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In my opinion, you're on the verge of it But then, I'm a weenie. I just traded in an early (10/2012) production C-Max because of the concerns over transmission reliability. That leads to the advice to only buy a pre-August 2015 C-Max if it's got a new tranny. We have many forum users who've gotten 100K+ on the replacement, so there's no concern for reliability when properly built. That's one reason I was willing to dive into another first production year car in the 2020 Escape Hybrid. The C-Max was wonderful in the 67K I drove it. The Escape is very similar, just bigger. have fun, Frank

This sounds normal, as long as it goes away. When ICE first starts cold, it uses different operating points until it warms up a bit. I see it as instant EV when I start the car, that goes away in 30 sec. The Escape runs the same way when cold. I can EV up the hill from my house, but the ICE takes over by the time I reach the crest, then no EV until it's warm. HAve fun, Frank

We love our metamers. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metamerism_(color)

Unfortunately, weather and winter make it hard to see small changes like a few percent rolling resistance. See what you get this summer. I bet you're still ahead on the tires. Frank

There is data that says the Energi battery is only good for about 100K miles in stress environments (AZ). Of four vehicles, two exceeded 150K miles at test, and their batteries show a clear drop in energy capacity. https://avt.inl.gov/vehicle-button/2013-ford-c-max-energi Check out the Weber State videos for a good explanation of why the Leaf has losses. https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtr07mdKhsUwVJjL8Kw_q5A Have fun, Frank

Wow! Something's finally wearing out! FWIW, mine came in 6 weeks early. Hang in there. Frank

Suggestions welcome, if you can find one that's active. Here is the most active Escape forum I've found, and they've had 3 of 11 forums on the 4G Escape active in the last day. https://www.fordescape.org/forums/4g-ford-escape-general-discussion.268/ And this one is near-dormant, but posts have good information, like order guides. Ford employees here, I think. https://blueovalforums.com/forums/index.php?/forum/73-escape-kuga-forum/ Have fun, Frank

First off, welcome to the resurrected forum. Second, have you tried a search on the forum for some of your key words? I did a search for "red triangle" and got a page of threads, including one with a technical service bulletin. You may get an answer to a question, but you're always better off looking for prior answers, too. HAve fun, Frank, who sees Plus 3 has just replied... your in good hands.

First tank is done, and I’m finally getting some fair-weather driving opportunities, as well as heavy snow. I’m finding myself very pleased with the car! The handling I’d best describe as C-Max quick, but with a soft touch. I feel the road undulations, but not the cracks in the asphalt. I have to toss it into corners to feel the tires at all. If Car & Driver is right, there is a whole lot of grip here. I was concerned about snow driving with these all-season tires, given OEM Ecopia’s poor ratings for winter use. But I’m now wondering if these domestic Ecopias might deserve a different rating? They seem to corner and brake reasonably well on snow, and combined with AWD, gives the Escape the occasional advantage in deep snow over the C-Max with snows. I’m naturally giving it gas on snowy curves. Braking has slipped a couple times, but regen braking won’t lose traction in snow. Not what I expected. I’m sensing a similar warm-up routine to the C-Max: 30 sec. of mostly EV torque upon start-up, like 15 kW EV to 3 kW ICE. I haven’t floored it. A couple minutes of ICE run to warm up before it will EV the first time. Period when ICE runs for “heater setting,” not “normal operation,” so you can choose. Warmed up enough to hold cabin and coolant temperature for long EV runs. I’m looking forward to Spring! The car is very solid. No squeaks or creakiness over bumps. The cargo area underfloor has nooks and crannies for things like jumper cables and tow straps, and the foam spacers keep things from rattling. My only problem, day-to-day? There’s so much more space in back than the C-Max; cargo’s harder to fit tight. At the same time, I’d never give it up; the cargo capacity seems huge! Need to find the front cargo tie-downs and run bungee cords. And thinking about visibility, I realized what was missing… the little window in the A-pillar! The visibility to the front quarters is much improved by the narrower pillar, and with the low hood line, there’s nothing in the way between them. The side mirrors work well only because of the BLISS sensors flashing warnings, and thankfully, you only see them if you look. The “perimeter alarm” isn’t much different from the C-Max reverse proximity alarms, except it’s a 360* display, and that’s not a bad thing. And you need that kind of thing with the small rear window. Headlights were a concern, given I’m not fond of the trend to whiter lights. Since poor adjustment is the big issue, the good news is that the 2020 Escape headlights are among the easiest I’ve ever adjusted. The white button with the 6 mm hex key is easy to find on the black housing. The L/R headlights have a different pattern so you don’t need a helper to block one side. Very gentle pressure required to move ½ turn lower and I’m happy. I guess my only real complaint: the rear view mirror is too low, it's hard to see under it. I do like the night-time performance of this auto-dimming mirror. Oh, and the first tank got 38.2 MPG on the display, 37.4 based on the pump. Remember, this one got a lot of idle run time while I was setting things up, it’s winter, etc. I'm really looking forward to Spring! Have fun, Frank

The usual prohibition is to use conventional oil during the engine's "break-in" period, but I believe that's old school thinking, too. I know both dealerships that did oil changes on our C-Max used the same Ford semi-synthetic oil part number. I suspect the 0W20 equivalent is in the Escape in my driveway. Have fun, Frank

And I'll make the case that you don't want to change the engine air filter on a hybrid. Two reasons. Paper filter particulate efficiency improves with age We tend to focus on the pressure drop across the filter because we tend to think in terms of maximum capability, giving the engine optimum conditions for running at redline. That's when the pressure drop matters. At low to moderate RPM, particulate efficiency is more important. One measure is the amount of Si in the oil. My levels are half the initial SI content after 45K miles, and leveling off even lower, consistent with improved particulate efficiency. Hybrid cars are a low RPM application. Power demand, based on throttle position, determines engine speed, unrelated to vehicle speed. Set up MyView with a tachometer, and you can see what your ears are telling you; engine speed doesn't change as you speed up. You can certainly floor it, if you want, but I find no need to. I want to optimize performance below 3000 RPM, because that's where I spend 99% of engine hours. The last bit is to understand that the engine's control system is using sensors to match fuel delivery to airflow. As the air filter collects dirt and starts to clog, the control system adjusts fuel delivery to maintain performance. As the filter ages, the air entering the engine is getting cleaner and cleaner without affecting performance. Leaving it in seems like a win-win proposition, absent severe operating conditions. HAve fun, Frank

Yes, the issue is time, not mileage. I can only offer the data posted yesterday showing nothing untoward happening with the oil if you go by miles instead of years. - The wear products (iron) are consistent, higher than other C-Max, but lower than healthy conventional engines (per Blackstone). It roughly doubles across the last two samples because my mileage is down, and it takes two years to get the miles on it (and I was getting ready to trade it in.) - The buffer system (TBN) is declining, as expected, but based on miles, not time. - The viscosity/flashpoint/%fuel-in-oil interact with your driving mode, at least in cold climates. More highway driving seems to drive off the fuel. If you're driving with a high EV percentage, you can expect fuel in the oil. That, in turn, drops the flashpoint and reduces viscosity. I'll also note that I used a 10K synthetic oil change interval in my Volvos, which went 240K, 330K and 250K, all retired due to rust issues. For me, the oil choice comes down to "oil's cheap, why scrimp?" You can always provide your own oil, and request a discount. I do. Have fun, Frank

In the FWIW department, I'm now driving Sync3, and I haven't really noticed a difference I can ascribe to Sync version. I need to research the background screen options... nope, none found. Sync 3 wallpaper is not readily changed; we'll need to use ForScan. Need to find my OBDII adapter. OK, there's one difference! Frank

So the sump was empty? Synthetic oil won't prevent engine failure! You were lucky.... I also paid my dealer extra for full synthetic... they got no-name oil from a local auto parts store. I don't believe it was misrepresented, but.... Here's a summary of oil tests done at ~10K vehicle miles, or removal in the last case, over 65K miles. The right two are base oil out of the bottle, so you can see the additive packages. Iron is the only thing that concerned me, but the rate seems fairly constant. I'll note that Paul Jones car shows less than half the iron, with over twice the ICE miles between changes (he does extended change interval). Bov Oil Data 191105.pdf The wear-out item for oil is "TBN," total base number, a measure of the oil's ability to neutralize acids. My last two measures are the same oil at increasing age. It's the one thing I wish Paul has measured, given his higher ICE mileage. As long as it meets spec, what you put in doesn't matter. I'm likely to use Mobil 1 AFE or EP, if only because I have the base oil data. HAve fun, Frank

Yes. The car only measures about 95% of the fuel you pump. Odometer vs Pump fuel use.pdf The only thing that helps in Winter is to cycle the heat, on when the ICE runs, off when it stops, until the ICE is warm enough to maintain cabin temperature. Seat heaters (and now steering wheel heaters) help. I just hate sitting still with the engine running. How things have changed! Frank

The Hybrid is the one with the tranny problems, suspect through August, 2015. In the DOE testing that had 3 of 4 Hybrids with failed transmissions, 0 of 4 Energi's experienced transmission failure, albeit with one car at 30K, vs. 150k, 151K and 160K for the others (all 4 Hybrids made 160K). HAve fun, Frank

On this basis, mine was $31,666, with AWD ($1500) and $240 in options. Frank

That's what order guides tell you. And I think you're quoting an AWD Titanium Hybrid... I don't know X-Plan from a hole in the ground, but I paid less than $33,394, with AWD. Have fun, Frank

We know Battery University... great site.

And Ford has a hybrid version of the Explorer, that's more like the Hyundai. Frank

Just to throw a (lug nut) wrench into the discussion... I traded my C-Max in with the original lug nuts. They were perfectly fine. I suspect the reason was that they'd never seen an uncalibrated impact wrench. I do my changes by hand, and my mechanic uses torque rods with impact wrenchs. The only problem I ever had doing my biannual tire swap was a tight center hole. I'd have to loosen lug nuts, then drive around the cul de sac to get them off. Steel wheels were worse, but they had rust at the center hole where the paint had been scraped off. And I'll wager I had far higher corrosion rates than most of you... front rotors dissolved and plenty of surface rust. But lug nuts still fit the wrench. Who changes your tires? HAve fun, Frank

And I think they use it... one thing I notice is the Escape comes back from low EV-Available more quickly than the C-Max. That implies a higher charge rate at low SOC, generating more heat, which a liquid cooling system can absorb. BTW, per the manual, there's 5 qt.of coolant in "low temp" circuit, and 9.6 qt. in the "high temp" circuit, with a little more in each for the plug-in. HAve fun, Frank

Welcome to the fold! Hopefully I can straighten out your expectations. To get remote start, you need an Energi and its 5-button fob. You have a Hybrid, the best you get is intelligent access, a 3-button fob. Too bad you didn't get two; as you've discovered, they're expensive. Hopefully, someone will chime in. "MyKey" is a custom fob program, intended, for example, for families with new drivers who might be distracted by the amusement park in the middle of the dash. "MyKey allows you to program keys with restricted driving modes to promote good driving habits. ..." And you need two fobs to program one as MyKey. Without an "administrator" fob, MyKey doesn't work. Conversely, if you lose the admin fob, you're stuck. Enjoy! Frank

Long list so generic answers - you really need a test drive to answer these kinds of questions. I'm in no position to tell you if you'll like the seats, for example, and I'd need rain to assess wipers, snow or fog to assess headlights, and fuel to open the filler door (perhaps by March). Do you have Ford's Technical Specs (attached)? Frank 2020-Ford-Escape-Tech-Specs.pdf