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The 2004 Ford Escape Is Not What You Think: RCR Race To the Bottom
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- Опубликовано: 15 авг 2024
- Welcome to Race to the Bottom, the latest Regular Car Reviews series! This week, Roman continues his search for the worst car of all-time with an RCR first: the 2004 Ford Escape! This is the SUV that Ford refused to call a Crossover, from a period where they were still knee deep in their partnership with Mazda. But is this an all-time bad example of poor automotive engineering? Or is the bad press surrounding this car over-exaggerated? Could this actually be a sleeper hit? Join us for a test drive and an in-depth critique, as Regular Car Reviews takes on the 2004 Ford Escape in an all-new Race to the Bottom!
00:00 Intro
02:10 I Don't Trust Ford
04:09 The Appeal of the Unappealing
05:07 Engine Talk and Build Critique
10:26 Guessing the Price
12:39 Transmission Problems, Recalls, Dangers
15:18 Where Is the Water Pump?
17:37 More Recalls and Failure Points
19:26 This Is Not A 4x4
21:30 What Is This Car?
22:40 In Defense of the Ford Escape
23:49 The Ford/Mazda Partnership
25:00 Can I Recommend This?
26:35 Test Drive
32:42 Surprised By the Escape
34:37 I've Wasted My Life
39:02 Final Thoughts and Ranking
Videos mentioned in this review:
Crazy Taxi In Real Life (Plus RCR Car Meet Details): • Crazy Taxi In Real Lif...
The Complete History of the Corvette: • The Complete History o...
Why I'm Selling My Mustang: • Why I'm Selling My Mus...
2008 Jeep Grand Cherokee Laredo (Regular Car Reviews): • 2008 Jeep Grand Cherok...
Keywords: 2004 Ford Escape, 2004 Ford Escape review, ford escape, ford, escape, regular car reviews, rcr, regular cars, race to the bottom, mazda, mazda tribute, used cars, cars, car reviews, compact SUV, crossover, crossover SUV, SUV, road test, test drive, driving, rcr reviews, best car reviews, automotive, used car reviews, 2000s cars, cheap cars
Over 20 years ago I trudged into a Mazda dealer to low ball them on a brand new Tribute that I was buying for my wife. Hated it, hated the idea of it. Today, it sits in my driveway, having toured the country twice towing a camper, including thousands of KMs off road - and I am now sharing driving it with my daughter. It broke a tailgate lock 13 years ago, the alternator needed replacing last year, and somewhere along the line the power antenna stopped working. It's not the greatest car in the world, it's just a Tribute
Good news… Replacement power antennas are still available out there, and there was never really that many manufacturers or designs of them. You can fix it… Also, upgraded the head unit in my Volvo to an Alpine carplay one, and with a little adaptor box, the pop up aerial gets the best DAB digital radio (free thing in the U.K) signal I’ve ever had in a car.
i see what you did there...
I lol'd at the subtle Tenacious D reference.
wife had a Tribute for years. It was honestly a great vehicle
Can't tell if this man has accepted being dead inside, but he's definitely dependable. He deserves a tribute! 🎖️
Hard to believe 2004 crossover seekers succumbed to the common curves of the Ford Escape when the Pontiac Aztek was RIGHT THERE. The Escape didn't even have a tent for... activities. ⛺️
Edgy Breaking bad fans in search of the aztec colour in the series, and can't understand why they can't seem to find it lol.
(Reason : pontiac never ever made that particular colour. The colour of the aztec in the series was custom for the series. They wanted a colour that wasn't available but looked like it was standard, and also as bland as possible to emphasise his mundane but slightly off character at the start of the show
....or something like that. Hardcore breaking bad fans please don't lynch me. You'll be met with silence and zero fux given.)
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATPthis was before Breaking Bad tho, that show aired in 2008
@@dopey473 yes it was- but many wanted the aztec after the show and looked out for the colour.....and couldn't find it. (Due to being customised for the series)
@@orderofmagnitude-TPATP yeah true also I didn't know that about the show, guess it makes sense. That color was a perfect thematic choice.
@@dopey473 it certainly does. Its a very well written show with so much detail and thought.
I'm laughing bc this was my first car. Bought it for 1k in 2018. The frame was falling apart, the transmission was slipping, the engine wouldn't would idle, but it refused to die. As a college kid it was a perfect car. It allowed me to move all my stuff back home during the pandemic. The differential fell apart the day I got my replacement car. It served it's purpose in the world and can now return to the earth in the junkyard with all the other escapes of that era
A scion IA? It was that bad? 🤣 how many miles did it have on it
My 02’ is still running strong at 173K miles
I remember briefly driving one of these circa 2005. My only memory of it is that it was the closest thing to driving oatmeal on wheels that I have ever experienced. 18 years later that’s what I associate it with. Congrats to Ford on a job…..done.
I learned to drive in a 2nd generation ford escape. Definitely one of the cars I have ever driven.
One of the cars of all time
@@alejandrooceguera4656maybe even one of the Fords ever made.
My ex girlfriend drove one of these. It sure was a car, and she sure did use the reason of "it snows here, so I need 4 wheel drive", even though it was Norfolk, VA. Her whole family drove Fords, right down to the Mustang and Mustang II project cars covered up half-finished in the garage. That's the only way I can explain choosing one of these things.
@@johndavis5231 was she at least a good lay with nice rack 😄
@@TheMsdos25 I liked when mr.regular said "STEP BACK ROMAN IM BEGGINING TO FORD" and forded all over those dudes
MotorWeek has a glowing review of literally every car because they have an everyone's a winner, 100% of our budget comes from OEM sponsorship review style.
the true winner for MotorWeek is the car with oil pressure and volt meter gauges
Gotta pay for John Davis' heavy spray tan somehow 😂
Could just be that just about any car is at least ‘good’ when it’s new.
The separate water pump belt is awesome. If an accessory seizes you can still drive the car without ruining the engine.
Conversely, the car will still drive when the water pump seizes, because the alternator is still going, so you won't know you're diving to catastrophic engine damage.
They have the same setup with the 2nd gen Escapes. I had to replace mine twice. It liked to remove itself no problem, but was easy to put on by zip tying the belt to the engine and have it turn over to replace it.
Glad you mentioned this. I'm pretty sure that not many people would think twice about the separate belts and their different levels of importance.
@@apodskiand the temperature gauge won't be going up?
@@porcupinepunch6893 Yeah, but the gauge isn't always immediately noticable and the rising temp gauge might be delayed beyond head warping temp if the pump is fully seized and no water is circulating. Gauge doesn't measure the water temp in the head, which can spike very rapidly with no coolant flow.
Usually water pumps make a lot of noise or leaks before complete failure. But if the whole car is noisy and leaky you might be in trouble, haha.
You nailed all the points here. I remember sobbing after my parents traded in their '90's Grand Caravan for an '02 Escape. I wasn't even four, but I loved our old minivan so much, it was difficult to say good-bye. The car would feel like it was speeding up and slowing down when trying to just hold a constant speed. The backseat was the bane to my existence -- the back felt like a church pew, and the knee space was negative, even being a shorter-than-average child. When I was 9, we took a road trip from Portland to Yellowstone, then Mt. Rushmore, then back home to Portland. With the number of Escapes I saw on the road, for the longest time I thought I held the most vitriol and spite toward the car, but I am glad that other people share in my loathing. However, after I drove Mom's 2014 Forester (with all of its "handholding"), I began to understand how sometimes you don't know how good something is until it is gone.
For this homework exercise you only get to choose RAV4 ,Forrester, or Escape... same year...
@@davidcosineCR-V
love to see roman taking a lead role in videos sometimes, on camera. the long form history centric videos are great, but this is nice as well.
What happend with the original rcr guy? Kind of feels forced with the new guy..... idk
Agreed completely. Getting the different delivery and humour of the Roman is like going to a restaurant that serves your favorite thing, trying something else, and discovering that it's just as good as your favorite.
Roman, i know you keep saying you don't want this community to buy you a car... But the community wants to buy you a car. I want to contribute.
Your work is incredible, i love your work on RCR stories. You've provided me with hours and hours of learning and entertainment. Throw up your payment details man!
Do they not earn any money from RUclips? He has almost 1,000,000 subscribers. I’m confused why they are broke.
@@daveh2612I can’t imagine most of their videos are advertiser friendly. Add to that their view counts don’t exceed 200k on most videos and the income is split between 2 people? It’s probably as good as a freelancer job with slightly better benefits
@@daveh2612Running RUclips’s ads alone plus a merch shop that’s used for RCR projects doesn’t leave much for anything besides somewhat comfortable bill money. A lot of successful RUclipsrs do a ton of sponsor work to get that extra money or they use a different formula to do that.
@@daveh2612you have to think they aren't managed or a part of a conglomerate. And they don't really take sponsors that often most other car RUclipsrs every video it has a sponsor
I really appreciate the thought so much. I guess I just always struggle with the idea that there are people out there who could use crowdfunding money far more than me. I'm doing fine, really I am. All my bills get paid, I just don't always have a lot left over to save, that's all. I suppose I just really want to earn it, although crowdfunding is a sort of earning if people care enough about you to want to contribute. That's not nothing. I just don't know. For now, I'm just going to keep grinding. If nothing else, I'm having an absurd amount of fun doing all these side projects like Race to the Bottom, car show videos, state reviews, and a new RCR Stories in the next month or two.
My wife bought the 2001 Escape XLT I've daily driven for the past decade just before the Great Recession when we were dating. From the nearly 200K we've added in 15 years, it's definitely a car. It is now at 271K.
These must run forever, because I see tons of the 2001-2005s around.
They don't, there's just millions of them.
Rust is what usually kills them. If rust doesn't kill them, the transmission is the next to go.
They're not bad at all. Both engines they came with were excellent and they're simple cars that are easy to fix.
@@OhPhuckYou I've worked on them. They're not simple to fix, even compared to an old BMW. However, parts are very cheap tho, because there are so many.
The AMC jeep Cherokee, the escape is pretending to be, is indeed very simple to fix, and better in virtually every way. Rust or cash for clunkers has killed almost all the Cherokees tho.
@@apodski I suppose that's subjective, but besides the tight engine bay in the V6, they're as easy to work on as just about any other Ford. Easier to work on than the Euro Ford's. The 3.0 is needlessly complex.
I'm not comparing them to an old AMC designed SUV. I'm comparing them to other early 2000's shit boxes.
I also don't live in the rust belt, so the rust issues aren't getting in the way. Just the regular Ford repair method of taking 3 things off to fix one.
@@OhPhuckYou haha, well gm is definitely no better in the taking things off regard, so you have a point.
My parents had a 2007 Escape Hybrid and it was actually a good car. Only major issue we had was a recalled battery cooling pump failing, but it was otherwise rock solid. It also had the usual AC compressor failures that this model seemed to be plagued with. But it shockingly had good steering feel and the hybrid motor loved to burn tires if you weren't careful while getting 30 mpg consistently. It would have made a great first car if my parents didn't give it to my older brother.
that was my first car, loved it. rust killed it. abused it with 600+ miles straight towing several thousand pounds many times, and that's after 160k miles of previous ownership. helped countless people move. survived 2 front end collisions. bunch of winter 4wd drifting. could average 33mpg if you were careful. wish I could still drive it. miss that machine. got my $2900 out of it.
always thought of this thing as the Amana refrigerator of cars. White box, basically does what it's supposed to, on wheels.
Buddy of mine had one of these (2008 I think?) with over 300k miles, and he didn't baby it by any stretch of the imagination. Needed basic work here and there, but generally speaking it was insanely reliable considering what he put it through.
Thats litttt
I own a 2008 '4wd' V6 Escape and this is exactly why I still keep this thing despite cooler cars being out there for affordable prices. The only work it's had since I got it when I was in college several years ago are things caused the driver (me) being an idiot and regular periodic upkeep. Anecdotally it's never had issues of unreliability that couldn't be solved with a trip to autozone and an hour in the driveway, though I live on the west coast so rust is not as serious of an issue.
It's nothing to write home about from the perspective of an enthusiast but as someone who just needs a durable, simple vehicle that can do regular SUV things like dealing with winter weather, camping in it, moving large quantities of stuff and light offroading. It's a surprisingly acceptable crossover that doesn't look or feel as inadequate as some other options from the 2000s, albeit the second generation fixed a lot of the first generation's shortcomings.
I intend to run the car until it explodes because of just how great of a car it is from a practicality standpoint and how reliable and plucky it's been. My parents drove it for a solid 6 years before I got it and this is now my 5th year with it.
I like how they recycled the body style and called it a Bronco sport.
As someone who is a tech at a Ford dealer, it is such a copy they stopped making new escapes. The Bronco sport replaced it.
@@ethansoles5928How are you a tech at a Ford dealership? Yet you don't realize the bronco sport and escape are both being sold alongside one another? One didn't replace the other, they're the same platform, c2, same as the maverick. A flexible, reliable platform.
My family had a 2001 one of these, from new until a pickup hit it in 2011. It was the v6, it was yellow, nothing broke on it as it drove across the continent, it hauled all the stuff that fit inside, and a lot could be crammed in that back.
And the xlt did split fold the rear seat
My sister had a 2005 model with the 4 banger for 8 years through high school and college. Yes it's boring but hers atleast was very reliable and I drove it quite a bit. The transmission was the worst part because it was constantly changing gears but it did surprisingly well in the snow.
"Race to the bottom" is also a name of a move I like to do with my LIFE PARTNER
Man, the difference in tone of Roman vs. regular is great. I love the variety.
My future wife bought a used V6 model for a few hundred bucks and lived out of it for 3 months during a low point in her life, and it let her survive and bounce back without ending up on the street. So as far as I'm concerned, that Escape is alright.
If you need to pull the alternator you unbolt it turn it sideways and wiggle it up between the firewall and head and it will come out. You don’t need disassemble anything.
In the 4 cylinder yes. No way in the V6, I've tried many times.
"Sometimes misery throws a rager." - Some damn good prose right there.
@brainkrieg1423 The writing on this channel is [three tacos ?]
Why is Roman struggling to keep a V6 Mustang road-worthy and saving up to buy a nicer vehicle while Mr. Regular buys a Ford Galaxie to turn it into a silly Crazy Taxi clone for absolutely no reason?
Dramatic effect?
I hear some tweaked out guy from Wichita is getting rid of some decent rides.... maybe he'll hook up roman on a deal on something...he makes the RUclips's too.
Glad someone is asking the real questions here. Not that I'm against the taxi project, but its clear their finances aren't split equally
Damn...so true...
bc he is a sidekick on the RCR channel - not the main character. just because there are 2 people on the channel does not mean they have to be 50/50
The real answer is this, it's a new generation of the Staition Wagon. They slipped it by us in the late 90's and still doing it today with all the CUV's we are being sold today.
Interestingly, when Subaru introduced the Forester, it was basically an Impreza wagon with a taller roof.
The Outback, however, has stayed relatively wagon-like up to the present day.
We had one that lasted for 236 k miles. Absolutely loved that car
I put 125k miles on a 3.0L Duratek and it ran like new when i sold the car. Those were good engines. Not crazy power but fine in 2004…Elderly people loved the Escape, and the loved the Mercury Mariner even MORE!
I work for a utility and they bought a fleet of these for supervisors to drive. In house fleet maintenance took care of them. No one wanted to ever take them into the shop because of corporate, so they were kind of sort of maintained and then repaired when they broke or needed inspection. No idea what kind of stuff they actually repaired on these things but we still have some around with over 300k on em, so there is that. I must say they did not age gracefully though.
Actually I think this review is mostly missing a crucial point about this vehicle. They are DURABLE and quite reliable.
I've now known three people; one from Colorado, one from Indiana, one from Arizona, who have had 2004/2005 Escapes with the V6. Two still have theirs and have never once considered letting them go, one only traded it in for a Bronco Sport recently.
It doesn't matter that the 1st generation Escape is boring, because frankly it can be argued that it is, it's that it developed a good reputation, and quite quickly too. They're sort of like the next Cherokee. Affordable, capable, reliable.
That's something these reviews kinda lack overall. There's plenty of stereotyping and pondering of the car's ethos, but things like the overall reliability and what things fail first is rare insight from RCR. I've noticed Mr. Regular is a bit better about it, but Roman gets a bit too caught up in the abstract.
Drivetrain, yeah. Rest of it? Come to the Great Lakes and find one that hasn't had its majority cold-rolled steel content replaced by iron oxide. You're better off looking for a barn find Alfa Romeo out here.
Agreed!
My dad had a 2010 (second gen?) Great car. Called it the brick rocketship. Had over 200,000 miles on it when he passed in 2016, and I believe it had about 300k when my step brother sold it
This sounds so much like my feelings on my Eclipse. I pined for that car for years, and finally got one. Then i spent all my time worrying about dings, and noises from under the hood, and keeping it clean. After it was gone, many years later I ended up with a Sienna. And having that van made me regret wasting my time trying to own a "scene" car. Not that I dont still love those kinds of cars, But life could have been a lot easier had I just embraced something else earlier.
My 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid was just shy of 400k miles, original engine, battery. That was the best car ever. Some kid texting plowed her right off the road and deployed all the airbags... I walked away with a bruise and a scratch.
Basically the same powertrain as our maverick hybrid. Fantastic setup.
You mustve gotten lucky on that battery holy crap thats along time for a car battery
@@greaniebeaniez3070 Not for a hybrid/ev it's not. You're thinking of a normal car battery.
this was my first car, had it for 6 years used it through college. it was used and had one side smashed in an accident but the mechanic selling it did gods work to make it look good as new. besides general maintenance, things i recall going wrong: programming error causing spark plugs to misfire, throttle jammed half-way open (recall), brakeline broke, catalytic converter failed, pretty sure the seats gave me Trochanteric Bursitis a couple times. but combined with general use as well as traveling 446 miles between home and university, it lasted a while despite lots of wear and tear (northern michigan is a car breaker). a while after i got a different car my brother used it a little before the tranny failed. it wasn't special but i didn't need it to be, it was a means to get around, had some space to a few haul a few people/things and got decent mpg for a v6. as long as it moved and could play music off my phone i was happy. it was as simple and barebone a car could be back in the day and that worked for me, wish we had more cars like that now.
Back in 2006 when I worked as a claims adjuster we had a pool of Ford Explorer Sports (the 2 door version) and Escapes. We would do anything to get to drive the Escapes rather than the Explorers. The Escapes felt like a modern car at the time and the Explorer felt like a 1970s personal luxury car in the sense that it was floaty, slow, and ponderous. Plus the rear end sagged down making the front end light and nervous. To us, the Escape was the absolute best car.
I think this needs to be remembered; back in the early 00s, a unibody crossover with more than 150 HP didn't exist until the X5 and the Escape hit the market, and the X5 was obvs way pricier. When your alternatives in that body shape were body on frames Explorers, XTerras, CHEVY BLAZERS etc. they all felt like busses compared to the relatively car-like Escape. A lot of commenters say these drive bad, but back in 2001-02 compared to nearly every other SUV on the market, they were properly good to drive. Seriously people, do you want to drive this or a GMC JIMMY!? You pick the Escape!
I like this because it's like a Podcast and a review at the same time
I had a 2004 V6 Escape for a short time and it was such a piece while also somehow only getting like 17mpg??? The whole ownership experience is just “*shrug* I dunno”
This owner is *shrug*”I dunno…”
I got 19 MPG out of my old Nissan Frontier with the VQ40 V6, and that was with me having a lead right foot. Got low 20s out of my old 99 Taurus with the Vulcan 3 point slow.
If I drive it just right, I can get 20 mpg out of my 4Runner on the highway. I am amazed that you were only getting 17 mpg in the Escape.
Yeah the 4-speed autos got ~15-20, 17-18 average common. The 6-speeds with the VVT in the 09+s are a couple MPG better across the board. They're aerodynamically pretty poor, with a cD of 0.411 pre-facelift (think that came down to 0.39 after the facelift?)
Maybe it needed better spark plugs or OEM Coils, Escapes run better with genuine parts only, Mine is a V6, 4WD and all terrain tires gets 23-24 mpg highway
here in Australia the 4cyl Escapes are pretty rare and are very much sought after on the used car market especially if its a 4cyl Auto! (yes they did exist!) the V6 Ford escapes are not very popular.
In mexico the 4 cylinders cost the double of the v6 also the manual ones are most expensive
Aren't the ZDs (3rd facelift for this thing in Asia-Pacific countries, basically looks like someone grafted 2010-era Ford on a 2-decade old platform) plentiful over there? They seem to be on sale a lot in facebook marketplace.
@@possibly8180 V6's are plentiful the 4cyl ones get snapped up almost instantly
My parents had a 2002 Escape XLT Midnight Edition (all black), bought it as a 1 year off-lease. It was the replacement for our Safari that had gotten stolen. They kept it until 2017-18 and only replaced it as the front sub-frame was rusted and unsafe. There was a recall on it, but there wasn't any material left to attach the new support bracket. It's sad but the exterior and interior was still mint. It was a 3.0L AWD and had plenty of power and decently fuel efficient for a V6 and stood around it's rated MPG with maintenance .The AWD was actually great, with the 4x4 Lock switch letting you play around, going through show covered fields, or getting out of the ditch, or drifting in parking lots. The "Auto" wasn't progressive like today and was literally an on-off switch. I've had the rear kick out of me unexpectedly as it kicked it sending the front spinning. Had a 3500lb towing capacity that took like a champ. It was my inspiration for practicality for me getting my Xterra (but I needed something actually off-road capable with 4x4). I was actually jealous of the folding down rear seat setup and they had a split bench in theirs. I honestly really liked it, but I also sat in other Escapes/Tributes and they didn't feel like my parents, they felt cheaper (maybe the black and leather interior of the Midnight Edition was better, or made it look better?) and even back then they were beaten up and neglected. It's funny cause the Escape has the "No Boundaries" Package with faux skids and a roof rack that imitated the Xterra, but had a neat bike rack integrated. Ford even had demos of them going through an off-road obstacle course. It's hilarious and impressive at the same time.
The Escape will always have a good nostalgic place in my heart. It travelled a lot with it as a family, when my sister was around. It helped me move and and out of my first apartment, they even used it to pick me up when I left my job working in Virginia, with a detour to New Jersey to get cars parts, and back to Ontario (Canada). The only thing that I'll curse at is the damn sunroof switch that I replaced countless times with ones that I stole from the wreckers (most didn't work). Our dog loved being able to lick our ears as she was right there compared to the Safari.
These did not suck. They do last, they have a roomy interior, and with the 6 can tow decently. Are they boring? Yeah. So was pretty much all of their direct competition. 2004 CR-V, dull. RAV 4? Dull. Was there a Forester XT then? Not dull, but there goes your head gasket. This is really exactly what a Ford was meant to be. Dunno about your Mustang, but I used to work with an older German woman who never had any real trouble with hers, and she had previously driven the sh!t out of an MR-2. I understand going in with bias, but these vehicles just weren’t bad. They weren’t amazing, but they got it done. Kias, Hyundais, and Nissans from that era are all long gone.
Love the Fette Ford sticker on the back. Really completes the "found on the outskirts of a ShopRite parking lot" vibe.
I don't have one to submit for the Race to the Bottom but I'd have to nominate the Chrysler Pacifica. In my years of automotive service I've never seen one without problems. Now I rarely see one still on the road and, if i do, it looks like it's on its last leg.
My dad had one brand new in 2001. I loved that car, the memories that were made in that car from family trips down south and getting through all the PA snow on snow days to the grocery store with my dad. That car was awesome but unfortunately met it’s faith when it couldn’t pass inspection because the frame had rotted out
I had an 05 Escape. A boring but capable vehicle for a family in that era. We drove ours all up and down the east coast.
I had a 2005 escape and wish I never sold it. The greatest machine I ever had, it never broke down the whole 7+ years I had it. I have missed it ever since.
I daily a 2005 Escape, 4-cylinder, 5-speed, AWD. A fun combo for sure. It's funny because the 4-cylinder looks suuuper tiny in the engine bay, you can't even see it until you're standing right on top of it lol
Definitely a contrast from the V6 shown that is just squeezed in there.
Must be better for maintenance.
I didn’t know they made an awd manual version, by chance have you any idea what the transmission code is? Like which model of transmission?
I had a Mazda tribute fwd manual and sort of miss it, best $800 I spent
@@DiamondKingStudios yeah it's great to maintain, but it rarely needs much anyway. It's got a timing chain, not a belt, so that's a breeze, and the coils just sit right on top, there's not much to it lol
@sirski6777 I'm not sure what the transmission code is, but I think it's a variant of the g5m. I've also never seen another Escape with AWD and a manual
Wait. Escape 5speed with AWD?!?!! Definitely rare
Loved my blue 06 XLT Escape. Was an absolute stallion of a first car and only spent around $400 on maintenance in that time. Hauled me around for a good 3 and a half years until she finally got rod knock last summer (190k miles). Even though the engine gave up I’ll still always vouch for these cars
First car was an 04 V6. Drove it into the ground. Offroaded it to hell and back. Even kept driving after it rolled over in a field. I can't speak to daily driver reliability, but they are mechanically crazy tough against abuse. Today it sits in the same field, roof caved in, hardware store plexiglass windows, bent wheels, with a tree growing through the sunroof. RIP "The Es-capay"
Still daily drive my very first SUV a 2001 escape XLT, love it! Oh and with 4x4 on there is a physical connection connecting the front and rear axles, you get driveline binding and wheel hop on tight turns on pavement. It is a real 4x4, but a limited one without 4lo
My grandma has a 2004 (or 05) that’s incredibly well built, keeps running, and is a joy to drive. The only problem she’s really had is some issue with a sensor in the passenger seat. Other than that everything is great. It’s at about 250k miles now. Not as smooth a ride as it was when it was new. But still pretty nice.
Every other Escape I’ve experienced has been mid at best. I don’t understand why my grandmother’s is so nice.
My grandparents had a base model 2001 Mazda Tribute - literally the same vehicle as the Escape. Theirs had the manual and the 4-cyl without 4wd. They bought it new, and drove it for almost 300,000 miles in 20 years. They claimed it saw no service or maintenance except oil changes in that time. Yes, they claimed the timing belt, alternator, clutch, all that lasted 300,000 miles. I drove it a few times before they sold it to my best friend for $500, in the middle of covid pricing. It was super sketchy at 70mph. My best friend replaced the shocks, tie rod ends, other suspension components.... and drove it 'till the head gasket failed a few months later.
I dont think these had a timing belt on the 4 cylinder?
@@jeedwards1981 they did. I saw the belt myself after my friend bought it.
We bought the Mercury Mariner version at the end of the 2005 model year when they were having the year end close out. Two wheel drive, four cylinder. Currently over 210,000 miles. No, it doesn’t do anything great … it’s just been drop dead dependable! Parts are cheap and easy to find. Accessibility under the hood of the 4 cylinders are very good, so they are pretty easy to work on. I don’t beat on it. It’s slow and that’s ok with me. It seems to be invisible to cops, not that I push it to “super speeder” numbers anyway but it must have saved me thousands on speeding tickets and legal troubles over the years, which can’t be said of my e36 BMW! . This car is for hauling my little dog around, running to the grocery store, hauling some 2x4s from Lowes with the back window open. My car has the original transmission (but with a new torque converter at 138,000 when the original “locked up and wouldn’t unlock”. I take responsibility for that because I had failed to ever change the transmission fluid) and the original exhaust system (minus the downstream cat, which started rattling at 150,000 miles … but was still working fine). I drive it long distance several times a year, so I do maintain it myself and over maintain it because I don’t want to break down on my trips. It has only seen the dealership service department once (for a minor recall; not a transmission replacement) and the only shop it’s been in are tire and alignment stores. Living in the deep south, rust is not a concern but the paint is holding up surprisingly well. Were there better small SUVs available to buy in 2005? I am sure, but I drove a Honda CRV before buying the Mariner and, even though it had better power, I didn’t like the way it felt driving it and, frankly, I couldn’t get any kind of deal on it. I never bought it intending to keep it for 18 years but with the evils in the world and in the car business, here we are together still. I am good with it and, honestly, grateful to it for doing so well for so long. I’ll drive it until it just isn’t economical feasible to keep it going but with new and used cars being ridiculously priced in recent years, that threshold has changed, too! I probably think of it being more of a station wagon than an off roader … but I really don’t think about it. Granted my experience with these cars are different than most people because if something breaks, I crawl under it and fix it. If I start thinking about how much longer the fuel pump or water pump will last, I just swap them out for a new one and forget about it. I’ve done more service and repairs than I really need to do. So, I don’t NEED A Honda or a Toyota to avoid repairs. This car has been like a “mutt shelter dog” that is always with you and you can’t help but grow to love. Someday, when its gone, I will miss it!
We had some bodywork done on my wife's 2004. It has something like 280,000 miles and still keeps going. In true Ford fashion the body is rusting away but it just keeps running so..
goood to know my shit at 217 lol
I absolutely loved my 2002 Ford Escape. V6, 4wd, sunroof, looks great, runs forever, and a tardis-esque ability to be bigger inside than it is outside. The only 2 things I hated were its big turning circle and a seat that gave me back pain.
I bought it for $760, drove it for 2 years and 12,000 miles, and sold it for $1400.
I had a 2001 Escape and I loved it Put about 220,000 miles on it until the transmission gave out. Replaced it with a 2008 that I put 275,000 miles on with no problems at all. Both were V6 AWD
I just got my 3rd escape. This one haves 240k on the clock and still strong. Usa made. V6 4wd. Pretty solid. Been looking for a 4 banger 5 speed one tho. They are hit or miss as my last one was 2wd. They can’t do crap in the snow. 4wd is definitely needed
i had a 2012 escape limited with the v6 and awd, my buddy has an 08 xlt with the 4 banger and awd. they’re boring as hell but as nothing more than a car they’re alright
Luv the show guys i have a 2008 xlt with 260 thousend i got for 1k at used car shop had 1 owner and is mint inside and out and i like it
Middle of maine no rust ?
I had an '05 one that was my first car in 2008 and it was good for being a high schooler/college kid in Pennsylvania and New England respectively. It definitely needed a bunch of repairs (new alternator, new MAF sensor, new ignition coils) and eventually got replaced by a Mazda cx5 in 2016 when the 7th of 6 ignition coils died. Inexplicably, rust was never among its problems despite many winters in Connecticut and Massachusetts. 🤷♀️
Yup. Alternator replacement consists of removing the tire, CV axle (which requires removal of the control arms) etc. Big job
Or, as I witnessed personally and someone else in this comment attests to, you can wiggle it up between the head and firewall.
@@joeandmax1 It's possible on LHD versions but not RHD.
My GF bought an Escape as her first car. $4k OTD for a 2005 fwd 2.3l with 98k miles. I had just gotten a job as a ranch hand then, and my Volt wasn't the correct vehicle for the job, so we traded. I beat the hell out of that car for a few years, up and down insane mountain roads, often loaded to the brim with supplies, fuel, feed etc. Long 100+ degree work days in the summers, and that car just never gave up. The commute to the ranch is a 33 mile curvy HWY, and I often drove much faster than I should've. I kept up on basic maintenance (I put almost 42k miles on it) but did have to replace the alternator. I did a thorough detail, threw a roof rack on it, and sold it for $5500 a year ago. My anecdotal experience was very good, from a utilitarian perspective. A Corolla wouldn't have helped my situation then over my Volt, but the Escape got me through. My first car was an '89 Corolla, it was a turdbox but I've owned worse. I"m writing this comment as I'm listening to Roman dub "toyota corolla" over the Escape footage so I thought I'd share. Hope it's worth the read
My girlfriend has an 04 mazda tribute, which is the exact same vehicle. It has 250,0000 and counting. It's not fancy, it's not cool, but it never quits. And she changes her oil every leap year
21 years ago this month I bought a brand new 2003 V-6 Escape XLT 4X4. It has a 158K miles on it and has been the most dependable vehicle I have ever owned. Outside of regular maintenance, about the only things that have been replaced have been the alternator, fuel pump and brake lines. The vehicle tracks as straight as an arrow, and rides as solidly as the day I bought it. The car has been garaged night and day since new, and is in immaculate condition. The front engine cover gasket is starting to leak oil, but that's about the only issue I currently have. Overall, I couldn't be happier with it, and I expect to be driving it for years to come. BTW, me second car is a candy apple red 2008 V-6 Mustang. It has not required a single thing outside of regular maintenance. I'll be driving it for years to come also.
The thing that made me pay slight attention to Escapes was looking for a set of winter wheels for my girlfriend's Kia Soul. The wheel size, lug pattern, offset, and center bore are identical.
Also, every Mazda Tribute reminds me of Tenacious D and makes me smile.
I had a Taurus with a similar setup to that engine, I went through 2 water pumps. When it started to go on the 3rd one I decided it wasnt worth the hassle and sold it for another car just so I didnt have to fight to get to it. That and the rear struts. What was Ford even thinking in the late 90s-mid 00s
As much as I like RCR, this longer format needs better production values to hold my attention. Long stream of consciousness thinking about the car in question only really works if the audio and action around it is good. Roman is barely audible over the V6 on a dirt path. Maybe this fast and loose editing does it for some of ya'll but not my thing.
No complaints about my old my 05 Ford Escape XLT with the 3.0 V6 and AWD. Never gave me an issue. Got me everywhere I needed to go in all four seasons. Was a great get around beater that I never worried about getting a bump or ding. It kept my good cars low miles and no exposure. A solid every day do the things vehicle.
I grew up with a Mazda Tribute which was just a nicer rebranded Escape. Was a decent car for a teenager.
Our family has the 2012 escape. It’s the 2.5L front wheel drive model. My wife hates it but I tell you what, it’s the best vehicle I’ve ever bought. It never leaves me stranded and hauls the whole family anywhere we need to go.
We sold a v6 Mustang to get a 2008 Escape Hybrid and don't regret it. The Mustang was fun and, dare I say, peppy. But the Escape is just FAR more pragmatic as you say. Ground clearance, better mpg with the 2.3L duratec, AWD for winter in the PNW, can haul pets and people, can tow a small trailer or cargo carrier, more comfortable for road trips and while others may disagree, downright reliable. The hybrid model has direct heritage to the bulletproof Prius transmission, the Duratec isn't the best but with 185k miles, it burns no noticeable amount of oil. Sure, the rust is approaching and it eats sway bar links and the PTU for AWD is a joke of a design but maintenance is king. For $6k, it's hard to beat. A relative bought a Rav4 close to the same time and mileage but it was almost $11k.
My mom's 2003 Hyundai Santa Fe outlived my sister's 2004 Ford Escape. We still have that plucky Santa Fe
It was interesting until the "need" for an SUV came up. There is no need. It amazes me how many people are convinced it's impossible to survive a North East winter without an AWD bus... I'm deep in the mountains of NY, not suburbia. My first Volvo was a 242DL, very basic, RWD and with 4 studded snows, Sand bag in the trunk on bad days. I regularly passed trucks and SUVs, half of which had slid or couldn't gain traction. Can we normalize good tires and driving skill instead of justifying SUVs? A college kid moving, doesn't "need" an SUV, they're not moving china cabinets, get a blanket and a rope.
My father in law was a Mopar master mechanic for almost 40 years. He's one of the like, 15 people in Massachusetts who actually passed the test they used to have to be certified as a master mechanic before they decided it was so difficult that they replaced it with something simpler. He bought one of these last year for $500. V6 front wheel drive, silver rusting rear fenders, looks a lot like this one. My wife loves driving it, but from the time she was 16 up until last year, she had only driven Grand Caravans. She had a 4th gen and then a 5th gen. And like, yeah, if you're someone who's only driven Grand Caravans, you're going to love the way it drives. I drove the Escape for an extended period of time a couple weeks ago and you pretty much nailed it. Its... fine. Despite the rust (which, living my whole life in Georgia where cars do NOT rust, seemed alarming), was in pretty good shape for a $500 car. Transmission shifted smoothly, accelerated nice, handled decently for a FWD, braked pretty fast. But when I compare it to my 92 Nissan Terrano from Japan that I drive because I'm a rural carrier with the USPS, the Terrano feels 12 years ahead of the Ford instead of the other way around.
You could get those with a 150 hp 4 cyl and a manual transmission. Probably could keep that running for 20 years for
I once had an '05 Escape base model with the 5spd manual transmission and I could swear I would hear the car groan in agony every time I pointed it towards the highway on-ramp
I learned to drive in one of these! Too bad my parents sold it before I got my license.
My girlfriend just bought a really nice '01 XLS with 4wd and the V6. Bright red, one owner, great Carfax.
She named it Reba and absolutely adores it. It sits up high, has 4wd, visibility is great, and interior space is great.
For $3500 I don't blame her. 😂
You could always rip out the powertrain and put two Tesla axles in like Aging Wheels is doing. 700HP will either solve a lot of problems or rip the car apart.
It's funny how much the new Bronco Sport looks like a first or second-gen Escape. It's what the Escape line should have continued as.
Kinda like Aging Wheels is trying to do?
My dad had a 2007 Escape with the four-banger. I always had to double check to make sure the A/C was off before I got on to a highway on-ramp, otherwise I’d be struggling to get up to speed. The fit-and-finish was marginal at best. The interior plastic trim broke apart after a few years. And it handled like a shopping cart. Getting t-boned and totaled by an old guy running a red light was probably the best thing to happen to it.
We’ve been an escape family since my grandmothers first escape in 04. She now has a 2018, myself and the wife have a 2018, brother in law has an 08 with 260,000 miles, and the mother in law has a 2019. We love them, they’ve been good to us.
Love these as a general vehicle, always impressed with reasonable gas mileage and snow ability (to some extent)
I thought both of mine (02 and 06) were an absolute hoot in the Colorado snow. I would intentionally get it semi-stuck in the piles of snow in my suburban neighborhood and then put my foot down and watch in awe as it crawled itself out. Having the AWD system only send a tiny fraction of the power to the rear made the vehicle very easy for my teenage self to powerslide it around in the snow with insane degrees of confidence as to where it was going to end up.
My dad had one of these for several years. He just wanted a cheap, good-enough SUV-ish thing that had cargo space for hauling his radio control sailplanes around. it seemed to work well for him although he was always complaining about things like trim pieces falling off.
A group of 9 Escapes from around the various states surrounding PA did some 4x4 back in the strip mine behind the Walmart there in Pottsville in 2003. 3 of us made it out without any issues. The rest? Well, coal silt and alternators are not friends to the Escape. It did OK out there in the stripins but it sure wasn't meant for it.
I have an 04 Mazda MPV with the same V6 engine and layout with arguably even a smaller hood than the Escape. Some repairs have been challenging to be sure.
I had an 04 Escape Limited with the V6 and "4WD". It was the best worst car ever 😂 It got me from Illinois to Arkansas and back and a few years before it started to go. The suspension literally just falls apart and breaks at some point. i swapped out the stereo, speakers, and put in a sub. it sucked, but i loved it because it took care of me.(note: the leather seats weren't half bad, for a Ford.)
Ngl, the new bronco sport reminds me ALOT of the first gen escape (the design and “target” audience) and what makes it funnier to me is that the sport is based on the escape
This was my first car, inherited from my mom who bought it new in 2003, just before I was born. It was the XLT with the V6 and just FWD, the car lasted for 190k miles with just basic maintenance and repairs, as well as a de-cat that made the car much more responsive and aggressive than I ever thought it could be. It did everything that my mother and I ever asked it to do, and finally started knocking in the low end after I beat the hell out of it and it consumed/leaked too much oil. I would own one again, but its not something I'd daily drive anymore, being more financially stable and able to afford something that compliments my driving habits as a 19 year old. Personally, I'd use it as a budget overlander, taking it on light trails to camp somewhere, as its been far surpassed by its successors, but is much more tolerable to put a beating on.
Unsolicited recommendation, but look into a first generation Mazda 6 (especially the liftback or wagon variant) or a 2008-2015 Jetta/Golf with the 2.5l. Both fun to drive and practical cars that are quite reliable.
I test drove a 2003 Ford Escape XLT in 2019. It had the 50/50 split rear bench. It was V6, white and around 200K. It ran good and I was looking at for a vehicle just to drive to work. I lived in rural Kansas. Its nice to learn that the base models backseat is one piece. Also I like these and dnt know why. Great review. 😊
2005 FWD V-6 Mercury Mariner. Looks classic. Beautiful front "waterfall" Mercury grill. 145K miles on it with first tune-up recently. Runs smooth as silk. Less drag on acceleration with FWD. Fewer issues. Only major issue was a warranty covered axle replacement. Seems the original design had issues with dampers. Love the rounded curves. Nobody can tell the year. Drove from Flagstaff to Albuquerque on one tank of gas. Basic maintenance. OEM parts. UV film over headlights keep them crystal clear.
My aunt bought a brand new ‘05 Ford Escape off the dealership lot in Fort Worth, Texas in 2005. About ten years later she sells it to my grandpa for $5,000. It’s 2024 now, and the vehicle has 242,000 miles.
So I own a first year first gen escape, and to be honest this has shed a lot of light on this car, and I agree on a lot that has been said about it. But I’m 17 have pretty much no money, and it’s got almost quarter million miles on it. But I still love it, I don’t know why but I do… and the way you talked about it was enlightening and I respect the opinion and you for doing this for one of the most popular unpopular cars ever from Ford and its amazing!
I bought a 2008 escape hybrid. Wheel crumpled under the body on my drive home from the dealership. Had to sign a ‘will not sue’ paper to get it back. They forgot to put the nut on the top of the A arm. Got 35 mpg (advertised 55). Terrible acceleration in winter. Oil pump for cooling the battery shut off once on a long trip and the car would go into safe mode-no power steering and brakes, powered down….whatever mph it was going. Had to wait 20 mins then restart, then drive 30 mins, it’d happen again. Was a good road hunting (grouse) vehicle, as going less than 30 the engine would shut off then it’s just wheels on the gravel.
Had a 2006 hybrid. Thing was a tank. If I hadn't poked a hole in the radiator and got a great deal on a 2007 Highlander hybrid would have kept it. It was loud but it ran. Was a fun little runabout I used to tow and go camping and kayaking in.
I used to own one of these with the v6, it was a trooper.
Another excellent and well researched video Roman! The “man on the street” intro certainly sets the stage for this episode!😮
So here's the deal. I have a 2005 escape. It's a 2wd. And no it's not weird. I worked at a ford dealership as a tech when they were new. I sat through 10 hour class talking about all the new features and procedures for basic repair. We talked about the viscous coupling and everyone in the moaning about how much of a piece of junk it is. Then we had to replace the alternator. From factory they have a plastic air scoop on them. This only adds to the udder pain of replacing the alternator. Yes you can pull it up by the firewall but if it has the scoop on it good luck. I had to drop the sub frame on the passenger side to replace mine. It came right out.
Over all I'm with you it's plain but that's not a bad thing. It's simple easy to repair. Parts are plentiful at our local junk yard. There is no can bus no complex computers all just plug and play.
Other than the alternator my other complaint is the door switches. You cannot change just the switch it's serviced as and entire assembly. At $250 each. So I just cut the wire and by passed it.
What I like about Roman vids, Mr. Regular too but definitely Roman, is the journey towards the conclusion. It's very much like myself where I (over?)think it all the way through, from different angles, before finally accepting an answer that I likely knew all along. I'm going through it now; I have the car that 20 yr old me always aspired for but I'm constantly thinking about whether or not it's the right choice or if it's worth the cost. Ugh.
I’ve owned 15 mustangs, 3 f150s, and an explorer. I beat on my mustangs every day and haul several times a month with my trucks. None of them have needed anything other than brakes and oil changes. For the life of me I don’t know why people think fords are unreliable. Then again I’ve owned chevys and dodges with the same outcomes. My Toyota rav 4s engine blew at 75,000 miles.
I think the best side effect of the Escape existing was driving down the prices of Escort wagons (I bought a 1997 Escort wagon off a Ford Dealers lot in 2001 for stupid cheap because the Escape craze was going strong.)
I had two of these, parents bought an 02 XLT v6 new, and I inherited my grandpas 2006 Limited v6 model. The limited legit felt nice to me, the interior was a marked improvement over the 02 XLT's utilitarian plastic.
They were both relatively maintenance-free for us. The 02 DID end up having its cats clogged after getting a misfire immediately after a craigslist-mobile-mechanic swapped the plugs, for some reason my mom paid an exhaust shop some absurd amount of money to replace both cats in the manifolds.
My 06 had its alternator die and that same mobile-mechanic was somehow able to replace it by squeezing the alternators up through the space between the passenger side of the engine and the firewall.
I came from an 01 2l auto focus, and I felt that the v6 was more of a useful tool for turning fuel into noise. That 201hp comes at absolute redline, so hardly useful power. I did find out that flooring it at somewhere between 15-25mph would result in the 2nd-to-1st gear downshift that perfectly utilized the powerband to get something approaching throwing you back in your seat. I wish I had the chance to experience the 4cyl 5 speed, I bet that's honestly a better experience for the driving thrill, if you can call it that.
Oh! And one cool feature that the 02 XLT had that the 06 Limited didn't was that the rear seats could recline with a surprising degree of movement. I sell GM cars now and I think only a handful of them have anything even approaching the degree of rear-seat recline that the 02 Escape had, if the rear seats aren't completely immobile.
My wife had one when I met her, it lived through many Michigan and Washington winters. It wasn't pretty and it was well loved, but it ran and drove fine when we sold it with 180K on the clock.