Ford Escape Ambiente 2017 Review

The Ford Escape Ambiente scrubbed up well in its black metallic paint, but the plastic covers over the steel wheels served to remind everyone this is the cheapest model in the Escape range.

Not that steel wheels and placky covers should be dismissed out of hand – especially given the hours spent in an average life cleaning alloy wheels and whinging when carelessness has scuffed those same alloys on a kerb.

Despite those downmarket trimmings, the Ford was a pretty nice car for the money in most other ways. It was very quiet overall, the tyre noise was muted, and there was no significant labouring from the engine below 1500rpm. At 100km/h the powerplant was ticking over at just 2100rpm in 6th gear.

And right there was the other hint this was the ‘el cheapo’ model in the range – a six-speed manual transmission funnelling torque from the 1.5-litre turbocharged petrol four-cylinder to the front wheels alone. No all-wheel drive, no automatic, and an engine displacing less than two litres.

To paraphrase Paul Hogan (aka Crocodile Dundee): "That's not an SUV…"

Yet the week spent behind the wheel of the Escape was a pleasant experience.

Downsized turbo engine produces the goods
The Escape's engine was fuss-free at 1500rpm because that's the speed the engine settles at after changing up a gear, if you do so when the shift indicator flashes at you. To save fuel, the shift indicator is pestering you to swap cogs from just 2000rpm. At 1500 the Escape is not a ball of fire, but let the diminutive four rev a little and it will produce acceleration more than brisk enough for the daily commute.

Changing gear manually takes a little while to become a familiar act though. The shift action is light and reasonably precise, despite the long throws, and shifting is fine in the higher gears, but there's a knack to launching the Escape on a light throttle without hitting a flat spot. Build up some revs first, let out the clutch slowly, and you're away.

Drive the Escape more aggressively and, with the throttle wide open, there's copious performance delivered in a linear way. And, when driven that way, the turbocharged four-cylinder remains refined right through to the 6500rpm redline.

The engine has enough torque on the move and responds rapidly to throttle, but the gearing is too high for low-speed work (idling along in bumper-to-bumper traffic, for instance, or negotiating street corners at sensible speed without dropping back to first).

Fuel consumption threatened to be unexceptional, with days of commuting responsible for a posted figure of 10.3L/100km around town. Encouragingly, after a long trip on the open road (about 200km each way), the trip computer finished at 8.2L/100km for the week.

Ride and handling in harmony
Although it was a little firmer over heavier impacts, the Escape's ride comfort was unobjectionable around town. The suspension was well damped and the body control was highly commendable.

Approaching its limits, the Escape remained free of lift-off oversteer. There was some cautionary understeer, but the Ford held on track very well. In corners, it felt a little inclined to roll, but that had little apparent impact on its steadfast grip, ably assisted by the Michelin 255/55 R17 tyres.

On country roads the Escape's steering provided excellent feedback, despite being lightly weighted. There was some torque steer in evidence with the engine on song. However that speaks to the small-displacement powerplant's output more so than any inherent deficiency in the front suspension.

Brake pedal feel was fine and the brakes responded immediately to a dab of the pedal. Some fade became apparent when the Escape was being asked to pull up hard repeatedly… well beyond the sort of demands most owners will ever ask of the car. One black mark to mention is the lack of autonomous emergency braking in this car. Other Escape variants offer it as an extra-cost option, but the base model doesn't.

After a run of LEDS and xenons fitted to cars passing through the motoring.com.au test garage, on low beam the Escape's halogen headlights were a tad disappointing. But they would be up to par for urban drivers, and country folk will find high beam meets their needs.

Parking without the grind
From the driver's seat, the Escape offered a decent field of vision. It's a smaller package with what seems like a low cowl, by SUV standards. And the reversing camera and rear-parking sensors were handy in a couple of tight parking spots. In reality, the whole 'sitting up high' rationale for buying an SUV works in car parks as well as on the road.

The Escape's instruments were easy to read, with the comprehensive trip computer readout in the instrument binnacle simple to follow at a glance. Ford has placed the indicator stalk on the right side of the steering column, which is laudable given it costs more to cater to the fewer buyers living in right-hand drive markets. It's particularly noteworthy in the case of this Escape variant, with its manual transmission.

I found the seats comfortable, but oddly shaped, much like Mondeo's. They felt like sitting on a soft box and there was little in the way of side bolstering to support occupants during cornering at higher speeds. More g forces will quickly have the driver and front passenger sliding around in the seat, unbraced.

Apart from a persistent buzzing noise from the dash, the Escape's build quality appeared acceptably good for the money.

Versatile infotainment system
Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system was fantastic. The on-board system incorporates Apple CarPlay, elements of which can be used discretely from the bundled iPhone app suite.

What this means, by way of illustrating, is you can recharge your smartphone using a lead, and still make hands-free phone calls. Simultaneously, via the two USB ports in the centre console storage bin, you can listen to music from a different source (from a memory stick, as an example) and still make phone calls and receive navigation prompts from the phone.

Compact outwardly, for easy parking and manoeuvring, the Escape is still roomy enough for adults in the back. An abundance of headroom and space for toes under the front seats allow grown-ups to sit there comfortably. The rear seats also recline to suit passengers' whims, and there are adjustable vents back there – which is a virtue in a car priced as affordably as the Escape Ambiente.

While the hip point in the Escape – a measure of the ease of entering and leaving – was fine for adults, it might be on the high side for smaller kids.

Boot space was handy, but can be increased further by folding the rear seats forward – dropping almost flat and flush with the floor of the boot, under which is a space-saver spare. On the right side of the boot you’ll find a 12-Volt power socket.

As a family carriage the Ford Escape scores well, even when measured against its challenging field of contestants. It's reasonably affordable, and well equipped (other than the wheel covers) and the fact it also happens to be fairly driveable is a bonus. Nonetheless, it's hard to ignore the handily priced automatic option for this car costs just $1500 more – and, equipped with the auto, the Escape Ambiente’s price remains below $30,000 (before the on-roads).

So, as enjoyable as the Escape Ambiente manual is to drive, it's hard to recommend buying it with the manual transmission when the auto is so close in price.

2017 Ford Escape Ambiente pricing and specifications:
Price: $28,490 (plus on-road costs)
Engine: 1.5-litre four-cylinder turbocharged petrol
Output: 110kW/240Nm
Transmission: Six-speed manual
Fuel: 7.9L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 146g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety Rating: Five-star (ANCAP, 2017)

Related reading:
>> Ford defends new Escape's AEB absence
>> Ford Escape 2017 Review
>> New Ford Escape scores five ANCAP stars