joe

I've put 1,500 miles on my 2020 Ford Escape Titanium AWD hybrid over the first 3 months. Averaging 45 mpg. Love the co-pilot 360 on interstate travel. Like the heads-up display. We kept our C-Max for local driving mostly. C-Max has @ 63K with an average of 40 mpg. Escape driven only a few times on interstate and gets between 40 to 43 mpg at 70 mph depending on the terrain.

I bought a 2020 Escape Titanium Hybrid at end of March. I kept our 2013 C-Max. I'm going to bet that the C-Max became the prototype for the Escape. I've driven over 300 miles, mostly local. Averaging 45 mpg. Filled up Escape ($1.69 a gallon - can you believe that). It says I have a 630 miles to empty. I really like the way it drives. Seats are comfortable. I like having a spare tire. Like the keypad on the door. Car came with privacy screen over the back storage area. Like the various displays, including the heads-up. Sports mode is cool. When accelerating quickly, it shifts gears (I think it is a simulated shift, not a real shift - but still cool.) Haven't tried yet the lane keeping and drivering assist on the interstate. Should come in handy on long drives.

To jump start, look at your manual. There are two posts in the front engine compartment where you hook up the jumper cables. This is a lot safer than trying to reach down and attach cables directly to the battery. I had no problems with the first four years with the 12v battery. I replaced it because car batteries generally only have a reliable life-time of 4-5 years. The replacement died within a year and a second in six months. All covered by battery warranty. Current battery has lasted several years. Ford probably figured it was cheaper to replace batteries than to fix the problem - unless the problem are defective batteries.

I have used one of those lithium battery packs on my C-Max several times. Your manual will show you where to attach the cables in the engine compartment. Remember, the 12 volt battery doesn't start the engine, it closes the electric relays and starts up the computers. So it doesn't take that much power to start things. And it is so much easier hooking up in the engine compartment rather than trying to connect directly to the battery in the back.

For those curious about the spare tire in the Escape Hybrid, here is a link to a video where, at the 8 minute mark, the narrator talks about the spare tire. Observe in the upper right corner of the trunk space an air pump. The guy is reviewing an SE Hybrid. I read that the spare tire is an option in the SE. I read that the spare tire is included in the Titanium. I would check with the dealer when ordering an Escape regarding the spare tire. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1JjTb3nYuv8

A Ford dealership just posted the sticker for a 2020 Escape Titanium hybrid front-wheel drive. It shows MPG - highway 37 mpg, City 44 mpg, average at 41 mpg. That at least matches the official overall average mpg for the C-Max. The Ford site doesn't list the mpg yet but maybe by next week. Waiting to see the mpg for the all-wheel drive version. UPDATE: Someone posted a window sticker for an AWD hybrid, showing 43 mpg city, 37 mpg highway and 40 overall average. That is still good.

A Ford dealership just posted the sticker for a 2020 Escape Titanium hybrid front-wheel drive. It shows MPG - highway 37 mpg, City 44 mpg, average at 41 mpg. That at least matches the official overall average mpg for the C-Max. The Ford site doesn't list the mpg yet but maybe by next week. Waiting to see the mpg for the all-wheel drive version.

My C-Max, after 7 years and @ 60K miles, has an overall average of 40.9 mpg. So, if the Escape can deliver that, I'll be OK with it. Once, when driving all around Yellowstone Park at around 35 mph for a total of around 350 miles, I got around 56 mpg. So mileage depends a lot on terrain and speed. What I like about the Escape is the increase technology and safety features. I'll probably get the titanium model with the heads-up display, fancy display screen, etc. I just discovered that the Escape (not sure which models but assume at least at the higher levels) will have the keypad in the door which I found useful in my Taurus when I didn't have my key with me.

Escape hybrid road tests are being published on YouTube today. What I found interesting is that there is a spare tire and under it is the smaller battery used to start the electronics (like the C-Max). What is nice is that this battery is easily accessible. Like the C-Max, the second row seat doors are a bit cheaper than the front doors. One Youtube video said they were getting around 42 mpg. I suspect that within a week or two, we'll get the official mpg numbers. We've been debating whether to trade in our 2013 C-Max or the 2009 Taurus (which is in great shape and fewer miles).

I figure that when the electric only car has a range of 500 miles with a recharge time of ten minutes or less, then gasoline engines will be phased out.

Someone above said, "The cargo area is about 3 cubic feet smaller in the hybrids (37.5 to 34.4 behind the second row) due to the placement of the 12-volt battery in the rear." I thought the difference had to do with the fact that the rear seats slide forward (37) and back (34). . .? Regarding the 12-volt battery - it would be nice if Ford switched to a lithium battery instead of a lead acid battery.

I have a 2013 C-Max. After the first few years, I experienced tire noise. Starting around the second year, I had the wheels aligned - and each time, they needed it. So I would suggest, when you get new tires, have the alignment conducted.

As much as I love my C-Max, I'm expecting Ford to bring to the market the next generation of hybrids, and in particular the Escape, later this year. So, if you're still considering trading in the C-Max, you might wait until the new Fords arrive.

Over the past 2 years, I've had battery problems with the 12v battery. So, I bought one of those lithium battery startup devices from Costco to jump my C-Max. Attach leads to connectors under the hood and the electronics came alive and I was able to start the engine. This saved having to have the car towed to the dealer. Since I bought my 12v batteries from Ford, they have replaced that last two defective batteries for free.

Several months ago, this happened to me. I pulled the fuse, waited a few minutes, started car up and I had my radio (and other sounds) returned to normal. This forum has been great.