2008 Ford Escape Reviews, Pricing & Specs

The old Escape may have looked ready to tackle the wilderness when it arrived in 2001, but the Blue Oval has clearly decided to double down with its 2008 refresh of this small SUV. The squared-off shoulders, rear, and face give the Escape a more truck-like design, making it feel more like the miniature version of a Ford Explorer or Expedition.

Inside, the centre stack has lost its rounded edges in favour of a slab of rectangular plastic, inset with the necessary buttons and dials to handle your temperature requirements and auditory needs. The extensive swaths of plastic are two-toned, giving the Escape’s interior a new-school visual style, and one that will likely age well. Add in optional leather seats, and the 2008 Escape feels well-appointed, if not entirely special.

Although the Escape has a new face and wears new clothes, its heart remains the same as it ever was. The base 2.3-litre four-cylinder engine makes 153 horsepower—a number which felt adequate just a few years ago but is undeniably lackluster today. Move up from the XLS to the Ford Escape XLT or Limited trims’ available 3.0-litre V6 engine. With 200 hp and 193 pound-feet of torque, it still won’t peel the paint back, but you’ll feel much more prepared to tackle highway on-ramps.

The powertrains in the XLT and Limited trims pair with a four-speed automatic transmission regardless of the engine (the Limited is available with the V6 only). While the base XLS is available only with front-wheel drive (FWD), the XLT is offered with either FWD or all-wheel drive (AWD) while the Ford Escape Limited is AWD-only. (Note that Ford literature lists the 2008 Escape as having a four-wheel drive (4WD) drivetrain.) In Canada, the five-speed manual transmission is not offered. Fuel economy ranges from 10.3 to 12.2 litres per 100 kilometres in city driving and 7.7 to 9.1 L/100 km on the highway, depending on engine and drivetrain configuration. A Ford Escape Hybrid is offered that achieves 5.7 city/6.7 highway in FWD and 6.8/7.3 in 4WD.

Compared to its primary rivals, the Honda CR-V and the Toyota RAV4, the 2008 Escape comes up uncomfortably short on cargo space. Despite managing to look and feel more like a true SUV than the Japanese leaders do, the Escape offers a scant 826 litres behind its rear seat while the CR-V and RAV4 offer 1,010 and 1,030 litres, respectively. However, when fitted with the V6 engine, the Escape manages towing with the best of its class, at 1,587 kilograms (3,500 pounds). The Escape may also be the better choice for city dwellers forced into small parallel parking spots, considering its total length comes in more than 7.5 centimetres shorter than the CR-V and more than 15 centimetres shorter than the RAV4.

Further, the capacity of the centre console storage is impressive—it can hold a laptop computer. It features three levels of storage with two removable bins, which further expand storage capacity.

Ford has made an across-the-line brand change with the switch to Ice Blue interior lighting. A new information display features exterior temperature, radio functions, and climate-control readouts on the top section of the dashboard.

In Canada, a CD player and air conditioning are standard, and front seats are heated as standard in all but the base trim. If you’re interested in dual-zone climate control, be prepared to pay up for the Limited trim. You can also upgrade to a 320-watt stereo with a DVD-based navigation system.

With bones dating back to 2001, it’s no surprise that the Escape loses some ground to the competition in safety tests. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) afforded the Escape its best score of Good for only side crashworthiness; the moderate overlap front and head restraints & seats both managed an Acceptable, and rollover roof strength rated as the second-from-worse Marginal.

Anti-lock brakes, traction control, stability control, and driver and passenger airbags are standard. Somewhat inexplicably, Ford chose to replace the rear disc brakes on the last-generation Escape with rear drums on the 2008 model. This will almost certainly worsen braking performance (but save Ford’s bean-counters some critical dollars).

At first glance, the XLS FWD’s $23,999 starting price looks attractive. Consider the bare-bones spec, however, with its four-cylinder engine, and it’s quickly revealed as a “you get what you pay for” scenario.

However, even the top-tier Limited 4WD trim undercuts the competition, with an MSRP of $34,499, although the newer underpinnings of cars like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4 likely mean that they will retain their value better as used cars than the older Escape over time. Still, if you’re interested in a capable SUV at the lowest possible price, the Escape may be the right choice.

Note: Images show a US model.