The next generation of the strong selling Ford Escape small SUV is expected to make its grand debut later this year at the 2011 LA Auto Show but yesterday, Ford Motor Company offered up some information on the upcoming ute – including the fact that it will be the first US model to offer two engine options featuring Ford’s EcoBoost technology.
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The next generation Ford Escape will actually include three engine options when it hits the market for the 2013 model year beginning with the same 2.5L 4-cylinder option found in the current Ford Escape but the current Hybrid and V6 models will be replaced by a pair of EcoBoost 4-cylinder engines. We will likely have to wait for the 2011 LA Auto Show in November for the full details on the 2013 Escape and the new engine options but Ford has teased us with a handful of information on their company blog – The Ford Story.
The first EcoBoost option will be a 1.6L engine that will be making its grand debut in the US under the hood of the 2013 Ford Escape. No estimate has been given as to how much power the EcoBoost 1.6L engine will make but Ford expects for the new EcoBoost to yield fuel economy figures that exceed the 31 miles per gallon offered by the current Escape Hybrid. We can expect the 1.6L Ecoboost’d 2013 Ford Escape to offer enough power to make for a more inspiring drive than the current Hybrid models and with applications sporting power as high as 180hp in models like the Ford Fiesta ST Concept, the 2013 Escape could be a whole lot spunkier than the current Hybrid models.
The top of the line engine option for the 2012 Ford Escape is expected to be the same 2.0L EcoBoost 4-cylinder currently found in the Ford Edge. This engine produces 247 horsepower and 275lb-ft of torque and in the heavier Edge, it yields 30 miles per gallon – although only with a front wheel drive system. This engine is expected to replace the current V6-powered Escape models but with the 2.0L EcoBoost only coming with front wheel drive systems in the Edge and Explorer, it will be interesting to see if the lightweight 2013 Escape will be the first EcoBoost SUV to get four wheel drive. Even with the added weight of the four wheel drive system, the compact 2013 Escape with the 2.0L EcoBoost could raise the bar very high for sport ute fuel economy.
Ford hasn’t offered up any official images of the upcoming 2013 Ford Escape although many believe that it could bear a striking resemblance to the Ford Vertrek (shown on the right) that made its debut at the 2011 Detroit Auto Show which is based on the unibody platform of the current Ford Focus. There has also been speculation in the past that the next Escape could more closely resemble the European-sold Ford Kuga compact SUV but until the 2013 Escape drops at the 2011 LA Auto Show, we will have to keep waiting and wondering what the next generation holds for one of America’s bestselling SUVs.
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