Page 3 of 6

2008 Ford Escape - Comfort

Front Comfort
The Escape’s seating position is very upright, and the seat felt small to some of our drivers, with the seatback and bottom cushion too short. Around the driver’s legs are numerous hard plastic panels, which make it hard to find a comfortable position. The door tops are also hard, and the elbow rests on the doors and center console are covered in spongy rubber that, although better than the hard plastic, is uncomfortable to the touch. Throw in the tilt-only steering wheel and it’s hard to get comfortable in the Escape.

Rear Comfort
The rear arrangement is a “bench” in the worst sense of the word, using hard, flat cushions and featuring an upright seating position. The result is that rear passengers don’t fare any better than their front-seat counterparts. The upright position isn’t adjustable, and although headroom is adequate, it comes at the expense of a bottom cushion that’s too low. Shoulder room isn’t very good either, and we imagine squeezing three adults in the rear seat would be a chore.

Interior Noise
Take your pick: engine, wind, transmission, suspension, road…the Escape has them all. Stand on the throttle and you’re granted noise instead of acceleration. The transmission clunks into gear as you choose between Park, Reverse and Drive. The suspension thumps and clatters over bumps. Road noise permeates the cabin at every turn, until it’s drowned out by wind noise at higher speeds. The noise levels in the Escape are as satisfying as attending a noisy party when you have a headache. At least the audio system can drown out most of the racket.

Visibility
One bright spot in the Escape is visibility. Despite the intrusive second-row head restraints, the view out through most angles is quite good. The rearmost pillars are thin, and the ones to the sides and beside the windshield are also admirably out of the way, providing good sight lines. Throw in the generously sized mirrors and – surprisingly – backup sensors, and you have a little ute that’s easy to maneuver in parking lots and on the highways.