I own a 2002 Ford Taurus Wagon...but, I rented a Ford Escape recently while out of town and really liked it. It drove quietly and unlike the feeling of the boxy sports utility vehicles that I rode in 20 years ago, I didn't feel like I would tip over while rounding curves---especially those clove like on and off ramps.
I must admit to feeling sorta guilty about how impressed I was with this SUV. It wasn't the thriftiest of cars that I could have rented. I did put about 100 to 150 miles on it in the four days that I had it and it did cost me about $25.00 to fill it up before turning it in at the airport. But, I guess you can say that this was a luxury car for me as it was brand new and still had that new car smell to it. It probably got the same mileage as my 5 year old station wagon. I didn't do formal calculations. This is more of a guess on my part. So, I suppose American automakers are making their SUVs a little less thirsty than they used to be.
I did have one problem with the key chain remote control for this vehicle--I'd often hit the button that popped open the rear window of the hatch when all I really wanted to do was double check that I locked the vehicle.
If it weren't for the fact that I'm married to a wheelchair user, who, from time to time, has to transfer into my car to get around, I'd consider getting this car for next vehicle. He'd have to find a way to climb up and into the seat, as opposed to just sliding from his chair onto the passenger seat of my current car.
Fortunately, I won't have to cough up the dollars for a new vehicle anytime soon. I work out of a home office, and I am very content to just put 20 or so miles on my current car in a week. With the price of gasoline these days, I'm fortunate to NOT have to fill up the car more than twice a month.
Still, it was a real treat to drive around in a new car while I was away from home. There's nothing like having your own set of wheels while your away -- its your own little big of space and sanctuary. It's a place where you can close the doors and windows and mute the sounds of the outside world. It's the freedom of being able to go to a Target, or grocery store, to stock up on diet sodas and snacks, without having to deal with room service, or getting gouged by the mini-bar in your room.
I suppose that do me the Ford Escape was appropriately named. It gave me the ability to roam around a city that I like, revisit neighborhoods that once upon a time, during the days of my youth when time wasn't such a tight thing to have, I used to visit on foot. It gave me the chance to visit with friends on their turf in the nearby suburbs. And, I delightfully did this in a city where government officials can boast that the average commuter needs only 18 minutes to get to and from work!
Where I live now the average commute is over an hour.
Escape indeed.
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