Pros: Very quick, Decent price, lots of head room, Great handling.
Cons: Road Noise, Engine Noise, cheesy dashboard storage, gear selector on the column blocks radio.
The Bottom Line: Decent vehicle for the price, but there are several better options out there. Better buys for the money. The competition has far less road noise especially foreign models.
What you are about to read is based on my recent test drive of the 2004 Ford Escape.
We went to our local Ford Dealer to see if anything had changed between the 2003 model and the 2004. Unfortunately, very little changed. It is still a 4X4 Minivan, in fact the only visible change we noticed is that the limited edition Escapes were a bit cheaper than the previous year. Down about $1000 dollars depending on what options you choose.
Once I first got in the vehicle I did feel alot of comfort and room. After checking out my surroundings I did notice that the head room was incredible the Front Head room is 40.4 in, and the Rear head room is 39.2 in. The seats are very comfortable, but pretty boring in styling, they were just a plain tan color just average. The seats are very easy to fold down but remove the headrest 1st, they add extra cargo space once layed flat.
After a couple minutes sitting in the Escape, I really felt as if I was in a Dodge Caravan of the late 80's. It just has the feel of a mini van. I was very disappointed with the center console, it is nothing more than a huge pit. There is nothing there to really hold any Cd's, spare change, whatever it may be. If you are creative enough I am sure you can use this storage to your advantage, but it didn't appear that Ford put alot of thought into it. It is excellent storage for whatever you may keep in there, it is just not designed to hold anything imparticular. The dashboard is pretty basic and boring, nothing really sticks out. It is a step up from the 2001 Escape where it was just plastic everywhere.
Once I started the car up I could tell the power of the engine (201 HP) kinda roared once I starting it up. Upon trying to put the vehicle in drive I noticed that the gear selector is on the column (Didn't we phase this out yet, very outdated). The gear selector also kinda interferes with the radio controls. Once I left the lot, I noticed right away that the engine had zip, but was noticeably louder than other vehicles. The vehicle has excellent pick up. Pulling out was very simple and the car like handling is a huge plus. Handled very well for a SUV.
The Escape I drove had very few options, basically a stripped model with floor mats, and mud guards. The options it did have like power windows, power door locks, etc. were all placed basically the same place as any other vehicle, and they are all within comfortable reach of the driver. Radio had some definite volume, but you need to so you can hear music over the road noise. More engine noise on city streets, but once you get on the highway the road noise kind of drowns out the engine noise.
Once I finally got on the highway and pulled out on the on ramp, I was ready to take the car back to the dealer. The engine though peppy is extremely loud as well as the road noise of the vehicle. I found myself talking much louder than normal to be able to communicate with my passenger. Very disappointing with the road noise, but speed and handling were very nice. More car like than most SUV's
The 2004 Ford Escape is pretty basic, and just wasn't what I was looking for. The V-6 Engine had more than enough power, but they need to build something around it. Car like handling is a plus, but the interior needs to be more quiet. Road noise isn't a big deal when you drive alone, but once you have friends and family in the vehicle it can be down right annoying.
SUMMARY:
It is definitely one of the lower priced 4X4 vehicles, but there are other options out there. I would suggest looking to other makes and models. As the salesman told me "All the fathers are buying these for their daughters". Maybe that is a good sign that Fathers trust their Children in these cars. I drove the Liberty, Xterra, Pathfinder, Pilot, and Santa Fe. All have their upsides, but compare for yourself to find the model for you.
Recommended:
No
Amount Paid (US$): 21500
Condition: New Model Year: 2004
Epinions.com periodically updates pricing and product information from third-party sources, so some information may be slightly out-of-date. You should confirm all information before relying on it.
- Add to My Yahoo!: 
- Add to Google Homepage: 
© 1999-2009 Shopping.com, Inc.