Hi Dwight,
The Escape doesn't have the pick up I was used to in my '96 4.6L GT ;-), but, it's miles better than the 4 cylinder we test drove - that just felt flat overall.
The 6 cylinder kicks off the line quite nicely but tends to flatten out and take a little while to reach highway cruising speed. Seems as though it could use a bit more power between 25-50mph. Once cruising it does still have a little more power for overtaking.
The beauty of the 4x4 is it kicks in when it feels any slip in the wheels. You can also switch it on but haven't had the need to. Very first day I got the truck I was up north in March winter weather and parking at a friend's cottage at the side of the road. The wheels just touched the snowbank and I could feel the 4x4 takeover. Especially noticeable because I hadn't driven a 4x4 previously.
Very happy with the Escape and would highly recommend it to anyone. Feel free to ask any further questions.
Andrew Croft
'65 Caspian blue 6 cyl> Thanks for the review.