First Drive: 2021 Ford Escape PHEV

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Kelowna, B.C. — My daughter recently complained about the cost of filling up her Mazda3 Sport, a shocking $65, the most she’s ever had to pay. With the price of regular hovering around $1.50 in the GTA, I sympathized with the hit to her pocketbook, having just forked out $160 for the privilege of hooning a high-powered, 91-octane swilling Audi sportswagon around town for a week. Everyone across the country is dealing with price shock at the pumps, yet another consequence of the COVID-19 fallout.

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Well, not quite everybody — drivers of Teslas and other electric vehicles can whistle a happy tune as they glide by the local Esso station, shielded from the sky-high price of gasoline. Even those who drive hybrids, plug-in or otherwise, can take comfort in the more parsimonious nature of their rides.

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I certainly was digging the fuel economy readout as I meandered north from Kelowna on B.C.’s Hwy. 97, heading toward Salmon Arm in Ford’s latest addition to its electrified future, the 2021 Escape PHEV. Almost two-thirds of the picturesque drive was with the liquid-cooled, lithium-ion battery pack handling the workload, sending juice to the motor and blessing the compact crossover with some 60 kilometres of all-electric range. And even when the electricity depleted and the 165-hp, 2.5-litre Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder efficiently took over, regenerative braking where possible and the ability for the Escape to sip fuel with a miserliness that would gladden the heart of Ebenezer Scrooge resulted in only 3.1 L/100 km of 87 octane being used.

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Although other parts of the 400-plus-kilometre trip to Revelstoke and back were not as efficient, the 5.1 L/100 km average should still be celebrated as a triumph of solid engineering over Big Oil greed.

While not nearly as flashy or headline generating as some of Ford’s latest products — Bronco, Mustang Mach-E, F-150 Lightning, Maverick, etc. — the Escape is the company’s second best-selling model in Canada, behind the F-150 and its multiple permutations. Neither is it at the top among compact SUVs, a segment that Mathieu Rompré, Ford of Canada’s marketing manager for Escape, notes, is where Canadian car buyers like to shop — accounting for 25 per cent of total vehicle sales in this country. But it is a known, well-respected player.

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The addition of the PHEV at this opportune time is only going to help Escape sales, Rompré mentioning a recent KPMG survey that showed 68 per cent of those polled indicated they would consider an “electrified” vehicle within the next five years. And with the new Escape Plug-In Hybrid, fitted with what Ford says is advanced, fourth-generation hybrid technology, including the electronic continuously variable transmission, the estimated fuel economy rating of 2.2 Le/100 km combined is nothing to sneeze at. (Le/100 km, or L/100 km of gasoline equivalent, is an NRCan metric to compare the amount of energy consumed by alternative fuel vehicles  —  including those partially powered by electricity like the Escape PHEV  —  to what traditional gas-powered vehicles consume.)

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Drivers have four modes to choose from when setting out: In Auto EV mode, the Escape decides whether to run on gas or electric power. In EV Now mode, drivers can operate on all-electric power. In EV Later mode, drivers can switch to full gas-hybrid driving to conserve electric kilometres for later. And in EV Charge mode, drivers can continue to charge the battery while driving and generate electric-only kilometres to use later.

There is a significant “but,” however, to this frugal family transport — the Escape PHEV is front-wheel-drive only, with the engineering and placement of an all-wheel drivetrain under the battery pack, the added cost — affecting the crossover’s price point — and the added weight, all cited by Rompré as reasons against AWD. (Interestingly, the Lincoln Corsair, the Escape’s fancier, pricier sibling, will also offer a PHEV model, but with AWD.) Additionally, he says that FWD crossovers account for about 10 to 12 per cent of the approximately 400,000 annual sales in the segment, particularly by buyers shopping on price.

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As to the MSRP: The 2021 Escape PHEV comes in three trims — SE ($37,649), SEL ($40,649) and Titanium ($43,749) — with optional packages available. I spent the first day in an SEL, its sticker inflated to $45,699 courtesy of $5,050 worth of options, the most notable being the $2,500 Technology package, which consisted of a Bang & Olufsen audio system with 10 speakers, a power hands-free liftgate, wireless charging and a “memory package.” The second day, in a topline Titanium, came with an as-tested price of $46,749. Naturally, the crossover qualifies for federal/provincial rebates.

The SEL’s cabin is a sobering affair, one clearly skewed to function over fashion. There’s a dated vibe to it with a small centre touchscreen, a lot of black plastic and minimal trim. That said, the dash area is cleanly and logically laid out, with most buttons and controls falling easily to hand. (The Titanium adds very fake plastic wood trim on the dash and front door to alleviate the dull black interior.)

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The afternoon drive along the TransCanada Highway from Salmon Arm toward Sicamous follows the shoreline of Shuswap Lake. It’s a lovely bit of serpentine tarmac, ideally suited to the handling dynamics and urge of a road-hugging Porsche 911. Yet the 1,762-kg Escape PHEV, rather tame by comparison, acquitted itself admirably, tackling turn after turn with an easy rhythm, even when fitted with a fresh set of winter tires. However, with the almost silent operation of the powertrain, the amount of road rumble coming from tires meeting coarse tarmac was noticeable and quite tedious after an hour or so.

Overtaking was a practiced affair and, when trying to get around lumbering big rigs, it was best to make sure there was plenty of clear lane with which to accomplish the task. Still, a heavy push on the gas pedal elicited full use of the powertrain’s 220 net horsepower, which provided the necessary oomph to get the job done.

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When it comes time to “fuel” up, the Escape PHEV has a Level 1/Level 2 AC charging port. Using a 110-volt Level 1 charger, the estimated time to fully charge the battery is 10 to 11 hours. Using a 240-volt Level 2 charger, charge time drops to roughly 3.5 hours. What’s more, the design of the PHEV allows for the battery to be stored underneath, which frees up space in the cabin, offering more room with no humps from the battery.

For those who place a priority on fuel economy over style and flash, the very functional, straightforward, and well-equipped Escape PHEV is worth putting on the shopping list. The 800-pound gorilla in the room, however, is the fact it is front-wheel drive only, albeit with traction control. Toyota’s RAV4, the big dog in the compact SUV segment, has the AWD Prime, a PHEV starting at $44,990 for the SE trim, within the Escape’s price range.

Sure, all-wheel drive is not necessary for most urban parts of Canada, but auto manufacturers have done a fine job convincing the public it’s a must-have. So, Ford is taking a gamble that consumers looking for value, need, and efficiency can see beyond that hype and find the family-friendly Escape PHEV to their liking.