Ford Escape XLS 2003 Review

The popular mid-sized softroader is based on subsidiary Mazda's Tribute but until now Mazda has had four cylinder territory to itself (excuse the pun), because Ford decided initially that it didn't want the four – only the V6 thanks.

That was then and back then it was a 2.0-litre four, but now the engine has grown to a larger, more powerful and much more appealing 2.3-litre unit.

Ford has snapped up the engine which its says will give it "a vital weapon in the burgeoning compact 4WD market segment".

It points out that 80 per cent of compact 4WDs sales last year were four cylinder powered vehicles.

Ergo a four cylinder Escape means that it can go head to head with market leader Nissan X-Trail.

There is not much difference mechanically between the four cylinder Escape and Tribute, but we reckon the Ford has a slight edge in the looks department.

Brighter colours especially give the Escape a more sporty appearance.

The Ford also seems to handle a little better, no doubt due to local suspension tuning.

The 2.3-litre DOHC four-cylinder engine produces 108kW of power at 6000rpm and 201Nm of torque at 4500rpm.

It uses a Variable Intertia-charging System (VIS) for better torque and fuel economy throughout the rev range.

Both four cylinder and V6 engines are mated to a four-speed automatic transmission, although the tranny in the four employs slightly different ratios.

Brakes are discs front and drums back and ABS with electronic brake force distribution is standard.

On the road four cylinder Escape is surprisingly quick off the mark and the more you drive it the better it seems to get.

The big plus is the price and of course lower fuel consumption which is rated at 10.3L/100km compared to 12.2L for the V6.

Both vehicles share the same on "on-demand" all- wheel drive system.

In normal driving, the system transfers up to 50 per cent of engine power to the rear ensuring maximum grip when wheel slip is detected.

If the going gets really rough you can lock up the distribution of torque evenly between the front and back.

A dash-mounted switch activates an electro- magnetic coupling.

Even in wet conditions the vehicle remains very tidy and with generous ground clearance can handle rougher dirt tracks, but with no low range it is no rock hopper.

Standard equipment is generous but we were a little disappointed to set no lap/sash seatbelt for the centre rear passenger.

The Escape 2.3-litre XLS is priced from $31,990.