2013 Ford Escape Gets Two EcoBoost Engines

The 2013 Ford Escape, America’s best-selling SUV, is making its global debut today at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

The 2013 Ford Escape will be offered with loads of new technology and fuel economy projected to top any vehicle of its kind, as Ford hopes to build on its strengths in one of the industry's fastest-growing segments, the entry-level crossover.

The 2013 Ford Escape will come standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine matched to a SelectShift Automatic six-speed.

Two other fuel-efficient engines are offered--a 2.0-liter or 1.6-liter EcoBoost. The 2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is projected to deliver 250 lb-ft (339 N•m) of torque and 237 hp (177 kW). The 1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder is projected to deliver 177 lb-ft (240 N•m) of torque and 173 hp (129 kW).

Fuel economy on the EcoBoost engines is expected to be 5 mpg better than the outgoing model. Also aiding fuel economy is Escape’s sleeker design. The new model is nearly 10 percent more aerodynamic than the outgoing model.

The 2013 Escape will not be offered as a hybrid, Ford will instead put its latest hybrid system in the C-Max.

Front-wheel drive is standard, but buyers can opt for a new intelligent all-wheel-drive system, as well. Using new advanced software and sensors, the new Intelligent 4WD System analyzes data from 25 external signals, including wheel speed, accelerator pedal position and steering wheel angle, assessing road conditions and driver input 20 times faster than the blink of an eye.

The system uses all the sensor inputs to turn the vehicle in the direction the driver wants it to go. Intelligent 4WD builds on the pre-emptive actions by adding and subtracting torque as needed through an electromagnetic clutch.

Ford is billing the 2013 Escape as a "smarter utility vehicle" that will make customers' busy lives easier. The Escape will be available with technologies usually found in luxury vehicles:

• An available hands-free power rear liftgate operated by motion-sensing technology. Customers can activate it by making a gentle kicking motion under the rear bumper.
• Ford's Sync system with the upgraded version of MyFord Touch controls that are simpler, faster and easier to operate than those on the former version.
• Parallel parking assist.
• Blind-spot detection.
• Curve Control, a system that automatically slows the vehicle when it's going too fast in a corner, and Torque Vectoring Control, a four-wheel drive system that uses the brakes to balance the distribution of torque between the front wheels for greater stability during corners.

The Escape is expected to go on sale in summer 2012. Customers globally will start seeing this sleek small SUV next year, too. Named the Ford Kuga in Europe and China, this vehicle makes its international debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March and will offer unique powertrains and features for customers in those markets.

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