2013 Ford Escape: Three Four-Cylinders, No V-6, No Hybrid

By Suzanne Kane

Suzanne Kane

Contributing Writer BIO

Suzanne Kane is an editor at High Gear Media focusing on covering the latest product and other auto-related information for Family Car Guide... More

LATEST ARTICLE
The Worst Traffic In America? It's Not Los Angeles
Los Angeles might seem to be the nation's capital for gridlock, but according to Inrix, a provider... Read More

• #12LEADERBOARD RANK
• 738ARTICLES CONTRIBUTED
• 138COMMENTS POSTED

4,523 views Oct 5, 2011

2011 Ford Vertrek Concept

2011 Ford Vertrek Concept

To whet the appetite of consumers for next month’s reveal of the 2013 Ford Escape crossover at the Los Angeles Auto Show, Ford is providing details of its powerplants.

The new vehicle will be only the second Escape ever, the first version having been produced since 2001. In the new version, a trio of highly fuel-efficient four-cylinder engines will power the various models in the five-passenger Escape lineup.

What probably is a shock is that there’ll be no V-6, and no Hybrid. Ford expects the four-cylinder lineup to provide fuel efficiency to meet consumer wants, citing the stat that fuel economy is 2.5 times more important to American buyers than environmental concerns.

As for the demise of the Escape Hybrid, don’t worry. Ford says the hybrid will be superseded by the upcoming five-passenger C-Max Hybrid.

While we’re not privy yet to just how fuel-efficient the engines in the new Escape will be, or how much horsepower and torque they’ll deliver, we do know they must be substantially improved over the current offerings in order for Ford to make this move. Here’s a look at what Ford says is in the immediate future for the 2013 Escape:

-      2.5-liter Ti-VCT four-cylinder

-      2.0-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder

-      1.6-liter EcoBoost four-cylinder

The 1.6-liter EcoBoost makes its U.S. debut in the Escape, and the automaker says it will deliver better highway fuel economy than today’s Escape Hybrid—rated 31 mpg highway, and better fuel economy than larger four-cylinder engines from competitors. This is apparently to be the high-mileage champ in the Escape engine lineup.

As for the larger 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, that’s more fuel-efficient than V-6 powerplants from the competition, says Ford.

The least fuel-efficient engine of the three, the 2.5-liter Ti-VCT four, is also the largest and will be the base engine in the new Escape.

As GreenCarReports points out, the current 2012 Ford Escape has a base 171-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine rated 23 mpg city/28 mpg highway/25 combined mpg, when fitted with a five-speed manual transmission in front-wheel drive. The current 240-horsepower 3.0-liter V-6 with a six-speed and all-wheel drive gets 20 mpg city, 27 mpg highway, 23 mpg combined. In the new model, consumers can expect higher gas mileage ratings with this engine.

What will the 2013 Ford Escape look like? Sources say it will be very similar to the Vertrek Concept Ford showed at the Detroit Auto Show this past January.

Stay tuned for more as we prepare for the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show.

Sign up for our free newsletter or follow us on Facebook or Twitter.