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.

Yes, I've even practiced using the key and positioning it into the key fob to give the key leverage for unlocking the door. My point is, if one battery lasted 4 years, and 2 subsequent batteries failed, it is most likely the batteries that are defective - not the car.

I have a 2013 C-Max. I replaced the 12v battery after 4 years because batteries usually die at 5 years. The new battery lasted just about a year. This March, the battery kept draining to where I had to jump start several times. I take it to the dealer - they replace the battery at no charge under warranty. Several weeks ago (June 2018), battery dies again. Dealer replaces battery under warranty. Conclusion: 1) Either the batteries that Ford sells are hit and miss in quality or 2) Ford suspects (or knows) something more serious is occurring but it's cheaper to replace batteries than to fix the problem. Note: We've had a lot of rain this year. There is a reference about some component that might rust, causing a drain on the battery. Certainly a possibility. In either case, by carrying my little lithium charger, it's not that big of problem to jump start and as long as Ford continues to replace the battery every so often. I can live with it until the new Ford Escape hybrid arrives. Hopefully, it won't have the same problem.

Would you consider waiting for 2019 models? Ford is coming out with more hybrids.

For the first five years, I never had any problems with the 12v battery. Last year, I replaced the 12 v because in my previous cars, the battery would die around 5 years. In January, I came out and the car was dead. I used my small portable lithium battery to jump start the car (from under the hood). Took less than a minute to hook up and start. The battery worked until two weeks ago when it died again. Jump started the car and went to Ford, and they said the battery was defective and replaced it under the warranty. I'm beginning to believe that our problems are with the 12v battery, not the car. It reminds me of an experience 30 years ago when a fleet of Dodge vans had problems with drag links failing. Dodge said there was no problem with the drag links, but their parts department always had plenty of drag links in stock, which seemed unusual because drag links shouldn't fail so why did they have so many in the parts department? UPDATE: The battery that I got in March failed early June. Dealer replaced at no cost under warranty.

UPDATE UPDATE: In December and this past weekend, the C-Max was dead. I jumped started both times with no problems. So, I went to Ford dealer today. They checked battery and replaced it. I bought the battery 14 months ago from the dealer which was under warranty - so it cost me nothing. Because the original battery lasted 4 years, it suggests that part of the problem maybe Ford's batteries - some work and some don't work for very long.

My one year old 12v battery apparently dropped below some level of charge and shut down everything. Fortunately, I have a lithium charge kit to jump start. This also occurred two months ago. I'm not sure if it's worth taking to Ford. Might take it in just to document the problem. My C-Max original battery lasted over 4 years and never failed. I replaced it only because of its age.

UPDATE 2: It's been about 2 weeks since I had to jump start the car. Car has started up with no problems. We've driven and parked the car when we've had temperatures in the single digits and it still starts OK. I have to assume that the battery is OK. Weird behavior.

Update: I bought a new 12v battery in Jan 2017 (decided to be proactive and replace the 4 year old battery before it died by itself). Came out this morning and the car was dead electrically. I used my lithium battery starter I got from Costco. Car immediately started and ran for almost 10 minutes before the engine shut down. Drove around the neighborhood. Everything seems to work OK. I had to reset "my view" menu. Will need to see if it starts tomorrow. Car is garaged and although the temps have been in the teens, the garage doesn't get below 35 degrees. If battery fails again, I'll return to Ford for a replacement.

I've got more than 50 years experience in owning cars. I found that car batteries die around the 5th year. So, I had Ford replace my 2013 C-Max 12v battery earlier this year. I also carry a jump-start lithium battery (bought at Costco) as an additional precaution. What I would like to know, is there a test to determine the condition of the C-Max lithium batteries?

I recently rotated tires and had an alignment. The alignment was off a bit on the front but they did adjust the rear too. Now I'm getting a slight thumping from the front tires. Would this indicate that the tires have incorrectly worn on one side, and if yes, do they need to be replaced? Tires have about 11K miles - Michelin