cheri]

If you are looking for something bigger with 4 wheel drive and a 9 (yes nine) speed transmission you may want to wait for the new Jeep Patriot.

Gary

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2012031 ... dailydrive

[CarlLaFong]

Autoweek is reporting that the 2013 Ford Escape with Ecoboost will be abel to tow 3500 lbs which is greater than other vehicles in it's class. I looked at them before buying my current Jetta Sportwagen TDI but was only mildly impressed. If they get rid of shift on the tree I may look more seriously in the future. If you are interested here is the article.

Just wondering why the location of the shift lever would be a deal breaker? My Dodge Cummins has gone 275K, all over the country, pulling our 30 ft 5th wheel with the shifter on the "tree". I never considered it a liability

[Verna]

My 2012 Ford Escape V6 4WD that I bought last month has the shift on the console, not on the tree. In looking at the pictures in the link above, it looks like they've left the shift on the console. Not wanting to start an argument, just wanted to check to make sure they hadn't altered the design more than I thought was going to happen.

And, the 2012's also have the 3,500 lb towing capacity. That is one of the reasons that I bought the Escape. My SideKick weighs just under 1,500 lbs dry weight and I did want to make sure I could tow it.

Oh, and the gas mileage on the 2012, so far, is better than advertised. The 4WD is advertised at 18 in town and 24 on the road. I've gotten an average of 19.5 mpg total for all of the 1,600 miles I've driven. I have a lot of stop and go driving, shutting the engine off for a couple of minutes while I take a meal to a client, starting the engine again, and this gas mileage is wonderful!!! On Monday, I was driving back from Southern Indiana doing 70 mph and I was averaging almost 27 mpg. I sure hope it keeps on getting better!!!

That EcoBoost sounds interesting. But, I needed a vehicle now, and I couldn't wait until later this year.

[Gary and Cheri]

CarlLaFong we all have little things that bug us and I grew up with the shifter on the tree and hated it. I also said I would never buy a stationwagen in my life as that is all my parents ever drove. My Jetta by the way is a sportwagen and I love it. If the car is good enough I can get over my little quirks. The 2013 Escape looks real appealing.

Gary

[Gary and Cheri]

Slow,

I know what you are saying about an old pickup. I have a 1965 Mini Cooper which I can grab a wrench and work on. Problem with the car is that it is about a 16 mpg car that runs on premium. It's alittle race prepped. I started out driving with gas at $.24 and today it's now $4.00 and going higher. When today's gas triples in price it is going to be hard to justify drivng your truck and my Mini. Car companies have been pushed by corporate averge milage standards to now do something about that. Heres VW's answer;

http://www.autoweek.com/article/2012030 ... /120309934

A car that gets 131 mpg with 4 wheel drive and it's not a little car but some with room to fit people in. The vehicles we will see in the next 10 years are going to be amazing. I've always wondered why a Corvette with several hundred horses can get over 30 mpg while alot of our small 4 banger cars can't get out of the 20s.

Gary

[dmckruit]

I have a 2008 Escape v6 and it's supposed to tow 3500# with a tow package. I get about 22 mpg on average. My nephew works as a mechanic at a Ford dealership. He said they get a lot of the vehicles with the ecoboost package coming back in for service because they are not getting the mpg that Ford claims in their advertisements. He said especially with the F150s. He said you will do better on mpg by getting the larger 8 cylinder models.

[mckenney56]

Here's my 2 cents on mpg. I'm getting 33mpg out of my 40mpg advertised car. Those EPA figures are calculated on a machine, not in the real world. The mpg you get out of ANY car has more to do with the driver than the car. Just airing your tires up correctly can make a 2 mpg difference. I read somewhere that how much stuff you are carrying around in your car can cost you 1 or 2 mpg. I see drivers everyday on my daily 20 mile commute to work that drive like it is a race to see who will get there first. That's hard on the car and very bad for the mpg. Then they complain when they don't get the mpg figure that was on the window sticker when they bought the car. The Ford Ecoboost pickups won't get the mpg they advertise if you stomp hard on the gas at every green light and brake hard when the next one turns red. So lets all leave earlier, accelerate slower, brake earlier, and drive 55 not 62 in a 55 zone. That way we will all fill up less often. Then you'll have more money to spend on your camper.

[rowerwet]

almost nobody gets the EPA milage, it is a test that involves more math than actual driving, the reason they use it is it is the only testing that every lab can get the same results over and over. In my book this would be another reason to ditch the EPA along with a bunch of other fed. govt. agencies. Let CA lead the way in mileage ratings and emissions and the other states can follow as they choose.

[JohnnyG]

My 2010 Nissan Versa has hit 51 mpg at a steady 65mph on a recent trip...rated at 35 mpg I think. I've hit 46.1 mpg with my 07 Kia Rio, also rated at about 35mpg; never got less than 28 with the Rio in city driving!

[JohnnyG]

No foolin!

[mckenney56]

I got 29.3 on a 1000 mile trip last weekend pulling my canoe trailer which weighed around 300 lbs loaded with one boat. About half of that on the interstate at 70 mph.



I get around 33 mpg on my regular commute to work.

[bestclimb]

The reason most people don't get the EPA drive cycle number is that most people drive more aggressively than the cycle.

The EPA number involves a couple lab test "drives" it puts up a consistent number on which a consumer can make a somewhat quantitative buying decision. I wish they would add a couple numbers to it though. MPG at a a few steady speeds, such as 30-40-50-60 mph.

[Mojave Bob]

almost nobody gets the EPA milage...

Aint that the truth. In my 30-some-odd years of driving, I have never owned or driven a car in which I did not exceed the EPA ratings by several miles to the gallon. Yup, EXCEED. It all comes down to driving style. One of the car magazines recently tested a few of the new 40mpg cars, to see if they could really get that while still driving normally. So many people were complaining, they thought it was worth checking out. On the Hyundai they tested, they said on their normal evaluation tests, they got high 20s. However, when they drove like reasonable human beings, the car got nearly 50mpg. I recently rented a Toyota Corolla for a day. According to the trip computer, the previous renter(s) had gotten about 28mpg. I don't know where they drove it. I think it is EPA rated for about 35mpg. I drove it all day, from eastern Indiana to western Illinois and back, and got 43.5mpg. My own 1995 Honda Civic, with 235,000 miles, got 59.75mpg on my last road trip. I'd have exceeded 60mpg if I hadn't gotten stuck in traffic on the south side of Chicago. Yes, you really can stick a C-note back in your pocket every month, just by changing your driving style.

[aze0105]

Hi. Have you heard that Ford has announced that it is recalling 11,500 more 2013 Ford Escape SUVs? I just read it recently from an article. This time, at fault is a faulty fuel line that can break in 1.6-liter engines. This can lead to a fuel drip, which in turn can result in engine fire. Consumers who have acquired 2013 Ford Escape SUV with a 1.6-liter engine are being urged by Ford Motors to contact their dealership right away.