2017 Ford Escape test drive to Grouse Mountain

I recently hike the Grouse Grind for the first ever Ford Escape Kale Gate Party at Grouse Mountain. It’s a west coast spin on a tailgate BBQ party. At the top of Grouse Mountain, hikers enjoyed YYoga restorative yoga, Kondi Kitchen kale salads and The Juicery Co’s green juices and live music.

The Grouse Grind aka Mother Nature’s Stairmaster is one of the North Shores’ most popular hiking destination. It’s a challenging 2.9 km (1.8 mile) trail with an average grade of 30 degrees. It’s a serious workout with a total of 2,830 steps. On average, it takes about 1 to 1.5 hours to climb it. It’s well worth it with a stunning view of Vancouver, North Vancouver, and Pacific Range mountains at the top.

I’ve test drove the 2017 Ford Escape from Downtown Vancouver to Grouse Mountain. It was fun to drive and the ride was quiet & smooth.

For 2017, Ford has upgraded it’s best selling 5 passenger crossover SUV with two new EcoBoost engines (1.5 litre & 2.0 litre) and the latest connectivity & driver assist technologies.

The Escape is the first Ford vehicle to make Auto Start/Stop technology standard. While the vehicle is stopped, the engine automatically shuts off and then seamlessly restarts when you step on the accelerator or when your foot leaves the brake pedal. The vehicle does not burn any gas and emits zero tailpipe emissions. It reduces fuel consumption and vehicle emissions during city driving.

The new 1.5 litre EcoBoost I4 engine is rated at 10.2 L/100 km city & 7.8 L/100 km highway. While the top of the line, 2.0 litre twin-scroll EcoBoost I4 engine is rated 10.6 L/100 km city & 8.0 L/100 km highway.

The biggest improved is in the technology with SYNC and driver assist technologies such as adaptive cruise control and collision warning with brake support, lane keeping system, and Enhanced Active Park Assist.

The Escape is also first Ford vehicle to offer SYNC 3 with support for both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

With SYNC Connect, you can access your vehicle information and functions from your smartphone. You can remotely lock, unlock & start the vehicle and get up to date status like tire pressures, fuel level & vehicle location.

 

 

 

The 2017 Ford Escape is available in 3 trim models: S, SE and Titanium.

The S trim includes:
– 2.5L iVCT I-4 engine
– AM/FM single-disc CD player with 6 speakers
– Cloth-trimmed front bucket seats with 6-way manual driver’s seat
– Standard 6-Speed SelectShift Automatic Transmission
– Safety Canopy System side-curtain airbags
– SYNC
– AdvanceTrac with Roll Stability Control
– MyKey

The SE trim includes:
– 1.5L EcoBoost engine
– Cloth-trimmed front heated bucket seats with 6-way manual driver’s seat, 4-way manual passenger seat
– Standard 6-Speed SelectShift Automatic Transmission
– SiriusXM Satellite Radio
– SYNC
– Dual-Zone Electronic Automatic Temperature Control
– Fog Lights
– Engine Block Heater
– Dual Chrome Exhaust

The Titanium trim includes:
– 2.0L Twin-Scroll EcoBoost engine
– Sony Audio System14 with 10 speakers
– Leather-trimmed heated front seats, with 10-way power driver and passenger seats
– Foot-Activated, Hands-Free Power Liftgate
– Halogen Projector-beam headlights with LED signature lighting
– BLIS with Cross-Traffic Alert
– Heated Steering wheel
– Reverse Sensing System
– Voice-activated Navigation System
– Remote keyless entry