Ford Escape
The Ford Escape is a compact crossover SUV manufactured and marketed by the Ford Motor Company from the 2001 to the 2026 model years across four generations, as Ford's first SUV derived from a car platform.
Introduced for model year 2005, the Escape's hybrid electric variant was both Ford's first hybrid-electric vehicle — and the first hybrid SUV in the U.S. market by any manufacturer. The Escape was sized between the Ford EcoSport and Ford Edge.
The first two generations used the Ford CD2 platform, jointly developed with Mazda, and was co-developed with two rebadged variants, the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner. All three were marketed in North America, although the Mariner was not marketed in Canada. The Escape was marketed in Europe as the Ford Maverick for model years 2001- 2008.
Under the mid-2000s "One Ford" globalization strategy, the third and fourth-generation designs of the Escape were co-developed with the Ford Kuga, designed by Ford of Europe. Sharing a common body and chassis underpinnings, the Escape and Kuga are manufactured in their respective home markets. As with previous generations, the fourth-generation Escape was offered with gasoline, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid options. Outside of North America, the Ford Escape is marketed in Australia, China, and Taiwan.
In August 2025, it was announced that Ford would discontinue the Escape after model year 2026.
First generation (2001)
The first generation of Ford Escape was released in 2000 for model year 2001, jointly developed with Mazda, in which Ford owned a controlling interest. The Escape was released simultaneously with the Mazda Tribute, which shared the Ford CD2 platform. Engines and automatic transmissions were supplied by Ford, with Mazda providing the manual gearboxes. At first, the two models were assembled by Ford in the US for North America, with Mazda in Japan supplying cars for other markets. This followed a long history of Mazda-derived Fords, starting with the Ford Courier in the 1970s.At the time, larger sport-utility vehicles tended to use pickup truck–based, body-on-frame designs. Other car makers, Jeep, Toyota and Honda had been offering smaller unibody designs, the Jeep Cherokee, RAV4, and CR-V respectively. Solid rear axles were commonly used on the full-sized truck-based SUVs and Jeep Cherokee due to their ability to carry heavy loads at the expense of a comfortable ride and good handling. Ford and Mazda decided to offer a car-like, unibody design with a fully independent suspension and rack and pinion steering similar to the RAV4 and CR-V in the Escape. Although not meant for serious off-roading, a full-time all-wheel-drive system supplied by Dana was optional, which included a locking center differential activated by a switch on the dashboard. The AWD system normally sends most of the power from the engine to the front wheels. If slipping is detected at the front, more power will be sent to the rear wheels in a fraction of a second. The four wheel drive system was a newer version of Ford's "Control Trac" 4x4 system, dubbed the Control Trac II 4WD in the Escape. This system allowed the front wheels to receive 100% of the torque until a slip was detected. Using a Rotary Blade Coupling, the rear wheels could be sent up to 100% of the power in fractions of a second. When switching the system from "Auto" to "On," the front and rear axles are locked at a 50/50 split; the reaction time necessary to engage the rear wheels is reduced via an integrated bypass clutch. The Control Trac II system allows for a four-wheel drive vehicle without the use of a center differential. The entire braking system was built by Continental Teves, including the ABS and various related suspension components.
Ford also sold the first generation Escape in Europe and China as the Ford Maverick, replacing the previous Nissan-sourced model. For the 2005 model year, Ford's Mercury brand introduced the rebadged version as the Mariner, marketed in the UnA. and Mexico. The first-generation Escape remains notable as the first SUV to offer a hybrid drivetrain option, released in 2004 for the 2005 model year to North American markets only. CKD production began in 2002 at Ford Lio Ho Motor Co. in Taiwan for various Asian markets. The Tribute's suspension was tuned for a firmer ride than the Escape.
Mainstream production of the first generation Escape/Tribute ended in late 2006. For Asia-Pacific markets, both received respective facelifts in 2006 and had production fully transferred to Ford Lio Ho in Taiwan. Extended production of the Mazda lasted until 2010, and until 2012 for Ford.
Ford Escape
2000–2004 (BA, ZA)
In North America, it slotted below the larger, truck-based Explorer in Ford's lineup, but was marginally larger than the small SUV offerings from Honda and Toyota. Although it is technically a crossover vehicle, it is marketed by Ford as part of its traditional SUV lineup rather than its separate crossover lineup due to its more conventional SUV styling.From 2001 to 2004, the Ford Escape was sold in Europe under the Maverick name, and replaced a rebadged version of the Nissan Mistral/Terrano II. Only two versions were made, the 2.0 L Zetec inline-4 engine with manual transmission and 3.0 L Duratec V6 with automatic transmission, both using gasoline. The absence of a diesel version did not help sales and the vehicle was temporarily discontinued in late 2003. However, the Maverick, in the UK for example, was only available in XLT trim. Plus, the dashboard was not the same as the US Escape; it was instead taken from the Mazda Tribute. The Maverick was reintroduced in 2005 in certain European markets with the Duratec V6 engine. The Maverick was assembled in Russia for the Russian market. As of 2006, the Maverick was no longer sold in Europe, leaving Ford without a compact SUV until the 2008 Ford Kuga was introduced. The Maverick was primarily designed for on-road use – sold with normal road tires, and to be used with front-wheel drive most of the time.
In the Philippines, Ford introduced the Escape in 2001. It originally came in two grades; "XLS" and "XLT", but by early 2004, Ford axed the "XLT" and replaced it with the newly-introduced "V6" trim. The "XLS" is powered by Ford's 2.3L Duratec inline-four engine paired to a 4-speed automatic. It came with keyless entry, fabric upholstery, 4 speakers, and six-CD audio system, among other features. The "V6" is powered by Ford's 3.0L V6 engine paired to a 4-speed automatic. It featured a power moon roof, leather upholstery, automatic seat adjusters and recliners, keyless entry, and immobilizer.
Safety
Crash-test results for the Escape have been mixed. In the New Car Assessment Program administered by the US-based National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the car received five out of five stars for driver protection and four out of five stars for passenger protection in a frontal impact. The SUV received five stars for both driver and rear passenger in the side impact test. In the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety's frontal offset test, 2001–2004 Escapes received a score of "Marginal". In the side impact crash test, vehicles equipped with the optional side air bags received a score of "Good" in the, while those without the optional air bags received a score of "Poor".All Escapes are equipped with a passive 'Immobiliser' called SecuriLock. This feature includes an RFID chip embedded in the key, which the car reads each time the driver inserts the key. If the key does not provide a valid confirmation signal, the vehicle does not run, even if the key is perfectly cut to match the original. Theft, injury, and collision losses reported to insurance companies for the Escape are among the lowest in its class.
North America
In the United States, all Escapes included standard equipment such as power windows with an automatic driver-door window, power door locks, anti-lock braking system, keyless entry, a folding rear-bench seat, 16-inch wheels, and air conditioning. In addition, an Escape buyer could choose from one of several different trim levels that were available, which included:XLS : As the most basic trim level of the Escape, the XLS included: the 2.0-liter Zetec and the 2.3-liter Duratec engines, a five-speed manual transmission, 15-inch steel wheels, an AM/FM stereo with cassette and CD players and four speakers, high-back front bucket seats, and cloth-and-vinyl seating surfaces. Options included 15- or 16-inch alloy wheels and the 3.0-liter V6 engine mated to a four-speed automatic transmission. Four-wheel drive was not available with the four-cylinder engine for the 2004 model year.
XLT : As the top-of-the-line trim level of the Escape for 2001, and the most popular trim level of the Escape throughout its entire run, the XLT added the following equipment to the base XLS trim level: 16-inch alloy wheels, security alarm, cloth seating surfaces, and an enhanced interior. Options included an AM/FM stereo with a six-disc, in-dash CD changer, a power sunroof, leather-and-vinyl-trimmed seating surfaces, and the seven-speaker premium audio system with amplifier and rear-mounted subwoofer. All 2002–2007 XLT and higher models came with a four-speed automatic transmission, with such models from 2002 to 2004 also coming standard with the 3.0-liter V6 engine.
XLT Sport : The XLT Sport was one of the more popular trim levels of the Escape from 2002 to 2007. It included all standard XLT equipment, plus V6 engine, automatic transmission, sport interior trim, and 16-inch machined alloy wheels. Options were the same as the standard XLT trim level, except that a power moonroof was not available until 2005.
Limited : As the top-of-the-line trim level of the Escape from 2003 to 2007, the Limited trim level added the following equipment to the XLT Sport trim level: an AM/FM stereo with six-disc in-dash CD/MP3 changer, the seven-speaker premium audio system with amplifier and rear-mounted subwoofer, low-back front bucket seats, leather-trimmed seating surfaces, dual power heated front bucket seats, a security system, color-keyed exterior trim, luxury interior trim, and a unique front grille. Options were limited, but included a power moonroof.
Hybrid : Based on the mid-range XLT trim level, the Hybrid included: the 2.3-liter Duratec inline-four engine with a continuously variable transmission and electric motor, power front bucket seats, low-back front bucket seats, enhanced cloth seating surfaces, unique 16-inch alloy wheels, and four-wheel disc brakes. Options included a power moonroof, a unique integrated GPS navigational system with hybrid information system, Sirius Satellite Radio, the seven-speaker premium audio system with amplifier and rear-mounted subwoofer, leather-trimmed seating surfaces, and a "two-tone" exterior paint scheme, with silver-painted lower exterior trim and front and rear bumpers.