Ford Escape (United States of America, 2012-present)

The third generation Ford Escape is much more a family sedan than it is an off-road vehicle. Think of it more as a station wagon that sits high than a truck. That being said, Ford has a good idea of what the American consumer wants. The Escape gets better mileage than its predecessor, and Ford says that it will also be better than its competitors. Ford has also added a lot of convenience features to the Escape to make it better for families.

The exterior of the Escape has been totally redesigned over last year. The design is much more reminiscent of the Focus and Fiesta than Ford's other small SUV, the Edge. The move makes the truck look more car-like and furthers the idea that this vehicle is meant more for families than off-roaders. There is a lot of glass with a large rear window, which should mean good visibility.

The Escape comes with a standard 2.5 liter four-cylinder engine or either a 2.0 liter Ecoboost or 1.6 liter Ecoboost engine. Both engines comes with Ford's six-speed automatic Select Shift transmission that allows drivers to shift manually if they want to. The Escape comes with the active grill shutters when equipped with either the 2.5l engine or 1.6l Ecoboost. The system closes shutters in the the grill at certain speeds to make the car more aerodynamic and improve fuel efficiency.

The interior of the Escape is airy and functional. It has a twin pod instrument cluster with tachometer on the left and speedometer on the right. In the center is a color LCD screen that displays other information like the compass, trip odometer and gear selection. Below that screen are two analog displays showing fuel level and water temperature. There is an optional, hands-free power liftgate that you can kick or tap to open in case you have your hands full. Ford is also offering its now standard optional features like MyFord Touch, Sync, and parallel parking assist. It also has Curve Control that slows the car when cornering too fast and torque vectoring control to improve handling.