I'm a loyal Ford owner, but it's been my experience that Ford loves to make their vehicles hard to work on. I started working on my Ford Rangers many years ago because I got tired of being raped without lube by mechanics.
Brian Smith When I worked at a lube shop I would cringe when I saw an ecoboost escape. PITA. I have a 4.0 ohv ranger. 2wd and manual trans. Easy peasy . Rust is my enemy Here in WI. My brother has a 13 rav4 and there is enough room around the engine bay for another engine. Screw ford
Well the original battery in my daughters 2013 lasted 6 years so at least a good stock battery. Real pain ids the water pump which started leaking this year so also 6 years old and only about 75K miles!
I love these super detailed reviews, I'm trying to learn more about cars and these reviews show me a lot of stuff I never even knew car manufacturers included
Engineering Explained Oh yes I understand the weight part but it's still not worth it to hide half the battery under that. Also would be a pain to jump it. The Positive is easy enough to get to but the Negative is near impossible. Also they always say to remove the negative when working on electrics etc on the car which would also be a pain.
The earth is routed to the front of the battery case if you need to access it. To remove the battery, you just disconnect the intake hose to the airbox (1 hose clamp and a one rubber one you remove without the need of a tool) and pull up to remove the airbox. Then slide battery forward and out.
taking the cover off is not very difficult. annoying yes. you take off the wind shield wipers, remove the clips and a couple T-screws and your in jumping it is no issue because there is a ground wire and screw right beside it in plain sight
I like the way you think about the video you want to make before shooting it. We can tell it is well prepared and thought through. Awesome vid as always!
Matt Gar It is a pain, happy to hear it's appreciated because I thought about not doing it, but thought "If not me, then who!" and took off into the night...
Engineering Explained Been following you for quite a bit now, you went from drawing and explaining us the (dumbs) on how the engineering works on a car which very few are doing and if they do it's boring and not well explained. Nice work bro, keep it going best of lucks. Now you reviewing cars? no mre drawing in boards I guess lol keep it going not all have the opportunities you got how.
Love the videos, not an annoying voice like some reviews and a lot of things to be learned about functions and products instead of skimming over them. Keep up the good work man, love it.
Yes..we are very pleased with it..We wanted an Explorer, but it was a little above our price range..We actually traded a 2005 Explorer for this vehicle. Our old Explorer was a gas hog..the Escape is great on gas!! Good luck!!
thank you very much for your quick answer, I appreciate it very much. I am going to go look at one tonight, and will keep your recommendation in mind. Thanks again.
Ronald Reardon what are your thoughts now? I'm strongly considering an escape AWD. I've heard reliability issues with the 2013s. I may be wrong on that. Any benefit of the fwd model? How would they do in the snow?
Your reviews are awesome! Good relevant information is exactly what all these other guys are missing. Nobody really touches on the stuff you don't know until you live with the car. I hope manufacturers keep sending you more vehicles. I don't see why they wouldn't.
I bought a 2013 escape se last year and never knew about those vents that open and shut on it. Went to my car started it up, went to the front of the car, and saw the vents open and close. Never would have known had you not done this video.
I love how you rip the car open and LOVE how you sprinkle some car theory here and there. You should also drop a little bit of car history in the mix... That'd be the cherry on this cake. The anecdotal evidence you use to explain why you like things is very very nice too.
I like your more engineering themed road tests over others which are more consumer orientated. You didn't specifically mention whether it was a DCT or torque converter gearbox although I gathered its the latter from listening carefully. You should explain just exactly what Ecoboost is compared to other turbo engines and examine its benefits and problems. For myself the battery placement is not a big thing - after all how often does it need to be replaced. However, the coolant filler cap position is an example of how one design department is not talking to another and that is a scandal.
EcoBoost is simply a Ford brand name for a turbo engine. It provides turbo boost and it's "Eco" because it is supposedly more economical than a naturally aspirated engine of that output (though I'm not sure that's really the case.)
Excellent as always! The placement of the components in the engine bay is less than ideal as is the case with most new vehicles, one thing I wish more companies would start doing is placing the battery in the trunk. Makes access better and helps shift that bit of weight away from the front of the vehicle.
Nice review. I loved the part of the technical presentation about power train, suspension, turbo, and the fluid check. Those are the things the owner is concerned about. I do not see value in forcing the engine to do 0-60 and then brake. No owner will stress their automobile that way. You told things that I will like to know about.
Thanks for the presentation, nice. Very impressed with the 13 escape. Very comfortable and responsive. Ford could have done better with the coolant bottle and battery compartments. Have one with 148 thou miles. Still drives like new. Except one time while doing a turn, i would say sbout 10 to 15 miles an hour, the steering locked. Freaked me out. Pulled over with hard steering. Shut the car down. Restarted and went ahead without any problems. I havent had that problem again. (Knock on wood).
@@openmythirdeye unless you have a tire pump that uses the battery terminals such as mine. It's a twin cylinder pump that requires more current than the typical lighter plug in your vehicle can provide.
Huge fan of all your videos, long time subscriber. I hope car companies keep sending you test vehicles. In all honesty, I could care less about anything from Lexus or any brand of SUV. However, really enjoyed both your review videos with their fresh perspective. Keep up the good work, I know it's not easy. 👍
Aside from the weird back seat camera angle during the test drive (and that I'm not a Ford guy), good review! Looking forward to seeing more test drives and reviews.
Andy Cress Yep, that shot was crap, but I wanted to mention torque steer as I noticed after filming and need a space to fit it in. Mehh... it happened haha.
Another nice review. I've been subscribed to your channel for some time now. Back then you had around 20k subs and seeing your channel grow so fast makes me happy because I know now that there are more car freaks like me out there who appreciate your work as much as I do. I am really digging the reviews and hope to see more of those including some exotics if you ever get a chance. Please consider doing Alfa Romeo 4C, for it is my all time favorite car and I would freak out seeing you with it. Keep up the good work, you have my support.
Aleksa Nikolic I couldn't tell you how happy testing out a 4C would make me. I've been drooling over that car since it was announced. And just around 2000 lbs? It has to be fun.
Only few have their eyes on that car. People are talking rubbish about it and are comparing it to the Cayman, but it is a superior piece of engineering compared to Cayman. And boy, don't even get me started on the looks.
My wife has a 2016 Escape SE 1.6 Ecoboost. Great vehicle! We average 34mpg on Anchorage runs and city highway mix is 26 mpg. Only issue it could use more power down low, once boosted up it does great, but that first and second gear kind of sucks and for normal driving you have always be at 2500-3400 rpm to keep up with stop and go traffic.
it’s really not hard to remove the battery on one of these, you disconnect the intake hose and the battery is on a platform that slides out. at least my 2015 is
That coolant placement just baffles me. My last car had a coolant problem and the last thing I'd want hidden is the reservoir that requires you to pour liquid diagonally... It's such a vital fluid than CAN be filled up quickly if needed. Why make it so awkward to use?
The air filter needs to come out to change the battery. Difficult to change it yourself. Most battery dealers have difficulty changing it. You really need to get the dealer to change it.
great review! love your videos.. in this segments ( car reviews) I would love to see you measure with tools some of the car traits, like a decibel meter for interior noise and a vbox for acceleration runs, etc. Im an engineer student, and you know us.. we LOVE those number and stats........ keep up the good work.
Miguel Angel Hernandez Great idea! I was actually thinking the same about the dB. I'm also keeping a spreadsheet of the majority of the numbers for each vehicle, which I'm keeping for my patrons to view (www.patreon.com/engineeringexplained).
Yeah, ecoboost engines have had a lot of issues recently, including gum build up in the valves. the worst was the fuel lines breaking or leaking causing fires.
personally I don't think many cars have respectable rear leg room for being 4 doors. it always feels like my legs are nearly touching the seat backs add some body length and make there be a nice cushion of air between my legs and the seat in front is what I would want in a 4 door the most.
that's why I'm holding on to my 2004 Mazda Tribute. Drinks gas. Although I get compliments on how much leg room there is. The handling is remarkable and at 150k it has original drivetrain as well as suspension and spins tires whenever I want. Love my V6
Need more this kind of review!unlike the others ,its a 2L turbo it has xxxhp xxxtorque bla bla bla ..and it has abs tcs thats it.im not saying the others are bad but its not as good as urs.not expecting a mechanic to show us but alittle bit more beside the brochures even the salesman in the showroom are the same(yeah a quick review)… .i would like to know more about the car if im the buyer .imo
I have a 2010 Escape and love it and maintain it myself. thinking of getting a new Escape but i am disappointed by the way this was designed. it does not look like DIY maintenance friendly. Plus i have heard horror stories about Fuel line breaking and causing fires and gumming in the valves as it is a direct injection vehicle.
Your review is brilliant from a technical point of view. Loved the suspension demonstration in particular. A few points though: 1- You need to work on your video capturing and editing. You could consider letting a friend help you out with it if you can't hire a cameraman. 2- The 6-speed auto should be considered a huge plus since ford's Powershift DCT is absolutely horrendous. I drive a focus so I know it. 3- It seems the weird braking behavior you described is common with ford cars. In the focus the brake pedal does nothing for most of its travel than suddenly brakes at the end. Its certainly a big minus though as its makes parallel parking a pain. 4- Some exterior footage of the car while driving it is necessary IMO. You're doing great considering you've only done 3 reviews (including the subaru). You're on to something good in my opinion. Having all your subscribers chipping in with advice on making your reviews better is just great. Keep it up!
K Sadek Thanks for the tips! 1. It's a lot of work to pawn off. I know it needs work and I'm working on it. 2. Haven't driven the DCT. Just drove the Subaru Legacy with the DCT and it was great. 3. Yep, I've heard the same from Ford friends after posting.4. Eek, probably not anytime soon unfortunately.
Just got one of these & trying to learn the things the dealer doesn’t tell you about. I am upset about the placement of the battery & coolant reservoir. I had a Chrysler 200 before this so I’m not happy Ford engineers decided this was a good design idea also.
What are your thoughts on the reliability of this engine long term? I'd be interested in watching a video on the Mazda CX-5 next to compare with this video. That car is rated the same highway but gets 3 better in the city so it would be interesting to see how they compare with mixed driving. Also, just by the look of it the Mazda seems more serviceable because of its long hood. Then next you could try to get a CR-V or a Rav4. The detailed way you do your videos, it'd be great to get comparos like those! Keep up the good work!
I don't get why they put the coolant filler cap in that place, it's hard to get too, the same with the battery. At some point the coolant will have to be changed and the battery at some point will need to be replaced. I bet the mechanics don't like that either
I'm currently thinking about getting a second car. I'm going back and forth between the 2014 Fusion SE and the 2014 Escape. Could anyone give me any input? I'm coming from a 2007 Ford Focus ZX3 SE, so either will be a big step for me. I'm just unsure of whether to go for the mid-size sedan or the crossover.
+Nate Wilder As always, it depends on your personal requirements. Do you need the bigger cargo space and ride height clearance of the Escape, or just a vehicle to get around in, where a standard trunk will do? The trunk space and ride height are really what the Escape has over the Fusion.
You do the best car reviews, hands down! I'm seriously considering a Ford turbo for my next compact suv. What are your thoughts on the longevity of Fords these days? I would love it if a domestic manufacturer could give me a quarter million miles without any major problems.
bonfe roni I always just recommend looking at a company's history and seeing how they do in the powertrain reliability categories, and overall reliability rankings.
I wonder whats the downside of plastic intakes i never knew manufactures used this until i saw your video. Do you think you have time to make a video describing the benefits and downside of this new technique maybe even on some newer things manufacturers are using on new cars?
I think longevity would be the downside. An aluminum intake manifold is likely never to fail, I don't know how long these plastic ones will last. That said, Lexus uses a plastic manifold on the GS 350 V6, and they're consistently ranked towards the top in reliability. It'll be interesting to see over time, though I'm not sure when major manufacturers started switching over.
Have a 2014 titanium all-wheel drive with a 2.0 and if you can afford it get the 2.0 I couldn't imagine trying to drive this car with less but with the 2.0 it feels really spunky I have all the power that I need and it's really nice and I average about 26-27 miles a gallon although I do drive a lot more highway the interior cuz it is the fully loaded is really nice I tried one lower model and I really didn't like the seats they're not super great in the titanium but they're definitely better than a lot and yes it's almost impossible to get to the negative terminal on the battery without taking off those water trays or whatever you call them it only takes like 10 minutes but I mean it's a pain and I do like having the spare tire in the back instead of hanging below and there's even room for some extra tools and stuff not a lot but some but I bought it used with 50,000 mi I'm almost to 100,000 right now and everything's been really great I've only had one problem with it but it's a problem to pretty much all EcoBoost once they hit around 100,000 mi the wastegate flapper valve the blinks in it get loose and you end up not being able to hold boost cuz the wastegate valve will close I have been able to cinch up the actuator rod I I moved where the screws hold the rod farther up and I was able to temporarily fix the problem but I will eventually have to get the wastegate rods fixed and for most people that means replace the whole turbo cuz they don't do parts of the turbo even though it should really just be the turbine housing I'm going to take my new machine shop and at the most probably drove 200 bucks but I can also take the turbo off myself which by the way if you haven't all wheel drive is a pain in the butt because the transfer case is right in front of the turbo but if you don't have all-wheel drive it's something pretty much anyone can do although we'll take a couple hours at least and again I do not suggest buying a new turbo they seem to last you just need to get the links fixed any machine shop should be able to do it so there's no slack in them other than that it's a great car and I spent a lot of time just driving research and asking friends and I think this is probably the best small SUV if you get that 2.0 engine if you don't need that extra power I would probably go with a CRV
I have a 2005 Escape, and I have the overdrive lock out button on the gearshift. Does the new Escape have the overdrive option, or is that controlled fully by the vehicle now? Do you have any advice regarding the O/D system in the older Escape? Great videos by the way! Very informative, and good details.
The intercooler in these cars sucks big time (which you can see at 0:29), it heat soaks in no time and the stupid active grille shutter system only makes it worse. Many of us Focus ST owners, who also have those shutters that close, supposedly making it more aerodynamic, have removed them without seeing a noticeable decrease in fuel economy.
Dude i really like your videos but here some tips 1-some background music 2-try to record all the footage fist and later add the comments cuz some parts your voice sound great and another... Nope X3
***** 1. Not sure if everyone's on the same page with this one, I often get complimented on not using music. It's simple one way or the other, so I'll have to play with it eventually and see how people react. 2. Working on the audio! I know it needs fixing. I should have this somewhat sorted out by my 4th review. Hoping for improvement with the 3rd as well, we'll see!
Great review. Under the hood this thing is messed up. That battery placement would probably stop me from buying this thing.. Just plain stupid. Completely agree with you on the 4 spoke steering wheel. I very much prefer this over a 3 spoke. GJ.
I really found this car course and rough all around. the interior was chintzy unless you spend 35K on it. I was also under whelmed by passenger space all around.
