Just drove CX-5's most direct and latest US market competitor today

CX-SV

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2013 CX-5 GT AWD w/tech (Mar'12-Jul'14)
I drove a 2013 Ford Escape 1.6Lturbo today, nicely equipped with pano roof and nav. Later I will drive the 2.0L turbo, something that appeals to me more because it's the most powerful and quickest in this class of SUV. In general a nice compact SUV, well-styled, huge upgrade over old design Escape. I will list some of my observations below as they relate to CX-5.

. Yes, I could feel a bit more power from the 1.6Lturbo versus the 2.0L CX-5 engine, despite a measurable weight difference. Ford intends the 1.6L to be the volume engine. (We already know the CX-5 exceeds the gas mileage of all Escape versions, now old news per EPA website.) Engine noise is about the same, refinement good for a 4 banger just like the CX-5, meaning vibration and harshness is relatively low. None of these 4 bangers have the refinement of the best premium in-line sixes or V6's, but the pricing is much different too.

. Auto tranny (6 speed) worked well in auto mode just like CX-5, manual mode requires a shifter pull down from D to S, then the rocker button on shifter works for manual shifting. In short I much prefer the BMW-style manual shift mode setup of the CX-5.

. For those that dislike the tastefully conservative and European dash/interior of CX-5, look at the Escape. It has more George Jetson swoopiness and Tokyo by night colorful dash lighting for increased amusment, very heavily styled.

. Sightlines out the front (180 degree view) are rather busy. The deep dash, pillars, windshield trim, dash surfacing and lumps and bumps just adds to the clutter.

. Pano roof was cool, in the reality is for those sitting in front seat (the 2 most important seats from my perspective) it's not much better than a conventional moonroof.

. I didn't play with the nav and sych system, no comments. I was there to drive on this 1st pass.

. Road noise w/18's was slightly higher than CX-5 (on both 17's or 19's), not horrible.

. I won't comment much on pricing, even if MSRP's are bloated. (It's less of an issue for me because of the corporate discounting available to my direct family members.)

In summary, this is a competitive and modern compact SUV, well done Ford.
 
Good review. Thanks for posting it. I cant stand the interior of the new escape. I agree its way too busy and flashy in a cheezy way imo. Not a fan of the front end at all either. But spec wise it looks great. I am still wishing i had driven the sportage sx turbo. While the cx5 does the job, that turbo is nice and i really like the sportage interior. Stylish but not over done. Not sure how i went from looking at the fastest cuv to buying the slowest. Lol i loooooove my cx-5 but a bit more power would be amazing.

Can i ask why you are test driving other vehicles? Not looking to ditch the mazda are you?
 
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I just used ford's site to compare the Escape and the CX5, they put it down to 3 things the cx5 doesnt have: parking assist (for people who should never have gotten their driver's license if they cannot parallel park), foot activated trunk (admitedly a nice feature), and panoramic vista roof (meh, i pay attention to the road, not look for UFOs).
I'm not impressed enough to regret my car purchase.
That said, I DO wish the CX5 had more engine choices.
 
Good review. Thanks for posting it. I cant stand the interior of the new escape. I agree its way too busy and flashy in a cheezy way imo. Not a fan of the front end at all either. But spec wise it looks great. I am still wishing i had driven the sportage sx turbo. While the cx5 does the job, that turbo is nice and i really like the sportage interior. Stylish but not over done. Not sure how i went from looking at the fastest cuv to buying the slowest. Lol i loooooove my cx-5 but a bit more power would be amazing.

Can i ask why you are test driving other vehicles? Not looking to ditch the mazda are you?

Why do I test drive? I like to test drive just about anything with 4 wheels, I consider it fun and do it often.

The power is no big deal to me because my weekend car has 306hp, so the best in class gas mileage of CX-5 and other Euro qualities appeal to me. The 1.6L turbo is not that much faster than CX-5 because of the extra weight, btw.

Not planning on ditching my Mazda soon, but a close family member has a Scion Xb that they might replace in a couple of years and they have an eye on my CX-5 (they know my CX-5 will be well-maintained with known history). If they bought my CX-5, then I would consider 2.0L turbo Escape (via deep discounting) to replace it. By then it would be nice to see evidence that Ford can do a new product launch with decent reliability results, (because the new 2011 Explorer came out with below average results).
 
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Oh yeah? whats your your weekend car, if you dont mind my asking?

No prob., a common IS350 Lexus sedan (lightly modified).

My preference for commuting (garbage driving in traffic) is to drive a SUV.
 
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Btw, this (Escape) will be new Kuga replacement for Europe and other major markets around the world, tb released soon enough.
 
Btw, this (Escape) will be new Kuga replacement for Europe and other major markets around the world, tb released soon enough.

I just wish the Escape can go on sale a little bit early. With huge discount from Ford dealers (even on new models) and employee pricing, similar equipped 2013 escape can be obtained $ 2000-3000 cheaper than CX-5 GT here in Canada. I know it's not the case in the U.S. I'm also jealous on the available non AWD GT version of Cx-5 in the US. Although I'm very pleased with my GT AWD, I just wish it can weigh less so that it has better mileage and performance.
Things I like about CX-5: Exterior, handling, refinement, Japanese quality
things I like about Escape: interior, Pano Sunroof, power, and price (yeah price!) in Canada and customization
mileage should be same for CX-5 AWD and escape FWD
 
4 Things that I hate about the escape-

1-The interior looks like someone who is frying on acid while watching Star Wars designed it.
2-It looks like an inflated focus.
3-Its built on a focus platform
4-Its a ford.
 
thanks for the review SV, I am interested in driving one once they are available in my area.

also, have you seen the new Subaru crossover? I believe it is due out later this year. might be another contender in the small suv/cuv game.

http://www.subaru.com/xv-crosstrek/2013/index.html

33mpg hwy, 5spd manual or cvt w/ paddle shifters, 17" alum wheels stnd, and of course subaru awd.
 
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thanks for the review SV, I am interested in driving one once they are available in my area.

also, have you seen the new Subaru crossover? I believe it is due out later this year. might be another contender in the small suv/cuv game.

http://www.subaru.com/xv-crosstrek/2013/index.html

33mpg hwy, 5spd manual or cvt w/ paddle shifters, 17" alum wheels stnd, and of course subaru awd.

You are welcome.

Although X thing is somewhat interesting, it's not for me.

It's more of a wagon, less of a SUV, too small, too low (4" lower), crap CVT, but I think it will be suitable for some.
 
I drove the Escape 1.6L with the panoramic roof. I noticed that the vehicle rigidity took a big hit with the panoramic roof, but the acceleration feels more or less the same as the CX-5. The FWD Escape is something like 3600lb curb weight if I remember right.

My weekend car only has 114hp/100tq, so I think the CX-5 has it beat. (rofl2)
 
Yes, the extra weight does significantly dull the actual performance edge of Escape 1.6L turbo, rated at 178hp.

Ford says fwd Escape (auto tranny) weight = 3502
Mazda says fwd CX-5 (auto tranny) weight = 3272

difference of 230 pounds
 
. Pano roof was cool, in the reality is for those sitting in front seat (the 2 most important seats from my perspective) it's not much better than a conventional moonroof.

Am I the only one that finds those huge glass roofs make the car much hotter in the summer? We test drove an Audi A3 years ago that had one and that flimsy pull out shade did not block enough of the heat. It was about a 105 degree day and even with the AC cranked my shoulders were getting hot.
 
Am I the only one that finds those huge glass roofs make the car much hotter in the summer? We test drove an Audi A3 years ago that had one and that flimsy pull out shade did not block enough of the heat. It was about a 105 degree day and even with the AC cranked my shoulders were getting hot.

Yes, very much so.
 
Am I the only one that finds those huge glass roofs make the car much hotter in the summer? We test drove an Audi A3 years ago that had one and that flimsy pull out shade did not block enough of the heat. It was about a 105 degree day and even with the AC cranked my shoulders were getting hot.

Yes, especially when compared to a conventional moonroof on a white car. It's a lot of glass to face the sun. The Escape sunshade is decent and power/electric-operated.

For me the pano roof didn't add much extra benefit to driver and front seat passenger (versus a conventional moonroof). The pano roof does add more light in back seat area but doesn't open up back there for fresh air like the front section. That was my observation after back to back drives of Escape and CX-5. Regardless I require some kind of opening moonroof or pano roof in my SUV.
 
The most important question is (and I think I already know the answer) hows the handling compare to the CX-5?
 
I would say comparable. I didnt get a good enough test drive in the Escape (and it was literally sold 20 minutes after we took our test drive, at sticker). I will say the Escape seems a little worse from a rigidity standpoint and steering feel.

The Mazda EPAS is literally one of the best Ive driven, other manufacturers should take note, this is how it should be done.
 
The most important question is (and I think I already know the answer) how’s the handling compare to the CX-5?

I don't agree that this is the most important question when considering CX-5 as a compact SUV purchase.

But to answer the question, both the Escape and CX-5 (best) handle very well for this class of vehicle. I don't think Escape can be ruled out due to handling.
 
I don't agree that this is the most important question when considering CX-5 as a compact SUV purchase.

And thats exactly what every manufacturer always thinks when it comes to this type of vehicles and then Mazda decided to try something different and put some fun into a market that was basicallyboring. I never thought I would buy this type of vehicle and it took a couple of people saying the same thing over and over again Finally, a compact crossover that appeals to the driving enthusiast." And a test drive to convince me this is not just another small boring SUV
 
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