Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

Spy Shots: 2013 Ford Escape caught!

We may not know whether Ford will stick with the Escape name when the vehicle's successor comes along in 2012 as a 2013 model, but thanks to the quick shutters of our crack team of spy photographers, we now have a vague idea of what the machine will look like. Peek beneath all of that camouflage and you're likely to see a vehicle that borrows nearly all of its proportions from the recently-unveiled Vertrek Concept. That boxy aft-end appears to be nothing but floppy camouflage designed to hide the vehicle's arching rear hatch.

The Escape successor is slated to ride on the Blue Oval's global C1 platform – the same bones that make up the Focus, C-Max and Transit Connect, among other future products. There's word that Ford will banish the V6 in favor of an Ecoboost 2.0-liter engine at the top of the line. At this point, it's unclear whether that four-pot will be a 1.6-liter or a larger 2.0-liter mill. Lower rung trims will likely still pack a 2.5-liter four-cylinder lump.

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-...shots/#3943388









http://www.autoblog.com/2011/03/03/s...escape-caught/

lamar411

looks pretty good, liking the dual exhaust

mmarshall

Come on, Ford....take those idiotic bras and wrappers off, and just show us the damn car. We don't have time to play hide-and-go-seek.

Seriously, I get p***ed-off every time I see that same cover-up nonsense every time a new or redesign comes out.....and Ford is not the only company guilty of that.

Thanks for at least posting what you could find, Hoovey. It's not your fault that auto marketers can sometimes be jack-a**es.

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

Why would a company want to show competitors how their car looks like a year or two before it's actually planned to debut? That gives competitors an unnecessary head start. EVERY company does this...

IS-SV

^ Agreed, I really want to see this preproduction prototype, but I understand secrecy. The concept car looks really good.

But thanks Hoovey for the groovey preview. I'm considering this Escape/Vertrek for my SUV replacement, if the engines meet my stringent criteria.

mmarshall

I don't buy that argument. Some models are shown off at auto shows 3 or 4 years in advance (as soon as they come off the design-boards). This was the case, for example, with all three ponycars.....Mustang, Camaro, and Challenger. We saw all three years before they actually went into production.

IS-SV

btw, the concept car (Vertrek) is displayed at 2011 car shows and photos are readily available. Since the concept car is not super radical, it's likely the production model will look very similar. Ford has purposely displayed the concept car to increase interest level.

mmarshall

Would you be disappointed if there was no V6 in the new one (as the article hints at)? The current 4-cylinder Escape is a little on the underpowered side (That's why Ford only does the AWD version with a V6) and the Ecoboost-4 which may be an option on the new one has decent power, but is not as refined as a V6....and the Ecoboost, to my knowledge, needs premium gas.

97-SC300

iTrader: (17)

I agree with mmarshall,

It's not like Ford (or any other company) would be revealing any blueprints about how their new technologies work. All they would be revealing is the design from the outside. Heck, nowadays everybody copies everybody anyways, so why would it matter if a competitor copied Ford's design now and not in a year or in two years. It's gonna happen eventually if the design is good and likable. Hyundai would be the first ones to do this as they have shown from basically all their designs.

mmarshall

I saw the Vertrek they had displayed at the D.C. show. From what I remember (and you can correct me if I'm wrong), it didn't have the same body-shape as this one.

IS-SV

Good question, but no a V6 is not necessary.

. A refined turbo 4 cylinder can easily meet power requirements for AWD vehicle of this size and weight. This vehicle has no similarity to current Escape.

. The need for premium gas is no big deal, doing the math, it's only another 5% more costly in CA, not a deal killer in reality.

. The last and more critical issue is refinement, a quality that is lacking in most 4-bangers. The benchmarks for 4-banger refinement might be the CRV 4 banger and the Toyota balance-shaft 4 banger in Camry. Both of these engines meet my expectations for refinement, sound quality and smoothness even at higher revs. Still TBD as to what Ford engines will deliver from a refinement and power standpoint, and I full expect all engines in this model to be 4 cylinder engines.

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

There's still a difference between concept and production cars, as we all know, and the devil is in the details. The fact of the matter is that automotive design is war and disguising cars not only keeps other car companies from knowing exactly how their competitors' cars will look but also keeps the design from being 1 to 2 years old already by the time it's released to the public. And, once again, concept cars are different from production vehicles in this respect.

IS-SV

Most industry experts are expecting the new Escape to be based on Vertrek concept car, or as close as any production model can be.

Obviously looking at all pics of the camo and black vinyl doesn't give us a clue about production model.

Pretty much throw away any memories of current Escape, the only similarities will be name and rough size of footprint, no more mini-truck-SUV styling.

mmarshall

Thanks, SC300. That was one of the the points I was trying to make.....but you explained it better than I did.

knihc2008

iTrader: (1)

I'm sorry but OF COURSE IT MATTERS if a competitor copies a design two years earlier than normal, are you kidding me?

The ClubLexus boards would be saying Mercedes copied Hyundai, not the other way around. Why would ANY car company want that?