Ford Escape 4wd Always in 4wD?

Hi All: Is there any way that you can take a Ford Escape out of 4WD when you don't need it? I see no way to do this with any control in the car. Must all electronic?

Reply to
msterspy
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That might vary by year. My 2005 is in FWD unless wheelslip is detected, and then power is supplied to the rear wheels, according to the Owners' Manual.

Reply to
dold

Reply to
msterspy

That's all based on perspective. My wife drives it, and we aren't tracking real mileage verses gas poured in, just relying on the dashboard display. It's a 2005 Escape Hybrid AWD.

32mpg hard core urban stop and go and parking lots. 30mpg at 60mph highway cruise 28mpg at 70mph highway curise, four passengers and luggage. 26.8mpg rural hilly area.

It replaced a Dodge Durango that got 13-14 on the highway. We tried not to notice the city mileage.

A friend has a 2004 VW Passat AWD Wagon. He can sometimes squeeze 25mpg on the highway, but is usually around 17, often 13mpg overall.

Reply to
dold

I have the 2005 Escape Limited (not hybrid) and it gets 14 city (12 in the winter) and 23-24 highway. Very dissapointing to say the least. Should have opted for the Hybrid but I was concerned about it bieg the first year model. Maybe in a couple of years when I can afford it. MS

Reply to
msterspy

You can buy a lot of gasoline for the difference in price. When the "uniqueness" wears off the hybrid, you'll get a much better deal on one anyway.

Reply to
mcalister

I have a Honda Civic Hybrid, which is so much better than a standard Civic that it is the only reason I would buy a Honda. It is smoother, more powerful in normal driving, and gets 30-50% better mileage.

I bought the Escape with the same hope. I am not as impressed by the attributes of the Hybrid. It is kind of cool to glide around electric only, but it doesn't stay electric as much as I think it should. The engine is noisier than the V6, but maybe an improvement over the 4. If I'm getting a low of 26.8mpg, and msterspy is getting 14 in the city, I think I could make up the difference in cost rather quickly.

I thought I might get 30, and maybe I would with FWD instead of the AWD.

Reply to
dold

20 to 21 city 2005 FWD. I haven't done any long highway yet.

Noob

Reply to
Kim Neubert

Wow, I'm still getting 25 mpg in my 1990 escort gt, 1/2 city 1/2 highway driving. And this car has had a lean condition for a while. Not bad for a car worth $300 book.

Matt

Reply to
sleepdog

My 1998 Chevy Metro gets 43mpg. What't that got to do with the mileage of a 3900 pound fully loaded SUV? My 1982 Honda gets 50mpg if I ride slow enough. That's got a book of about $200. Seems to have held its value better than your Escort.

Reply to
dold

Bully for you!

Reply to
sleepdog

On my 2001 Escape, there is a control for the 4WD system on the instrument panel center stack area, below and to the left of the radio. It has a knob that switches the 4WD between "Auto" and "On" modes. You should set this to "auto" for normal driving on dry or wet roads, per the Owner's Guide (page

151).

If it's set to "On", it locks the 4WD system in full-time. "Auto" lets the system switch automatically from 2WD to 4WD only as required for especially slippery road conditions. I get over 20 mpg with my vehicle and it also has great acceleration with the V6 engine.

Hope this helps!

David

Reply to
David Anderson

Our original poster didn't mention the year of his vehicle, but I think it was later revealed as a 2005, where there is no knob or control of any sort available to the driver any more.

Reply to
dold

Reply to
msterspy

I saw one other post in this thread that indicated better mileage. But I think that was a four cylinder.

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Ford Escape, and have a look at what some others are saying,although there isn't much 2005 data yet.There is a "mileage" thread with 757 posts in it.

Reply to
dold

Of course the only posts are complaints, but it looks like 12-15mpg is not unusual for the 05 Escape V6. A friend has an older Mazda Triubute V-6, but she pays no attention to mileage.

The I-4 seems to be 22-25mpg according to these posts.

Reply to
dold

It looks like the only logical choice for a Taurus replacement Escape would be the hybrid, to come close to the Taurus economy figures.

Rob

Reply to
trainfan1

I had a Dodge Durango, getting between 13mpg highway and something unknown around home. I looked at the Escape, but the V6 EPA mpg was enough to get me to buy one. I bought the Hybrid, which is getting 26.8 overall, and somewhere between 28 and 30 on the highway. I'd like more, but it's twice what I was getting, and if it's also double the real world mileage of the Escape V6, then it's a good thing.

Reply to
dold

Clarence: Thanks a lot for that link to Edmund. I have been on that forum for a while. Very interesting posts about the Escape and poor mileage

Reply to
msterspy

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