Ford Escape XLT V6

Ford’s mid-sized Escape is the quiet achiever of the 4WD brigade. This Japanese-built twin of the Mazda Tribute packs a V6 punch, off-road credentials and a towing work ethic that meets the needs of most middle-weight haulers. Why buy big when you really don’t need to?

The Trailer Boat website BoatPoint is closely related to CarPoint.com.au, and has just finished a six-month assessment of the Escape XLT V6. The test vehicle covered more than 15,000km in that time, hauling a range of boats, jet skis and trailers, and never once put a foot wrong.

Ford’s Escape landed in March 2001, and we first looked at it in May of that year. However, after dumping one in at the deep end of a six-month reliability test, we thought it worth another look. The idea behind CarPoint’s six-month test was to live with the vehicle – putting it through the rough-and-tumble of everyday life. Which means kids to school, off to work, visiting the rellies, dog to the beach – everything a family vehicle would typically encounter.

Then, of course, there’s the extra curricular activities, like bush-bashing across the Victorian Alps, jet skiing on Lake Eildon, boat launching at Patterson Lakes, camping at Rawson and the Victorian Border country, and the odd Melbourne to Brisbane drive.

The daily chores were no problem at all – the only blip on the Escape’s scorecard turned out to be a rather enthusiastic thirst for petrol. Best performance around town was in the high 13lt/100km range, sometimes dropping to 15s and beyond when towing.

On the open road the Escape settled down to 10s and 11s without a trailer, and around 50 per cent more with one on tow. Stability with a relatively light vehicle – the Escape tips in at a smidge over 1500kg – was never an issue; the car’s big footprint kept things on a nice, even keel. The Escape is compact and easily manoeuvrable, and its relatively short wheelbase makes accurate reversing a breeze – much easier than in a longer wheelbase Patrol, for example. Rearward visibility is top notch thanks to the big wing mirrors, high seating position and large rear window – and even our optionally fitted luggage cage didn’t cause any issues.

Perhaps the most surprising result of the Escape’s test was that it never lacked for performance. Straight-line punch from the 150kW, 3.0lt V6 engine is strong and enthusiastic. It even dragged our 1500kg test boat and trailer without much straining. Escape’s mechanical four-wheel drive system may even have made a sandy beach launch plausible, though we didn’t have the opportunity to try it. The interior of the Escape lived through the six months nearly unscathed. The cabin has room for five, and the luggage bay easily swallowed a week’s worth of camping gear and supplies. The only casualty here was a tear in the boot lining, resulting from the dog scrabbling for grip on a severely rutted bush track.

Medium-sized four-wheel drives have improved greatly in the last five years, and for the first time vehicles like the Ford Escape, Nissan X-Trail and others can seriously be considered for middle-duty towing. Our tip when shopping in this arena is to steer clear of electronic 4WD systems – like that fitted to the Honda CR-V for example – and go with lockable four-wheel drive systems. When the going gets soft, you don’t want electronic systems that only trip themselves up, getting you and your trailer bogged.