2001 Ford Escape Review
2001 Ford Escape Review





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Edmunds' Expert Review
by the Edmunds Experts
Pros
- Strong V6 engine, plenty of interior space, car-like road manners.
Cons
- Lacks the off-road capability of a truck-based SUV, barely adequate base engine, unknown reliability.
What’s new
The Escape is Ford's new SUV. Smaller in size than the Explorer (and dwarfed by an Excursion), the 2001 Ford Escape competes in the same class as the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Its main calling cards are an optional V6 engine and a large interior.
Vehicle overview
One of the benefits of coming late to the party is that when you do arrive, you can make a big splash. That's what Ford is doing with the 2001 Escape.
Designed to battle the Honda CR-V, Nissan Xterra, Toyota RAV4 and others of the small-SUV ilk, the five-passenger Escape is marked by a larger interior and a more powerful optional engine. As an added bonus, it's also priced very competitively.
These factors position the Escape for tremendous success in a growing market. Developed in partnership with Mazda, Escape comes in XLS or XLT flavors. Base models have two-wheel drive and a 2.0-liter Zetec four-cylinder engine making 130 horsepower and 135 foot-pounds of torque.
Burdened with people and gear, a Zetec Escape is bound to be rather weedy. Fortunately, there is an optional Duratec 3.0-liter V6. With 200 horsepower and 200 foot-pounds of torque, it is the most powerful engine in its class. Equipped with the V6 and the standard four-speed automatic transmission, the Escape can tow up to 3,500 pounds. Both the four-cylinder and V6 engines are LEV compliant.
The Escape also comes in either two-wheel or four-wheel drive. As opposed to Ford's larger SUVs, the 2WD Escape is front-wheel drive. The 4WD system can be set to either "4x4 automatic" or "4x4 lock" mode. In automatic mode, power is applied to the rear wheels only when a loss of traction occurs. In the locked mode, the Escape applies power to all four wheels at all times. The Escape does not have a low-range transfer case, however.
Sporting rugged good looks, Ford hopes the Escape will appeal to young families and people with active lifestyles. Don't let the outside fool you, though. Underneath, the Escape is more car than truck. The unibody chassis is equipped with rack-and-pinion steering, a four-wheel independent suspension and four-wheel ABS through a front disc/rear drum arrangement. One particularly cool feature is the sturdy roof rack that slides rearward and hinges down to make loading and unloading up to 100 pounds of cargo easy. Attachments for skis and bikes will be available from Ford dealers.
Inside, the Escape offers a big allotment of space for passengers and cargo. Rear passengers get 36.9 inches of legroom. With the rear seats removed, The Escape offers 68.5 cubic feet of cargo. Cabin highlights include an optional six-disc in-dash CD changer and a 300-watt sound system, standard air conditioning and optional side airbags.
Ford claims affordability and durability were top priorities. Mazda's input should be of help here, but it is always difficult to determine reliability on a totally new platform such as the Escape. Regardless, Ford's Escape should be on your short list of mini-SUVs to look at.
Consumer reviews
Read what other owners think about the Used 2001 Ford Escape.
5 star(48%)
4 star(32%)
3 star(17%)
2 star(2%)
1 star(1%)
172 reviews
Most helpful consumer reviews
4.63 out of 5 stars
Awesome
BC Prosser, 10/24/2010
2001 Ford Escape XLS 4WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
Owned this escape since 2001 when it had 0 miles. It now has 235,000 and is still going. Never had any problems, original engine, transmission, clutch, and everything. New front struts/tie rods and brakes at 190k. Replaced the in-dash stereo, but left the speakers, they sound as good as the Bose speakers in our 2007 yukon denali. Vehicle drives great in all conditions, and still looks … like new when it's clean. The Escape has never let me down, and i hope to rely on it for years to come.
4 out of 5 stars
A great vehicle for the value
Mark, 02/26/2016
2001 Ford Escape XLS 4WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
I was handed down this car from my cousin who wasn't big on maintenance such as oil changes that went unperformed to the point of dipstick scorching and driving on dry rotted tires, the original clutch still grabs great, cold starts are a snap and idle speed is nice and low at 500rpm. No major repairs needed after 180k miles just tires and minor rust repair. The thing handles great and … shifts while not as precise as a sports car can still be executed swiftly. If noise isn't your thing the 4 cylinder is much more pronounced than the more loaded v6 XLT. For great performance and dependability you can't beat these first gen Escapes.
4.63 out of 5 stars
Tough little truck
Cindy williams, 09/21/2010
2001 Ford Escape XLS 2WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
Right now I have 202,000 miles on my 2001 Escape. I bought it used a year ago. It is a 4 cylinder stick shift. Fuel mileage is pretty good, ride and handling are good, and reliability is great. Plenty of interior room and comfortable. Handles well in snow and driving around the farm. I bought it as a work vehicle and it has been great. The engine is what I like best. This is the first … stick shift I have owned and learning has been very easy. The engine has plenty of power, to my surprise it can actually burn rubber quite easily! The only times I have had trouble in the snow are when it needed new tires and when I try to start up too hard the front tires spin, but it's fun.
4 out of 5 stars
By far best vehicle! Very reliable!
James, 12/21/2016
2001 Ford Escape XLT 4WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M)
My 2001 has 221,660 miles! Western New York weather causes rust and have replaced parts due to rust. No tranny problems like everyone has had. In the spring my engine intake gaskets went and the thing ran shitty. But I needed it for 4 days and it pulled through. It stalled at atop signs and would stall below 20 mph sometimes, city driving I'd have to pop it into neutral so I could keep … going!!!! It made it the 4 days started every time and I replaced the upper and lower intake gaskets and it runs perfect. It sat over the summer and after 5 months I jumped in and she started right up!! But do not leave the emergency brake on because it locked up on me so I have to do new brakes and emergency brake cable but that's my fault. It drives great and gets me around town. My air condition never ever maintained and is still ICE COLD!!!! My heat defrosts the windshield asap in winter. It's been a great first car I need it for 11 months then buying a 2013+ Escape. Doesn't let down!!
2001 Escape Highlights
XLS
- Combined MPG
- 23 MPG
- Cost to Drive
- $174/month
- Seating
- 5 seats
- Drivetrain
- front wheel drive
- Engine Type
- Gas
- Warranty
- 3 years / 36,000 miles
Safety
NHTSA Overall Rating
The National Highway Transportation Safety Administration offers independent analysis.
- Frontal Barrier Crash RatingOverallNot RatedDriver5 / 5Passenger4 / 5
- Side Crash RatingOverallNot Rated
- Side Barrier RatingOverallNot RatedDriver5 / 5Passenger5 / 5
- Combined Side Barrier & Pole RatingsFront SeatNot RatedBack SeatNot Rated
- RolloverRollover3 / 5Dynamic Test ResultNo TipRisk Of RolloverNot Rated
IIHS Rating
The Insurance Institute of Highway Safety uses extensive crash tests to determine car safety.
- Side Impact TestPoor
- Roof Strength TestNot Tested
- Rear Crash Protection / Head RestraintNot Tested
- IIHS Small Overlap Front TestNot Tested
- Moderate Overlap Front TestMarginal
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More about the 2001 Ford Escape
More About This Model
I'm in a quandary right now. I'm supposed to be writing a story on the Ford Escape, but "Who Wants to be a Millionaire?" is on TV. Who knew a combination of Reege, average Americans and a hokey soundtrack could be so enthralling?
Would you accept a half-ass story full of dribbling trite prose? Hmm, probably not. Nor would my editor...
So then, this is Ford's new Escape. Reege will have to wait. After creating (and profiting quite nicely from) the Explorer, Expedition and Excursion, Ford decided maybe not all potential SUV buyers want oversize vehicles that suck gas and cost thousands more than an average car. Ford needed a smaller SUV, one that would appeal to younger buyers who perhaps have never owned an SUV before.
Unfortunately for Ford, this is not a novel concept. Toyota's cute 'ute, the RAV4, has been around since 1996. Then there's that pesky little thing called the Honda CR-V. And don't forget the Isuzu Amigo, the Nissan Xterra and the Suzuki Grand Vitara. Note to Ford: If you're going to show up fashionably late to the party, you need to do something to attract attention to yourself.
I've learned that showing up with your fly open works well, but Ford decided to go with an entirely new SUV platform. This is a shared platform with Mazda. Unlike previous vehicles in which one company would do all the hard development work and the other would just glue on its own badge at the end (like the Probe/MX-6 sport coupes or the Ranger/B-Series pickups), the Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute project was a joint effort. A team of 30 Ford engineers spent two years in Japan working alongside Mazda engineers.
That's an admirable feat (and not just because of the severe hardships endured by not having easy access to Big Macs). Yet upon first inspection, it would appear that this joint effort produced nothing revolutionary. The Escape is built on a unibody chassis, has four doors and a liftgate, and is motivated by a four- or six-cylinder engine. Standard Escapes are front-wheel drive, with a four-wheel-drive system being optional. Yawn -- can somebody pass the excitement, please?
But it wouldn't be wise to quit reading here. Dig deeper, and you'll see that the Escape's design is evolutionary and therefore offers many improvements to the breed.
Ford considered using body-on-frame construction like its bigger SUVs, but unibody was clearly the way to go for this smaller type of vehicle. The Escape's unibody frame offers the advantages of lighter weight, better handling, easier entry and exit, and enhanced crash safety.
Scan the spec table, and you'll see the Escape is compact in length, but rather wide and tall. In comparison to the Explorer, the Escape is 18 inches shorter but has only an 8-inch shorter wheelbase. Its wheel tracks are surprisingly wide, measuring 3.5 inches more than the Explorer's.
The wide track and stiff chassis complement the Escape's fully independent suspension. The front consists of MacPherson struts, while the rear is a multilink design with semi-trailing arm with two lateral links and coil springs between the trailing arm and body. Steering is rack-and-pinion, while the brakes are discs in front and drums in the rear.
This is great and all, but it doesn't do much while the Escape just sits in your driveway. Movimiento, por favor. Ford offers two engine choices. First is a 2.0-liter, four-cylinder Zetec engine that generates 130 horsepower and 5,400 rpm and 135 foot-pounds of torque at 4,500 rpm. This engine comes exclusively with a five-speed manual transmission.
This output might be fine for a lightweight economy sedan like the Focus (where the Zetec is also used), but it's rather weedy for an SUV. Unless you enjoy traveling at a public transit-bus pace, the better choice is the 3.0-liter V6.
This one is from the Taurus, and it makes the same power: 200 horsepower at 6,000 rpm and 200 foot-pounds of torque at 4,750 rpm. It's been slightly modified for use in the Escape, gaining a tougher oil pan (for off-road durability), composite intake manifolds (rather than aluminum), and revised exhaust manifolds. The only transmission offered for this engine is a four-speed automatic transmission. Fuel economy estimates are 23/28 city/highway for the Zetec four-cylinder and 20/24 for the Duratec V6.
With either setup, Ford's Control Trac II four-wheel-drive system is optional. So equipped, a switch on the instrument panel offers two choices: "auto" or "on." Auto mode should be fine for almost all conditions. During normal driving, engine power flows to the front wheels only to improve fuel economy. But if the front wheels start to slip or spin, progressive amounts of torque are instantly redirected from the front to the rear until traction is regained.
The "on" mode is comparable to the 4-Hi position found in bigger 4WD SUVs. When engaged, it distributes torque equally between the front and rear wheels. This setting will enhance performance when driving off-road or on especially slippery surfaces. However, Ford says the on mode is not recommended on dry roads because it can cause some binding in the driveline during tight turns.
Even when equipped with the 4WD system, it's clear that the Escape isn't designed to be a hard-core off-roader. The Escape's suspension is biased toward ride quality and handling on pavement. Additionally, Control Trac II lacks a two-speed transfer case. Given the Escape's limited purpose, Ford decided the extra expense and weight of a two-speed T-case were not worth the off-road performance gains.
There will be two trim levels available: XLS and XLT. The Zetec four is standard on both, with the V6 being optional. Ford anoints the XLS with standard equipment like air conditioning, an AM/FM stereo with CD player, power mirrors and windows, and remote keyless entry.
In addition to that equipment, the upscale XLT has better-looking 15-inch wheels, a convenience package, antilock brakes and a rear cargo area powerpoint. A leather package, a tow package (3,500 pounds max with the V6) and an in-dash, six-disc CD changer are optional on the XLT only. Side airbags can be ordered on either model.
At the press launch, only XLT V6s were available for evaluation. Traveling on both backcountry roads and highway, the Escape impressed with its stable demeanor. The new unibody chassis and independent rear suspension are clearly the reasons for this. Plenty of SUVs wallow through corners and bounce around on uneven pavement, but that's not the case here. The 4WD system is quick on the job, and in auto mode, the Escape tackled light-duty dirt roads with no problems.
With 200 horsepower from the V6, acceleration is almost giddy. Well, giddy for a SUV. For comparison, a V6-powered 4WD Xterra weighs about 500 pounds more than an Escape and has thirty less horsepower. The Escape's automatic transmission isn't the smartest lump around, but it generally gets the right gear. Add in the responsive steering, and it's surprisingly easy to think that you're driving a car rather than a truck.
As a bonus, you can also haul around 63 cubic feet of cargo. Ford hopes buyers will use this space to carry bikes, camping and hiking gear, and other such "active lifestyle" paraphernalia. Sixty-three cubic feet of cargo space is competitive for the small SUV class and is achieved by folding the rear seat forward. To get the rear seat to fold completely flat, you need to flip the seat cushion forward and remove the headrests. The cushion can also be removed for additional space.
More impressive is the amount of interior room provided for the front and rear passengers. Thanks to its wide and tall stance, the Escape equals or betters the larger, four-door Explorer in headroom, shoulder room, hip room and legroom. As for smaller SUVs, only the CR-V comes close.
XLT drivers are greeted by white-faced gauges, a column-mounted shifter and a large, flat-black center instrument panel housing big climate knobs and a standard Ford stereo unit. Storage space is generous, with two large front cupholders, useable door bins, a large center bin and two centrally mounted cubbyholes. Material quality is the only disappointing aspect, as there are no soft-touch plastics to be found on the dash or on the doors.
The Escape goes on sale during the Summer of 2000. Pricing starts in the low-18s for a stripper front-wheel-drive XLS and tops out at around $25,000 for a fully-loaded 4WD XLT V6. Ford's last small truck-like thing, the Bronco II, was a heap. This is a billion times better.
In 1999, Edmunds.com compared six mini SUVs. The Xterra eked out a win over the CR-V. If the Escape was around for that test, it could have quite possibly won due to its advantages in horsepower, interior space and handling ability. But to really find out, the world will have to wait for another Edmunds.com comparison test. I can hardly wait. Now, is Regis still on? Damn.
Used 2001 Ford Escape Overview
The Used 2001 Ford Escape is offered in the following submodels: Escape SUV. Available styles include XLT 4WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M), XLT 2WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M), XLS 2WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M), and XLS 4WD 4dr SUV (2.0L 4cyl 5M). Pre-owned Ford Escape models are available with a 2.0 L-liter gas engine, with output up to 130 hp, depending on engine type. The Used 2001 Ford Escape comes with four wheel drive, and front wheel drive. Available transmissions include: 5-speed manual.
What's a good price on a Used 2001 Ford Escape?
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Which used 2001 Ford Escapes are available in my area?
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Should I lease or buy a 2001 Ford Escape?
Is it better to lease or buy a car? Ask most people and they'll probably tell you that car buying is the way to go. And from a financial perspective, it's true, provided you're willing to make higher monthly payments, pay off the loan in full and keep the car for a few years. Leasing, on the other hand, can be a less expensive option on a month-to-month basis. It's also good if you're someone who likes to drive a new car every three years or so.
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