Car and Driver: 2017 Ford Escape Sport Appearance Package: Emphasis on the Word “Appearance”

Like pretty much everyone in automotive marketing, Ford’s product planners know that a little individuality goes a long way in moving vehicles out of showrooms and into owners’ garages. And here’s more proof, with sporty cosmetic trim packages for its SUV bestseller one-two punch: Explorer and Escape. (For more on the Explorer version, head here.)

The Escape package could be interpreted as a distillation of Henry Ford’s famous Model T styling statement: “any color you want, as long as it’s black.” Indeed, black defines the Escape package—and not just any black, but Ebony Black, which is applied to the 19-inch wheels, glossy upper grille with chrome highlights, wheel-well and window trim, taillight bezels, side-mirror caps, roof rack, and front and rear fascia trim. The package is available with the Escape’s regular range of exterior colors.

Interior elements include sport bucket front seats with leather inserts, a leather-wrapped shifter, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel, all set off with white stitching. But the sportiness doesn’t extend beyond what you see. Offered on SE and Platinum trim levels, the operational elements are stock, with a choice of two EcoBoost fours displacing 1.5 liters (180 horsepower, 185 lb-ft of torque) or 2.0 liters (245 hp, 275 lb-ft). Both are paired with six-speed automatic transmissions with shift paddles.

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• Ford Promises Four New SUVs within Four Years, Signs Point to a New Bronco-
• Explore More: New Sport Appearance Package Unveiled for Ford Explorer-
• 2017 Ford Escape Debuts, Cranks Up the Technology-

The Sport Appearance package will be available this spring, when the rest of the freshened 2017 Escape lineup rolls into dealerships. Pricing will be revealed at that time.

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