News Headings

2010 Escape Overview

2010 Escape / Escape Hybrid Product Sheet

NEW SAFETY, CONVENIENCE TECHNOLOGY BOLSTERS FAMILY-FRIENDLY 2010 FORD ESCAPE, MERCURY MARINER

• 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner add Integrated Spotter Mirrors, MyKey™ and an available Rear View Camera System to an already extensive list of family-friendly safety features
• Newly available Active Park Assist allows Escape and Mariner owners to parallel park with the touch of a button, while Pull-Drift Compensation aids driving confidence
• Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid are expected to remain America’s most fuel-efficient and environmentally-friendly SUVs with EPA-estimated 34 city/31 highway mpg

For 2010, Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner add a host of new features that improve safety and make driving more convenient. Escape and Mariner also become two of the first Ford Motor Company vehicles to feature SYNC® with Traffic, Directions and Information – helping reduce distractions while accessing important route and traffic information.

SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information leverages industry-leading voice-recognition software, integrated GPS technology, and a customer’s Bluetooth®-capable mobile phone. SYNC’s new applications provide simple hands-free access to personalized traffic reports, precise turn-by-turn driving directions and up-to-date information including business listings, news, sports, and weather.

Innovations for Safer Driving

Also new for 2010, Integrated Spotter Mirrors consist of an outside rearview mirror designed with a secondary convex spotter in the top outer corner, which is aimed exclusively at the driver's blind spot. When traffic enters the driver’s blind spot on either side of the vehicle, it is visible in the secondary convex mirror, helping provide the driver broader peripheral view.

An available Rear View Camera system uses an exterior camera embedded in the rear of the vehicle that sends images to a video display in the rearview mirror or the navigation system screen, if equipped, to help enhance visibility directly behind the vehicle when it is in reverse. Ford is leveraging the affordability of high-quality video cameras to widely offer the technology.

To help encourage safer teen driving, Escape and Mariner feature the new MyKey™ system. Parents simply program the vehicle key through the message center to incorporate features such as:

• Limited top speed of 80 mph
• Traction control system that limits tire spin cannot be deactivated
• Audio system volume limited to 44 percent of maximum volume
• A speed alert chime at 45, 55 or 65 mph

All Escape and Mariner models come with an Anti-Lock Brake System and Ford’s exclusive AdvanceTrac® with RSC (Roll Stability Control™). The only available electronic stability control system with two gyroscopic effect sensors, AdvanceTrac with RSC measures vehicle motion about both the yaw and roll axes.

Ford Motor Company today has more than 80 patents worldwide for this innovative system, which features roll-rate sensing and stability enhancement capability, offering assistance to the driver in maintaining vehicle control during extreme maneuvers. The system automatically engages counter measures to help the driver maintain maximum control and reduce the risk of rollover.

Technology Improves Confidence while Parking, Driving

The new Active Park Assist system uses sensors on the front and rear of the vehicle, working in conjunction with Electric Power Assist Steering (EPAS), to guide the vehicle into a parking space. Here's how it works:

• The driver activates the system by pressing an instrument panel button, which activates the ultrasonic sensors to measure and identify a feasible parallel parking space.
• The system then prompts the driver to accept the system assistance to park.
• The steering system then takes over and steers the car into the parking space hands-free. The driver still shifts the transmission and operates the gas and brake pedals.
• A visual and/or audible driver interface advises the driver about the proximity of other cars, objects and people and provides instructions.
• While the steering is all done automatically, the driver remains responsible for safe parking and can interrupt the system by grasping the steering wheel.

Another benefit of EPAS is the ability to control steering characteristics that enhance drive quality. An example found on Escape and Mariner is Pull-Drift Compensation, a software-based technology designed to help drivers offset vehicle pulling or drifting that can occur in steady crosswinds or on uneven roads.

EPAS is a sophisticated system that uses sensors to constantly measure the steering input applied by the driver to maintain the vehicle’s path; it continually resets to adapt to changing road conditions or the vehicle turning a corner. Ford’s pull-drift software technology gives the EPAS system the added ability to compensate for slight steering torque changes caused by environmental factors such as road crowning or steady crosswinds.

“If you’re on the expressway and the road is crowned to the left or right for better water drainage, for example, you may need to make a slight steering compensation for that crowning,” said Brian Kosztowny, Ford Vehicle Dynamics development engineer. “With Pull-Drift Compensation, the EPAS system gradually will dial in steering assist for easier steering in these conditions without the driver feeling it in his or her fingers or needing to make an extra effort. The electric motor does more, so you don’t have to.”

Maximizing Fuel Economy

Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner continue to offer leading-edge powertrain options that maximize performance and fuel efficiency. Buyers can choose a 171-hp, 2.5-liter I-4 engine with Intake Variable Cam Timing (i-VCT) or an available 3.0-liter V-6 that produces 240 hp thanks to internal improvements and i-VCT. A 5-speed manual transmission is standard with the I-4 engine, or customers can opt for the fuel-saving 6-speed automatic transmission that's also standard on V-6 models. 

Other fuel-efficiency measures, such as refined aerodynamics and low-rolling-resistance tires, also enhance fuel economy while contributing to a quiet, refined cabin environment. The powertrain also incorporates electronic throttle control (ETC). This technology replaces the manual linkage between accelerator and throttle with a control unit that calculates the optimal throttle position from a number of sensors. ETC is a form of the state-of-the-art, drive-by-wire technology.

Additionally, the new Electric Power Assist Steering system replaces the traditional hydraulic power steering pump. Because it operates only when required for steering assistance, it contributes to lower fuel consumption than a hydraulic pump, which operates whenever the engine was running.

Escape and Mariner score in both comfort and sustainability with their eco-friendly seats. The seats include soy-based foam that substitutes for petroleum-based products to conserve limited resources and reduce CO2 emissions. Eco-friendly seat fabrics also are offered on Escape Hybrid made from 100 percent post-industrial recycled materials.

More Choices for Hybrid Buyers
Escape Hybrid and Mariner Hybrid for 2010 continue their claim as America’s most fuel-efficient and environmentally friendly SUVs based on 2009 EPA estimates.

Hybrid models use a 2.5-liter I-4 designed to run on the Atkinson combustion cycle. An advanced engine processor enables nearly imperceptible transitions between gas and electric vehicle mode, and hybrid models also feature a powertrain damping system to reduce vibrations and feedback to the driver and other vehicle occupants.

The Escape Limited Hybrid is packaged for environmentally conscious buyers who still want a full complement of accessories and equipment. Along with its gas counterpart, the Escape Limited Hybrid features 16-inch, six-spoke bright machined aluminum wheels and exterior chrome accents, a standard AM-FM/6-CD changer, chrome and ebony interior touches and a luxury and convenience package that includes ambient lighting, heated front leather seating surfaces, a power moonroof, retractable cargo area cover and standard SecuriCode™ keyless entry.

Safety Technologies
Standard and available 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner safety features include:

• AdvanceTrac with RSC
• Safety Canopy®, a side air curtain technology offering protection for the first and second seating rows
• Personal Safety System™, a suite of seven safety technologies, including dual-stage front air bags for the driver and front-seat passenger, side air bags and a front passenger sensor system
• Integrated Spotter Mirrors
• MyKey
• Tire Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
• LATCH (Lower Anchors and Tethers for Children) system on rear seating positions

Escape/Mariner Technology and Connectivity Features

Standard and available 2010 Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner technology features include:

• SYNC with Traffic, Directions and Information
• SIRIUS® Satellite Radio with an initial six-month subscription
• EPAS with Pull-Drift Compensation
• Voice-Activated Navigation with SIRIUS Travel Link™
• Rear View Camera System
• Active Park Assist
• Easy Fuel® Capless Fuel-Filler System
• Ambient lighting
• Steering wheel audio controls
• Auxiliary audio input jack
• 110V AC power outlet (Hybrid models only)

Ford Escape and Mercury Mariner are built at the Kansas City Assembly Plant in Kansas City, Mo.

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FORD ESCAPE HYBRIDS HELP SAVE LIVES, CONSERVE FUEL, PROTECT AIR QUALITY ON LOS ANGELES BEACHES

IMAGES: Available at www.media.ford.com.

SUMMARY:

• In its first 11 months of service, Los Angeles County Lifeguard Services' fleet of 45 Ford Escape Hybrids have been used in more than 9,000 rescues and 1 million rescue preventions.
• The Escape Hybrids also have enabled the lifeguards to reduce their entire fleet's fuel consumption by 5,000 gallons and their carbon emissions by 97,500 lbs.
• Five new driver aid and safety features have been added to Ford's 2010 Escape, which has the highest crash test ratings of any compact SUV, to increase its technology leadership.

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CONTEXT / BACKGROUND:

For the past year the Los Angeles County Lifeguard Service, a division of the fire department, has used a fleet of 2009 Ford Escape Hybrids to help save lives while reducing fuel consumption and protecting the environment. During the first 11 months of service, Escape Hybrids have played a crucial part in thousands of rescues and more than a million rescue preventions at L.A. County beaches.

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DETAILS:

Seaside Escapes
More than 58 million people visit Los Angeles' sandy beaches every year, and the number is going up. Public safety is the primary concern of Los Angeles County lifeguards, who use a fleet of 45 customized Escape Hybrids to patrol 72 miles of coastline.

After nearly a year of beach patrol, L.A. County lifeguards and officials say the Escape Hybrids have been valuable tools in efforts ranging from saving injured surfers to moving swimmers out of rip currents to reuniting lost children with their parents.

Escape Hybrids have become critical tools for the lifeguards stationed in Malibu, for example. Last October, they used three Escape Hybrids and an F-350 in the rescue of two men involved in a single-engine plane crash near the Malibu Pier. In January 2009, lifeguards used an Escape Hybrid to tow a wave runner into position to launch a rescue of a capsized kayaker who was at risk of hypothermia. Two months later, lifeguards patrolling in an Escape Hybrid were in the right place at the right time to rescue a surfer who had been knocked unconscious in the water and was in danger of drowning.

Geared Up
The customized Escape Hybrids enable L.A.'s lifeguards to efficiently stow rescue gear and protect it from the elements, said Fernando Boiteux, the department's northern section chief. Based on input from the lifeguards, Ford designers removed 60 percent of the rear seat on the driver's side and replaced it with a rescue equipment storage unit – an aluminum box with specially designated spaces for important emergency equipment, such as defibrillators, trauma boxes and oxygen tanks. The remaining 40 percent of the seat was left intact in case the lifeguards had to transport someone, such as a lost child.

Ford designers also outfitted the Escape Hybrids with a custom-fit roof rack for the lifeguards' paddle board and spine boards. The vehicles were painted a vibrant yellow – iconic for lifeguards – and then detailed with authoritative graphics and finished off with dark wheels.

The lifeguards said their Escape Hybrids offer excellent visibility, a significant safety plus on the beach, and that the four-wheel drive feature enables them to navigate the sandy terrain without getting stuck and make more precise turns.

Protect and Conserve
In addition to saving lives, the Escape Hybrid fleet enabled L.A. lifeguards to reduce their entire fleet's fuel usage by 25 percent – more than 5,000 gallons of gas – during the first six months of service despite increased driving due to 20 percent higher beach attendance than the previous year. The fuel cost savings has helped L.A. County to maintain its critical front line staffing despite the economic downturn.

The lifeguards use four-wheel-drive Escape Hybrids, which deliver outstanding fuel economy of 29 mpg city and 27 mpg highway; also available is the front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid – the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet – which is delivers 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway. The lifeguards also use six F-350s and two F-250s along with other specialized vehicles.

In addition to fuel savings, the lifeguards reduced their fleet's emissions by approximately 97,500 lbs. (44,250 kg) of CO2 during the first half year of service. The Escape Hybrid is one of the cleanest vehicles available today, meeting California's strict Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) standard.

Safety and Technology Advances
The 2010 Escape and Escape Hybrid, which arrive in showrooms this summer, add five new features that can help improve safety, reduce driver distractions and aid drivers by automatically parallel parking their vehicle.

The new Escapes will add MyKey™ teen-safety technology, Integrated Spotter Mirrors – both offered standard (MyKey on XLT and above models) – optional Rear View Camera System and SYNC® with real-time Traffic, Directions and Information. The new model also will be North America's first SUV to offer Active Park Assist, which uses an ultrasonic-based sensing system and Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) to position the vehicle for parallel parking, calculate the optimal steering angle and quickly steer the vehicle into a parking spot.

The new technologies build on Escape's unsurpassed crash ratings – a "Top Safety Pick" award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) and 5-star government ratings in all crash tests. The Escape, which Kelley Blue Book editors recently named one of the "2009 Best New Family Vehicles," also is the only compact SUV to offer standard AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control) and a standard Safety Canopy® side curtain air-bag system.

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QUOTES:

"When we partnered with the L.A. County lifeguards we knew the Escape Hybrid would serve them well by providing clean, fuel-efficient transportation with a high degree of utility and durability. Now, we're absolutely thrilled to know the fleet has been a reliable tool in so many lifesaving efforts."

– David Finnegan,
Ford Hybrids Marketing Manager

 

"Our philosophy in L.A. County is to be proactive and prevent rescues before they happen. Mitigating hazardous conditions is the prime reason for our amazing safety record. Our Ford fleet of Escape Hybrids is an integral part of our entire lifeguard operation – we're saving lives and the environment."

– Mike Frazier,
Chief Lifeguard, Los Angeles County Fire Department

 

"Not only does the Escape Hybrid play a key role in our lifeguard rescue activities, it also is one of the cleanest vehicles available today, releasing fewer emissions into the atmosphere during a three-hour drive than grilling one hamburger in your backyard."

– Dusty Crane,
Chief of Community and Marketing Services Division at the Los Angeles County Department of Beaches and Harbors

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FORD ESCAPE HYBRID DELIVERS TOTAL PACKAGE FOR LOS ANGELES COUNTY OCEAN LIFEGUARDS

• Ford to provide a fleet of 45 customized Escape Hybrids to the Los Angeles County Ocean Lifeguards.
     
• The full-hybrid SUVs will be used for rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern California coastline.
      
• The front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid is the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet, returning 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway.
      
• Intelligent four-wheel-drive models are also available, with fuel economy of 29 mpg city and 27 highway.
      

LOS ANGELES, May 23, 2008 - Ford Motor Company is teaming up with the Los Angeles County Lifeguards, a division of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, to help save lives while protecting the environment.  Today, Ford presented the squad with the first 10 of a fleet of 45 eco-friendly Escape Hybrids with Intelligent four-wheel-drive, specially equipped for use on rescue patrol along 72 miles of Southern California coastline.

"We are the largest lifeguard organization in the world, and we have always blazed the trail for the profession," said Mike Frazer, chief, Lifeguard Services, Los Angeles County Fire Department.  "We wanted to be the first public safety agency in the country to go green."

"This continues the Escape Hybrid's impressive string of endorsements," said Hal Dewsnap, California regional sales manager for Ford Motor Company.  "In addition to being clean and fuel-efficient, the Escape Hybrid is highly functional and durable, proven in hundreds of thousands of miles in taxi service in New York and San Francisco.  Now, we are adding lifeguard duty to the list."

There is no better vehicle for that assignment than the world's most fuel-efficient SUV.  The front-wheel-drive Ford Escape Hybrid returns 34 mpg in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway.  Intelligent four-wheel-drive models, like the ones used by the lifeguards, return 29 mpg city and 27 highway.

"The Escape Hybrid is one of the cleanest vehicles available today," added Freeman Thomas, Ford Design Director whose studio developed the design of the Lifeguard vehicles.  "It meets California's strict Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (PZEV) standard.  To put it in a California summer context, it releases fewer smog-forming emissions into the atmosphere during a three-hour drive (about 180 miles) than grilling one hamburger in your back yard."

Frazer says he knew that the Escape Hybrid was an ideal choice from an environmental standpoint, but he admits to having some initial reservations about whether an SUV would function as well on the beach as the compact pickup trucks the lifeguards were used to driving.

"The switch from a pickup to an SUV was something new to us, but when Ford brought the Escape Hybrid down to the beach, we were amazed at how well it performed," he said, adding that he was particularly surprised by the vehicle's ability to navigate through the sand without getting stuck.

With the Escape Hybrid, Frazer says he was also able to make more precise turns, enjoy extra headroom (he's 6'5") and gain greater visibility, which is a huge safety plus on the beach. 

"We need to be able to see as much as possible because there's so much activity on the beach, especially in the summertime," he said.  "When we're responding to a rescue, we want to get there quickly and safely."

Shortly after that initial field test, a team of designers from Ford's Irvine studio visited the beach to do a little "guerrilla research," says Ford designer Jeff Nield.

"These people save lives, so this was not just an exercise in styling," said Nield.  "We wanted to design features for them that are functional and could potentially save them valuable time in an emergency situation."

Careful inspection of the previous trucks the lifeguards were using revealed various makeshift storage areas for critical equipment.

"What happened in the past is that different lifeguards would set vehicles up differently, so if you worked at one beach and then got called in a crisis to another location, you would have to search to find the emergency tools you needed because the storage area was not standardized," he said. 

The Ford designers decided to remove 60 percent of the rear seat on the driver's side and replace it with a rescue equipment storage unit - an aluminum box with specially designated spaces for important emergency equipment, such as defibrillators, trauma boxes and oxygen tanks.

The remaining 40 percent of the seat was left intact in case the lifeguards had to transport someone, such as a lost child. 

According to Ford Design Project Manager, Greg Hutting, the lifeguards' multiple radios also presented the design team with a challenge.

"In the previous vehicle, they had three or four different radios pushed wherever they had room," he said.  "We pulled out the center console and replaced it with a radio rack that keeps all of their equipment lined up and organized."

Ford designers also outfitted the Escape Hybrids with a custom-fit roof rack for the lifeguards' paddle board and spine board, and easy-to-clean rubber floor mats and cargo liners.

When it came to the exterior, Nield says it was important to make the vehicle look "fresh but not trendy."  The vehicles were painted a vibrant yellow - iconic for lifeguards - and then detailed with authoritative graphics and finished off with dark wheels.

"We really pushed to make the vehicle look as rugged as possible," said Nield. 

Frazer says he couldn't be more pleased. "The vehicles look amazing, they perform great and they are hybrids, so they are good for the environment," he said.  "It's a win, win, win situation for us.

It's also a win for Ford Motor Company.

"The lifeguards are going to be pushing these vehicles to the limit, and they need the best vehicle to get the job done," added Nield.  "They had choices, and they chose the Ford Escape Hybrid."

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