2008-2009 Ford Escape Test Drive

[motortrend] First Drive: 2009 Ford Escape
Six-speed automatics replace four-speed automatics, there's a new lower front chin spoiler below the redesigned front fascia and rear tire spoilers for better aerodynamics, and new low rolling resistance 16-inch Michelin tires across the board. The old 153-horsepower 2.3-liter four has been bored and stroked (among other upgrades) to a 171-horsepower 2.5-liter, and the 3.0-liter V-6 gets new cylinder heads, injectors, intake and exhaust cams, manifolds and pistons, and a compression ratio bump from 10.0:1 to 10.3:1.

[jalopnik]2009 Ford Escape: First Drive. 2009 Ford Escape: First Drive
That new six speed goes out of its way to make the engine seem like a superstar. Combined with the anti-roll bar in the back, the new Escape V6 is... dare I say it? Kinda fun to drive. With the added power and defeated traction control, you can actually get a little tail happy with this thing. Combined with an improved and easier to use Sync system and the optional and subscription-based Sirius Travelink, the "do I have to drive it?" idea actually starts to shift to "this isn't half bad".

[caranddriver] 2009 Ford Escape / Ford Escape Hybrid / Mercury Mariner - First Drive Review
Fuel mileage remains roughly the same for the gas-only engines, with the aforementioned aero tweaks and new, lower-rolling-resistance tires chipping in to help. Ford claims a 1-mpg overall improvement, with four-cylinder models rated at an estimated 20–22 mpg city/25–28 highway and V-6 Escapes at 18–19/23–24. Along with the bigger four-cylinder, the Escape hybrid has also received some reprogramming that smooths out the engine’s stop/start feature and forces the truck into full-electric mode more often, which should save a few drops of precious dino juice.

[autoblog] First Drive: 2009 Ford Escapes, more of almost everything
The closer spaced gear ratios of the new transmission definitely help NVH in the Escape by reducing the rev drop during shifts. Those gear changes are also amazingly smooth. Both up and down shifts were almost seamless. The structure of the Escape has been enhanced by shifting to more high strength steel in areas like the A-pillars and cross members. The more rigid body means less noise is transmitted through vibrations in the structure and from the road, also a major improvement over 2008 models.

2008-2009 Ford Escape Photos & Pictures