Escape vs Forester

I tried that. At least I think I put it all the way down and back as far as I could. Two different occasions. Steering wheel all the way up, too.

Reply to
H. Whelply
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1/2 inch, as I recall. Surprisingly, it's the OBW with that advantage. Solution: I'll drive my Forester where the rocks and ruts are 1/2 inch lower.

HW

Reply to
H. Whelply

Did I mention the shoehorn and the jaws of life? :)

(but he really did fit).

Reply to
Alan

We used to have 2 Fords after reading that their reliability had improved. (Ha!)

The 1993 Taurus Station Wagon went after 77k miles with a blown head gasket. Our mechanic said not to bother paying him to fix it. In any case, we knew several other people who fixed the head gasket only to have the whole engine go the next year.

The 1995 Ford Contour didn't last that long. The transmission blew at

43k miles. It got cranky again at 85k. The second time I didn't want to pay the $3,500 to fix it. Besides, the power door locks weren't working and I had to jiggle the key from the iginition switch just right to get it out. The guy at CarMax who test drove the car couldn't get the key out and left the car in the parking lot unlocked with the keys in the ignition because he figures no would steal it. (I can't believe he gave me $1,500 for the heap!)

So, I can't imagine buying another Ford again ever and every time someone mentions buying one I just cringe. I only have 6k miles on my

2003 Forester X and so far everything is going well, knock wood. But, I liked my Contour at 6k miles too.

Richard

Reply to
Richard Chang

The Ford Escape/Mazda Tribute is NOT a Ford!! The Escape/Tribute mechanicals were designed by Mazda. The only Ford in the Escape/Tribute are most likely limited to the instrument cluster, HVAC and Radio (plus the Ford logos). I don't know if they are built in the US by Mazda and Ford or built in Japan by Mazda.

HTH,Tom

Reply to
Tom H

Hi, V6 vs. Boxer engine. No comparison! Tony

Reply to
Tony Hwang

Sorry, but the V6 in the Escape / Tribute is a Ford Duratech design, just like the V6 in the Jag S Type and X Type.

I also own a Mazda MX-6, as well as my Outback (both made in Japan), and thankfully the engine and mechanicals in the MX-6 are all Mazda, before Ford got their dirty mitts on them.

Reply to
Losiho

Our only complaint with a 2001 Forrester is cheap inside features---small things like tie downs, etc. keep falling off.

But, the AWD system is downright amaz>

Reply to
BKS

It's not the Duratech V6 I would worry about. The CD4E transmission is the flaky one. Check out: for a description of problems with Ford transmissions in Mazdas.

-R.

Reply to
Richard Chang

You mean V6 wins hands down? No infamous leaks. Higher torque than on H4s. I think you're right.

Reply to
John Opezdol

I had 2 mazdas, a 323 and 626. The transmission in the 626 went then the diff went. So I agree the Mazda has a weak transmission.

The Tribute would be a great vehicle as is the Forester. I have owned a Legacy and currently own an Impreza and a Forester.

The tribute may have more power than the forester but the Forester 2.5 has ample power and probably better economy, being a smaller lighter vehicle. Give you height go for want fits you better. The forester will have less rear legroom but you're not going to sit there. I'm 6'2" and the Forester of great for headroom. Our Forester has an 8 way electric seat. This may be the clincher given you HAVE TO let your wife drive.

Mike. Auckland

Reply to
Mike

A small sidenote about the rear legroom in the Forester: It's true that the driver spends no time in the back seat, but if it's going to be used by anyone at all, it may as well be habitable for more than 5 minutes. A big plus for the rear seat in the Forester is the ample rear foot room under the front seats. Not only does it add to the comfort of the rear passengers, it gives the impression of more leg room because your feet can move forward an extra 6 inches or so and your legs can unfold a little more. Too many compact cars will barely allow your toes under there.

Cory

Reply to
Cory

It's puzzling to me the features NOT available on the Forester here in the States when obviously at least some are already engineered and available because it's found in other markets, like the 8-way power seats Mike mentions. Another one I've seen mentioned is the adjustable rear ride height, though I don't really need it and those systems can be troublesome.

Reply to
H. Whelply

"ass-height",

How could you even compare the Tribute/Escape to a Forester. In the US the Tribute/Escape has had so many recalls, it would take a 4 gigahertz computer to count them all. The Forester is a Subaru and therefore very reliable.

This will also show up in the resale value, with the Forester being worth far more after a few years.

Reply to
salligator

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