[POV] 2021 Ford Escape 1.5 EcoBoost Test Drive

The Escape / Kuga was the brand’s first SUV in Europe and launched in the market back in 2008. It quickly becoming popular for its chunky good looks, as buyers began to abandon large family saloons. Ford has sold more than 1 million Escapes / Kugas in Europe since 2008.
Ford has bounced back with a nicely styled mid-size SUV that bears their new design language. It loses the awkwardness of the previous version, instead morphing into a lighter-looking, athletic SUV that’s much easier on the eye.
The theme of brand renewal continues inside with an all-new interior. It’s a big improvement in design with a slimmer and more lightweight feel to the dashboard layout. It’s quite similar to the Focus inside, with now familiar apparel like the touchscreen perched on the dash, and an indigo backlit digital driver’s display. Quality is nothing special for the class with almost a too generous hand with the hard plastic, but it’s great to see the Escape / Kuga going in a more modern direction at last.
The ST-Line is the pick of the range with a sportier exterior finish including 18” rock metallic alloy wheels and red brake calipers, black roof rails, ST-Line full body styling kit and large rear spoiler. Inside there is a flat-bottomed steering wheel with red stitching, alloy pedals, and ST-Line sport seats. The Ford Escape / Kuga ST-Line also gets the full digital 12.3” instrument cluster as standard. The ST-Line X model on test adds full LED headlamps, automatic high beam and an excellent B&O premium audio system.
As a family car, the Escape / Kuga performs very well with a spacious interior and seating for five. Footwells in the rear are generous and the doors open out wide. The rear bench also has good width for the middle passenger to get a decent amount of wriggle room. The 2021 Ford Escape / Kuga is 44 mm wider and 89 mm longer than the outgoing model. The second row of seats can be moved backwards to improve legroom or forwards to increase boot space. It’s a huge boot either way.
The two 1.5-litre EcoBoost petrol engines have been carried over from the old Kuga, but the entry-level 120hp engine is now almost a second quicker from 0-62mph. It still takes 11.6 seconds to hit that threshold, though, and we’d recommend going for the 150hp version instead. It’s both more economical and quicker, hitting 0-62mph in a much more reasonable 9.7 seconds. Both these engines come with a six-speed manual gearbox and front-wheel drive. It’s smooth and refined on the road, and the Kuga works well with the manual gearbox. You can exploit that surprisingly sporty feel behind the wheel.
Ford has once again done a great job with the Escapes / Kuga’s handling. There are selectable drive modes included. On a twisty road the more responsive throttle and stiffer suspension make for an entertaining drive. There’s loads of front end grip and quite weighty steering. Comfortable too although there is some road noise over coarser asphalt at motorway speeds.
Engine type: Inline 3 Turbo
Fuel Type: Petrol (Gasoline)
Displacement: 1.5 l (1497 cm3)
Power: 120 hp @ 5500 rpm
Torque: 240 Nm (177 lb-ft) @ 1600-3000 rpm
Transmission: 6-speed manual
Layout: front engine, front wheel drive
Curb weight: 1489 kg (3282 lbs )
Average fuel consumption: 6.9 l/100 km (34 mpg US / 40 mpg UK)
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[@AbcXyz-rn2lz]

2019 was the last year for US standard transmission

[@bishop918]

Gear shift in a 2021? I thought they all had dials now to shift gears.