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Want a slice of American freedom but your budget isn't quite as fat as the typical American citizen? Do you want an mild off-road capable vehicle and the budget is as big as the budget of this online septic tank? Ford Escape ZA.

Technically, this is the second generation Ford Escape, but the first Escape is essentially a rebadged Nissan Terrano, so I won't make a dedicated review on it, because it wasn't even for sale here in Europe. Technically, based on this logic, I shouldn't make a separatereview for the Mazda Tribute, which is a Ford Escape with Mazda written on it, but the Mazda Tribute has some notable differences compared to the Escape.

Ford Escape. For the person who thinks outside the box, but drives a box.

Literally a box, because the Ford Escape ZA has more plastic and cardboard than metal. It also looks like a box, so it is a certified box. Just like the coconut is a mammal, because it has hair and gives milk. Seriously, the Escape has tons of plastic because we are in the 2000s, and some car manufacturers are experimenting with water-based paint for the first time, which is why many cars from the 2000s were defeated by rust just like Joe Biden was defeated by rust. Innit, Mercedes? And what did Ford do in the case of Escape? They thought outside the box and thought that it is bad to paint where you can just put plastic.

But let's get back to the rest of the car. We are in the year 2000. We are preparing for the apocalypse, Backstreet Boys and Spice Girls were steamrolling the charts, the original Sims is launched and, by far the most important event of the year 2000, Big Brother is launched. Good times. Times when you didn't have a beer gut and baggy eyes, no matter if you were a man or a woman. And in the automotive world, specifically in North America, Honda CR-V and Toyota Rav4 were starting to gain momentum in the world of cross-overs, a world they created because this concept did not exist until then. Of course, the original cross-over was the Jeep Cherokee XJ in 1984, but it was only in 1994 that the Rav4 came and convinced the world that you can have a budget SUV that won't kick your financial testicles.

So Ford thought that it was absolutely necessary to come up with an answer to the Honda CR-V and Rav4, so in 2001 their first SUV was launched with a unibody and not a body-on-frame chassis as it was used at that time and which is hardly used today today. They even brought microscopic straight-4 engines. But for Ford and Mazda it was a huge step, because they only knew how to make huge cars like the Explorer until then, and now they also had a cross-over. The Escape was not the most equipped cross-over in its time, but it was the most capable off-road in its class because Ford cannot keep themselves from excess and it was also the cheapest because it was not an import car. It was raised with local Coors Light. That's why it was also the largest and most spacious in it's class at it's time. And it was the first hybrid SUV home grown in the USA, as they called Toyota and exchanged technologies, the Americans borrowing the hybrid technology from the Prius, and the Japanese getting semi-automatics, quarter pounders and country dance lessons. In 2004. But only for the Ford Maverick and the fourth member of the family (it was called the Maverick in Europe), the Mercury Mariner. The Mazda Tribute did not receive the hybrid engine. In fact, no one outside of North America received the hybrid engine.

And boy did it sell. Massively. In fact, it sold so well that in 2004 it started a chain reaction of 4 facelifts, and in a few years it turns into what we call the Kuga, one of Ford's greatest hits. In the world. 

Ford Escape ZA Engines

Petrol

• 2.0 ZeTec of 127 horsepower  – This is not the Mazda engine. This is not the Mazda engine. This is not the Mazda engine. This is the old Zetec, used on the Mondeo II sometime in the 60s. A reliable engine, where the thermostat occasionally fails, but that's about it. It's not the most agile or economical engine possible, but it revs forever.


• 2.3 L3-V3 of 135 horsepower – This IS the Mazda engine. We are in the days when Mazda was under the tyranny of Ford, and they borrowed this engine. Engine that is reliable in itself and the only issue is the oil consumption, but realistically here in Europe you won't see this engine very often in the ads. It offers 8 horsepower more than the 2.0 ZeTec, but the taxes are much higher and I'm not convinced if it's worth it. Just like I'm convinced if it's worth sticking a toothpick between my left big toe and the nail of that toe, and then kicking the wall.


• 3.0 Duratec V6 of 200 horsepower – The americans criticized it for being like a bodybuilder. All show and not much go. But, just like the 2.0 Zetec, it's an all American engine and will last much longer than the rest of the car.

Hybrid

2.5 Hybrid of 155 horsepower - This was a joke which got way out of hand. Basically Ford launched the very first home grown hybrid cross-over, after sharing technoloy with Toyota, and it was a much bigger succes than they anticipated. They prolly thought that if they're trying something new, might aswell go all the way. And boy did it sell. Much more than Ford dreamed of. So if you can find one, and the batteries still have some life left in them, it's definatelly worth the buy. 

Ford Escape ZA Reliability Issues

• As I said above, the main issue is rust, because they decided that it is a sin to use paint, where you can cover with plastic. That's why most of them have been cleaned off the streets by the passage of time, and if you find a Escape which escaped from death by rust, you must definitely check the subframe for rust. In fact check everywhere there is plastic, in other words, 105% of the car.


• The combination of cheap plastic, rust and thin sheet metal translates into low safety in the event of an crash. 


• Automatic gearboxes are not the last word in terms of reliability and probably have not been properly maintained either, so avoid them.

Ford Escape ZA Verdict

Ford Maverick, for those who want a somewhat off-road capable crossover and have 2,500 euros in their pocket and don't put a high price on quality, equipment or their life in case of an accident. Again, in its price range, it is the most capable off-road crossover, so you decide if all the minuses are bigger than the Swiss flag. Which is a big plus.

What engines do I recommend? The 2 litre, 127 horsepower petrol engine is all the engine you need, honestly. I mean, they are all good, but this is the most balanced one, when you factor in fuel and running costs.