All-New Ford Escape Brings Style and Substance to Small SUVs with Class-Leading Hybrids, Flexibility and Exclusive Technology

[Ford Super News Ticker]

With today’s reveal of the stylish new Escape, featuring the small SUV’s best-ever performance, flexibility and smart new technology, Ford is reinventing the model that helped drive the popularity of the segment.

 

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[Automate]

2020 Escape available as Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. Anyone buying one?

[Texasota]

2020 Escape available as Hybrid and Plug-in Hybrid. Anyone buying one?

It looks promising. When it is time to replace my FFH I will take a serious look at it. By that time they should have all the initial bugs worked out.

[Automate]

The Escape Hybrid mechanically sounds similar to the current Fusion Hybrid except that it has water cooled batteries.

 

Oh, and the engine displacement went back up to 2.5 liters like the 2010-2012s.

Edited April 3, 2019 by Automate

[Texasota]

The Escape Hybrid mechanically sounds similar to the current Fusion Hybrid except that it has water cooled batteries.

The water cooling is interesting. I suspect it may have become a necessity for passenger comfort since the batteries are packaged underneath the rear seat.

[Automate]

The water cooling is interesting. I suspect it may have become a necessity for passenger comfort since the batteries are packaged underneath the rear seat.

Yes, it is interesting. I don't think the air cooling always worked the best, but it is simple. The batteries perform best when the are kept around 75 degrees. In many situations this was not possible with air cooling. Remember the original Ford hybrid, the Escape, used the air-conditioner to cool the batteries.

[mwr]

the engine displacement went back up to 2.5 liters like the 2010-2012s.

Interesting. I wonder why.

[Texasota]

Interesting. I wonder why.

This CR article (https://www.consumerreports.org/suvs/2020-ford-escape-preview/) says that the hybrid versions can tow up to 1500 pounds. That is different than our FFHs which are not rated at all for towing. Maybe that is part of the reason?

 

Another article I saw speculated that the hybrids's EPA combined MPG rating would be 40 MPG. It that is achieved, then it would be only one less that the FFH. It looks a lot like a larger Focus hatch back. I'm looking forward to looking at one next fall.

[mwr]

From the official photo, I like the looks, quite FFH-like. I also like the idea of a car about a foot shorter than the FFH, as long as I have good driver legroom.

[Texasota]

The battery pack for the 2020 Escape hybrid is described as being about the size of a briefcase with a capacity of 1.1 kWh. The FFH has a battery capacity of 1.4 kWh. I wonder why the engineers gave it a smaller capacity? Anyone have ideas on that?

[Automate]

Maybe they determined the power rating (kW) is more important than the energy rating (kWh) . And with newer technology batteries they could get same same or more power out of a smaller battery.