Topic: CD Article: 2008 Ford Escape Limited

[MKII]

Why does Ford get criticized for something that Toyota has been doing for years.  Sure, the chassis hasn't changed from the previous gen but how much advancement has Toyota put in the Camry/ Corolla chassis in the past 15 years?  People who buy into the segment generally do not care or notice that this is a 9 year old chassis design.

The motor and tranny are dated but have been proven reliable so what's the hurry to change it?  If you are going to take a chance on a Ford this combo is your safest bet.

Buyers keep crossing over to crossovers

Analysts expect strong U.S. sales of the vehicles in July, a bright spot amid general market decline.

James Prichard / Associated Press

Ever since the debut of the Toyota RAV4 in 1996, U.S. car buyers have been crossing over to crossovers.

The success of crossover vehicles, which resemble sport utility vehicles but are smaller and built on car instead of truck frames, has been one of the few bright spots in recent years for the troubled domestic automotive industry.

The RAV4 was followed by other successful crossovers such as the Lexus RX300, Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester and Ford Escape. Foreign and domestic automakers developed 14 crossover models by 2000 and now offer more than 50. About 70 will be on the market by 2009, said George Pipas, Ford's top sales analyst.

It is the fastest-growing category in the industry, Pipas said. Although high gasoline prices haven't hurt sales of crossovers, which generally are more fuel efficient than SUVs, they are not the sole reason for their success, Pipas said.

While Ford and GM dominated the SUV market during the 1990s, several automakers are competing for the top crossover title. In the first six months of 2007, crossover sales totaled 232,683 for Ford, 232,194 for GM, 230,012 for Honda and 201,114 for Toyota, according to data collected by Ward's Automotive Group.

http://www.detroitnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070728/AUTO01/707280333/1148

Does the Escape in its current state have what it takes to keep Ford ahead of the competition?

[coldcase]

That's a well reasoned response.

I had a 1968 Buick Wildcat that had drums on all four wheels. Aluminum finned drums on the front, steel drums on the rear. Sintered metallic lining all round. They were good for a number of high speed stops before they faded. They were much better than period disc brakes. Moderrn metals and engineering could make them better yet.

Having said that, The front drums were massive and completely filled the rim in order to get enough swept braking area. Discs make sense on the front for this reason alone. They are also not subjected to all of the road crap that gets sprayed on read discs. I don't know how many people I know that have had to have rear discs replaced due to pitting and corrosion, or completely seized up parking brakes, problems that just don't happen with maintained rear drums. The tendency to have extended life brake pads basically turns discs into the wear item also, which makes for some pretty expensive brake jobs.

Don't be a slave to fashion.

That's your opinion and I respect it.  But it's not like the feature was not on the previous Escape,  It was.  They actually went back to drums...sorry but I'm just a car enthusiast that have been driving a lot of cars and nobody will convince me that drums are as good or better than disc brakes.  Plus read the articles.  Brake distances have increased over last year model and it's the same truck.

[Snowman]

That's a well reasoned response.

I had a 1968 Buick Wildcat that had drums on all four wheels. Aluminum finned drums on the front, steel drums on the rear. Sintered metallic lining all round. They were good for a number of high speed stops before they faded. They were much better than period disc brakes. Moderrn metals and engineering could make them better yet.

Having said that, The front drums were massive and completely filled the rim in order to get enough swept braking area. Discs make sense on the front for this reason alone. They are also not subjected to all of the road crap that gets sprayed on read discs. I don't know how many people I know that have had to have rear discs replaced due to pitting and corrosion, or completely seized up parking brakes, problems that just don't happen with maintained rear drums. The tendency to have extended life brake pads basically turns discs into the wear item also, which makes for some pretty expensive brake jobs.

Don't be a slave to fashion.

That's your opinion and I respect it.  But it's not like the feature was not on the previous Escape,  It was.  They actually went back to drums...sorry but I'm just a car enthusiast that have been driving a lot of cars and nobody will convince me that drums are as good or better than disc brakes.  Plus read the articles.  Brake distances have increased over last year model and it's the same truck.

link?

[safristi]

  FWUNT DISHCS AWRE KWOOL MANW. GWEAT FWASHIN STWATEMWENT....................

[coldcase]

That's a well reasoned response.

I had a 1968 Buick Wildcat that had drums on all four wheels. Aluminum finned drums on the front, steel drums on the rear. Sintered metallic lining all round. They were good for a number of high speed stops before they faded. They were much better than period disc brakes. Moderrn metals and engineering could make them better yet.

Having said that, The front drums were massive and completely filled the rim in order to get enough swept braking area. Discs make sense on the front for this reason alone. They are also not subjected to all of the road crap that gets sprayed on read discs. I don't know how many people I know that have had to have rear discs replaced due to pitting and corrosion, or completely seized up parking brakes, problems that just don't happen with maintained rear drums. The tendency to have extended life brake pads basically turns discs into the wear item also, which makes for some pretty expensive brake jobs.

Don't be a slave to fashion.

That's your opinion and I respect it.  But it's not like the feature was not on the previous Escape,  It was.  They actually went back to drums...sorry but I'm just a car enthusiast that have been driving a lot of cars and nobody will convince me that drums are as good or better than disc brakes.  Plus read the articles.  Brake distances have increased over last year model and it's the same truck.

link?

It was a paper publication...don't remember which one but you can find reviews on the web that complain about the brake performance which never was the Escape forte.

http://www.edmunds.com/ford/escape/2008/review.html