The new Ford Escape will debut next month at the Los Angeles Auto Show – and is set to benefit from a new line-up of engines including the new 1.6litre and 2.0litre EcoBoost engines.
It will be the first Ford SUV to be available with two fuel efficient EcoBoost engines with Ford also moving the Escape hybrid powertrain to the C-MAX platform – meaning the Escape Hybrid will be no more and instead the C-MAX will be available with two dedicated hybrid versions, a conventional hybrid and a plug-in hybrid electric.
The 1.6litre EcoBoost makes the most of turbocharging, twin independent variable camshaft timing and direct injection. It delivers the performance of a larger engine and is expected to offer better fuel economy than the existing Escape Hybrid. With sales of the engine in Europe exceeding expectations by 40 per cent, Ford hopes this appeal will translate to the USA too.
Meanwhile, the Escape’s new 2.0litre EcoBoost will have better fuel economy than competitors’ V6 engines and deliver performance comparable to larger six-cylinder powertrains.
As for the C-MAX Hybrid and C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid, they will debut next year with the C-MAX Hybrid offering a 25 per cent improvement in fuel economy compared to the outgoing Escape Hybrid model. The Ford C-MAX Energi plug-in meanwhile, targets more than 500miles of driving range using the battery and the engine – placing it ahead of any other plug-in or range extended vehicle.
