Purchased a new 2020 Escape SE 1.5 ecoboost 2 wheel drive last month and just completed 4000 miles . Would like to share our opinion so far. Unlike others we really like the new body style. Dealer made us a sweet heart deal on a left over 2019 but passed. To begin ....any one wondering if the 3 cyl is a under powered city crawler think again. It would seem Ford hit a home run with the little engine. We live and drive in the mountains of West Virginia. Long hard pulls on the interstate are a way of life. Engine never ever seems under powered. At interstate speeds the engine seems relaxed and comfortable . As far as the power train is concerned the only negative comment believe it or not is going slow. Cruising around town at speeds below 45 mph Ford screwed up. Some dumb @#$% at Ford programmed the trans to keep the engine at extremely low rpms which the little 3 banger does not like at all. Small throttle changes the engine vibrates and growles in protest. If you push hard enough a down shift finally happens but as soon as you let up it up shifts again. To combat this unforgivable blunder in programing we have found a solution. In town we drive in the sport mode. Now you can drive normally and the engine spins at a happy 2000 rpm never protesting. Everything else about the new Escape seems perfect. Seats are comfortable and long trips are enjoyable. So far fuel mileage is better than expected 32.7 is the over all average. All advance safety features seem to work as advertised with no issues. Oh ....before I forget the one feature being the automatic engine shut off is the most ridiculous achievement in automotive history. I personally want my engine running all the time. We have to disable this feature every time the car is started. Hope my comments were helpfull.
