Drew Dowdell

Today, Ford unveiled the refreshed 2023 Ford Escape. The ’23 Escape offered evolutionary styling over the outgoing model and several safety and technology evolutions as well. Added to the lineup this year is a new ST-Line model, an appearance package that makes the standard Escape look sportier. Offered in base ST-Line, ST-Line Select, and ST-Line Elite, the ST-Line packages use the same 1.5-liter Ecoboost, 2.0-liter Ecoboost, and 2.5-liter hybrid engines found in the rest of the Escape lineup. Visually, the ST-line gets a black mesh grill, monochrome moldings, and a large single-wing rear spoiler. The ST-line Elite has an available “coast to coast” LED light bar that spans the distance between the headlights for a distinct look. Inside, the ST-Line comes solely in an ebony interior with red stitching on the doors, seats, armrest, and steering wheel. The other trim names have changed for 2023 as well. Gone are S, SE, SEL, and Titanium, respectively replaced by Base, Active, and Platinum. Base model Escapes come with an ebony interior, while higher trim customers can select ebony or space gray. The infotainment system has been upgraded with a 13.2-inch screen that has Alexa and cloud connectivity built in. The infotainment system is capable of over-the-air updates at times the customer schedules. Powertrains carry over largely unchanged from the previous model. The base engine is the 1.5-liter 3-cylinder Ecoboost producing 180 horsepower. The 2.0-liter Ecoboost producing 250 horsepower also remains. Both engines are paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission. The Ford Escape was the first hybrid crossover, and it keeps its hybrid options with a 2.5-liter standard hybrid and a plug-in version with a larger battery capacity. In front-wheel drive configuration, the hybrid is expected to produce a combined 210 horsepower. All engine options can be had in front-wheel or all-wheel drive. Ford touts that no matter which powertrain a customer selects, they can enjoy over 400 miles of driving range, with the plug-in hybrid version stretching to nearly 550-miles. The Escape Plug-In Hybrid model features four EV modes that allow drivers to select the settings most suitable for their individual needs. In Auto EV mode, the vehicle decides whether to run on gas or electric power In EV Now mode, drivers can operate on all-electric driving In EV Later mode, drivers can switch to full gas-powered driving to conserve electric miles for later In EV Charge mode, drivers can continue to charge the battery while driving and generate electric-only miles to use later Ford Co-Pilot360 has been enhanced with a 360-degree camera system, Intersection Assist 2.0 to help avoid collisions with pedestrians during turning, an enhanced blind spot assist that will nudge the steering wheel in the event of an obstacle in the way. Additional available new technologies include Intelligent Adaptive Cruise Control with Stop-and-Go, Predictive Speed Assist, Rear Cross Traffic Braking, Reverse Brake Assist, Evasive Steering Assist and Connected Built-In Navigation. The 2023 Ford Escape is built in Louisville, KY and will go on sale in early 2023. View full article

So I drove the EQS AMG and I'm pretty meh about it. Sure it's fast and it has pillows on the headrests, but a lot of the stuff you don't normally touch feels really down market. The steering wheel is downright confusing with a combination of buttons, touch controls, dials, and buttons inside of dials that do the same thing. The infotainment screen is way oversized and distracting as well as impossible to intuitively operate. Some controls are on the steering wheel, some are on the center console, some are in both locations but operate differently. Is it more comfortable than a Tesla? Yes.. but so is just about everything else on the market. It is fast? Also yes, but so is a Tesla. Is it good looking? No, it's a CLS that someone left out in the sun too long. Is it big like an S-Class? No, it's E-Class roominess inside along with having terrible rear visibility. The EQS and EQE both feel, from the inside, as they are one size class down from their ICE letter equivalent.

According to the itinerary of the event tomorrow, the EQB 350, EQE 500, and EQS AMG will all be there. Could be pre-production possibly.

This car is going to feel cavernous inside. The EQS doesn't feel that much bigger than a standard issue E-Class, though it does have more trunk space. Part of that is due to the bathtub feeling with the doors that go up to nearly shoulder height. I will likely be getting some EQS AMG drive time tomorrow.

Difference in definitions. Electric motors, batteries, and air suspension aren't new. But these are totally new designs for all of them... it's a full platform. It's exactly like when the Alfa-Romeo Guilia came out. Everything on that car except the transmission was a new design. New engine, new electronics, new body, new everything... except the ZF-HP8 transmission. And that's why it was a problem for FCA. But that same platform has been perfected since 2015 and now rides under the Grand Cherokee and it's largely fine. All manufacturers play fast and loose with the term "all-new". Is the Integra really all new? The platform is just a Civic, it just uses the CR-V/Civic engine and transmission, it uses a lot of off the shelf Acura components. What about the Bronco? The body was new, sure, but everything under the sheetmetal was lifted from the Ranger and F-150 and they still had issues. The Hummer really is "All new" ... like for real.

It's a bleeding edge product. Totally new platform with totally new tech. I'm okay with there being a bit of leeway regardless of if it is GM, Mercedes, Nissan, whoever. Anyone who bought one of these knew that they were signing up for a new release product. The people who made the video are in the business of making these videos... and frankly, I will be doing the same thing once my EValanche shows up. And if it breaks down, I'll make a video of it. But I know going into that purchase that the EValanche is new tech and problems could happen. That's why I'm keeping the gasser also.

Teslas are still bricking themselves brand new after 2-3 years of being on the market. When does it start? I don't see anything about it on my local Ikea page.

I've had symptoms after all except the first C19 shot. I always get flu-like symptoms from the flu shot. So if I can get it both over with at the same time I'd prefer that.

Have you gotten the Chicken Pox vaccine? I'm probably going to get my Flu and updated Covid Booster on Tuesday. I have to time it around expecting to be sick the next day.

Well, I wouldn’t be rolling in on 0% and I only need enough to get me to the high speed chargers on my way out… so like 50% of the way back home.

My vacation this year was at Rehoboth Beach. Once I parked the Chrysler, I didn’t touch it again until we left because we walked everywhere. 3 chargers within east walking distance of my hotel.

Then don’t. When I was in Denver last December and had a Kia Niro EV, I plugged it in while my friend and I went to lunch (it wasn’t necessary, but I did it as an experiment) and the next morning I went to breakfast in Boulder and charged while I ate and strolled Pearl Street (the tourist part of Boulder). I went and enjoyed my trip rather than having to stop for gas. And I didn’t have to stop to charge before I returned the rental… just dropped it. So it was a next savings in time and money.

then with ranges of 300 - 400 miles on many new EVs, why does anyone care about range? Even if you rent and can’t plug in at home, all Walmarts, GM dealers, Nissan dealers, Ford dealers, many malls, grocery stores, and parking garages have or are getting chargers. GM dealers were told by GM to reach out to local communities and install chargers. I have a meeting with a local Chevy dealer coming up to discuss charge points in the town I work for.

Calm your jets. None of this is that big a deal. What everyone needs to remember is that you do not need to charge to 100% every time you plug in. And everyone needs to slow the eff down on their trips. None of us here are doing the Cannonball run. I don't know who on this site has covered the most distance in road trips, but any list of the top 5 is gonna include me. I've done Pittsburgh - Miami in a single run without stopping to sleep and it's killed me every time I do it. I am dead to the world for the next two days, so it really puts a damper on any vacation activities. I've done it in as little as 17 hours and as much as 24 hours when stopping somewhere to sleep. Forget about what fuel you're using... it's just not good for your body to do trips like that. That said, I have done the trips enough times that I know approximately where my regular stops are. With the new high(er) speed charging that is coming with the next generation EVs (EValanche, the Cadillacs, Blazer, etc), they can add 100 miles of range in 10 minutes. Starbucks can't even make my order that fast. Now, because I've done the trip so many times and I know the range of the EValanche, I already know the truck can make the trip to my hotel in Columbia SC with one 15 minute recharge in Princeton West Virginia. I also know that my body can't make it all the way to Columbia without at least two more bathroom stops. And with EV trip planning, as with everything... there's an app for that. Plug-Share says I could do the trip to my parent's with just 5 stops to recharge. Now my parents don't have a charger, so I'd need to add a 6th stop in there somewhere, but Jacksonville to Miami is such an awful boring part of the trip I'd need to stop for my own sanity and bladder relief. Click to enlarge. It is set to GMC Hummer EV and I artificially bumped the range to 350 miles per charge which is still under the 400 mile range anticipated for the Silverado EV. I filtered the search to 70kw chargers or better for the best charging speed. The point I'm making here is that I couldn't do this trip, in this few stops, even in my current gasoline truck. My truck has a 550 mile range tank, and it can make it in just two fill ups. I do the drive twice a year and it is awful. Thursday I'm doing Pittsburgh - DC area. I can pick any one of these three DC fast chargers for a 15 minute break and be fine. But I'm also traveling with my elderly in-laws, so I know I'll be stopping at least once in Breezewood, PA and Berkley Springs, WV for bathroom breaks and probably their McDonald's coffee. So again, even in a gas car, I'll stop more than is technically necessary in an EV. My FIL is mostly disabled, so just getting him from the car into the McDonald's can take 10 minutes. Can we not put requirements on EVs that we don't put on our gas cars please?