All-new and totally rethought for 2013, Ford’s compact crossover SUV is now one of the segment’s style leaders, a fuel-efficiency expert and a total tech geek. Highlights include a choice of impressive engines, athletic suspension tuning and an updated version of the MyFord Touch infotainment system. But the first feature buyers will want to show their friends is a power liftgate they can open and close by waving a foot under the rear bumper. Compact SUV shoppers looking for maximum affordability or roominess will want to look elsewhere, but the 2013 Ford Escape is as a must-see for everyone else.
Used 2013 Ford Escape Pricing
Used 2013 Ford Escape pricing starts at $5,785 for the Escape S Sport Utility 4D, which had a starting MSRP of $23,640 when new. The range-topping 2013 Escape Titanium Sport Utility 4D starts at $7,775 today, originally priced from $33,015.
Original MSRP | KBB Fair Purchase Price (nat'l average) | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
S Sport Utility 4D | $23,640 | $5,785 | ||
SE Sport Utility 4D | $25,965 | $5,600 | ||
SEL Sport Utility 4D | $31,910 | $6,492 | ||
Titanium Sport Utility 4D | $33,015 | $7,775 |
The Kelley Blue Book Fair Purchase Price for any individual used vehicle can vary greatly according to mileage, condition, location, and other factors. The prices here reflect what buyers are currently paying for used 2013 Ford Escape models in typical condition when purchasing from a dealership. These prices are updated weekly.
Which Model is Right for Me?
2013 Ford Escape S
2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine AM/FM stereo with CD player Cloth seats 17-inch steel wheels Black door handles
2013 Ford Escape SE
Turbocharged 1.6-liter engine Ford Sync connectivity Satellite radio 17-inch alloy wheels
Silver skidplates
2013 Ford Escape SEL
Leather seat trim Power front seats (heated on driver’s side) Leather-wrapped steering wheel 18-inch alloy wheels Black upper and lower grille
2013 Ford Escape Titanium
Turbocharged 2.0-liter engine Pushbutton start 19-inch alloy wheels Hands-free liftgate HID headlights
Driving the Used 2013 Ford Escape
The new Ford Escape is the sporty compact car of compact SUVs – a title it shares with the new Mazda CX-5. Ford’s recent cars have impressed with European-like driving dynamics and feel, and the new Escape continues the trend. When outfitted with the 240-horsepower engine, there’s not a competitor that could keep up. Fortunately, the characteristics that contribute to the high fun-factor also help make the Escape a pleasure to drive to the store and the office. The 1.6- and 2.0-liter EcoBoost engines are terrific, both delivering smooth, ready power around town, effortless cruising on the highway and – especially the 2.0 engine – plenty of passing power. It isn’t the softest-riding entry in the segment, but most will find it perfectly comfortable. The 2013 Ford Escape is arguably the best-driving compact SUV out there, but the styling, technology and fuel economy are what really set it apart.
Interior Comfort
The inside of the 2013 Ford Escape boasts such an impressive collection of materials, design and available features that it can feel a class above. Don’t try to pass it off as a mid-size SUV, though, because the Escape’s interior is among the category’s smaller cabins.
Exterior Styling
The compact SUV segment is definitely developing a greater sense of style, and the 2013 Ford Escape furthers the trend. Exterior highlights that distinguish upper-tier Escape models include HID headlamps, fog lights, body-color mirrors and trim, dual chrome exhaust tips and big 19-inch wheels (which will eventually need to be re-wrapped in expensive 19-inch tires).
Favorite Features
HANDS-FREE LIFTGATE MYKEY
When your hands are full of shopping bags, furniture or man things, you can just wave your foot under the rear bumper and the liftgate opens automatically. It’s Escape sign language for "open sesame."
For teen drivers who always wanted a Big Brother, MyKey lets parents designate a key that will limit top speed, limit audio volume or even disable the audio system altogether until the seatbelts are buckled.
Standard Features
At its base price of $23,295, the 2013 Ford Escape S features a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine matched with a 6-speed automatic transmission, 6-speaker AM/FM/CD/Aux sound system, air conditioning, steering wheel with audio and cruise controls, the parent-friendly MyKey system, and a full complement of airbags and electronic safety features. Base model compromises include covered steel wheels and black plastic exterior trim elements.
Factory Options
A fully loaded 2013 Ford Escape Titanium can reach all the way past $37,000, but with enough cool features to embarrass many luxury cars. In addition to a 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, 4-wheel drive, leather seats and a panoramic moonroof, a top-tier Escape offers blind-spot warning, automatic parallel parking, an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation, Sync with MyFord Touch, and a liftgate that opens with a wave of your foot. You could get the new Acura RDX for the same money, but you wouldn’t have as many cool features to play with.
Engine & Transmission
The 2013 Ford Escape is the only compact SUV with a choice of three engines. It would be easier to recommend the excellent 240-horsepower 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine if the 178-horsepower 1.6-liter version weren’t more affordable, more efficient, just as smooth, and still plenty powerful for most. The base 2.5-liter engine is probably just fine – we haven’t driven the latest iteration – but we’d buy a different compact SUV before buying the base Escape S with which that engine is paired. All three engines are paired with a responsive 6-speed automatic transmission with manual shift control, driving either the front wheels (FWD) or all four (4WD). If you want 4WD you’ll have to choose one of the EcoBoost engines. And if you want the Escape’s full towing capacity of 3,500 pounds, you’re into the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine (and the towing package eliminates the hands-free liftgate option). 2.5-liter 4-cylinder 1.6-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder
168 horsepower @ 6,000 rpm
170 lb-ft of torque @ 4,500 rpm
EPA estimated city/highway mpg: 22/31
178 horsepower @ 5,700 rpm
184 lb-ft of torque @ 2,500 rpm
EPA estimated city/highway mpg: 23/33 (FWD), 22/30 (AWD)
240 @ 5,500 rpm
270 lb-ft @ 3,000 rpm
EPA estimated city/highway mpg: 22/30 (FWD), 21/28 (AWD)
What did you think of this review?
KBB Vehicle Review and Rating Methodology
Our Expert Ratings come from hours of both driving and number crunching to make sure that you choose the best car for you. We comprehensively experience and analyze every new SUV, car, truck, or minivan for sale in the U.S. and compare it to its competitors. When all that dust settles, we have our ratings. We require new ratings every time an all-new vehicle or a new generation of an existing vehicle comes out. Additionally, we reassess those ratings when a new-generation vehicle receives a mid-cycle refresh — basically, sprucing up a car in the middle of its product cycle (typically, around the 2-3 years mark) with a minor facelift, often with updates to features and technology. Rather than pulling random numbers out of the air or off some meaningless checklist, KBB’s editors rank a vehicle to where it belongs in its class. Before any car earns its KBB rating, it must prove itself to be better (or worse) than the other cars it’s competing against as it tries to get you to spend your money buying or leasing. Our editors drive and live with a given vehicle. We ask all the right questions about the interior, the exterior, the engine and powertrain, the ride and handling, the features, the comfort, and of course, about the price. Does it serve the purpose for which it was built? (Whether that purpose is commuting efficiently to and from work in the city, keeping your family safe, making you feel like you’ve made it to the top — or that you’re on your way — or making you feel like you’ve finally found just the right partner for your lifestyle.) We take each vehicle we test through the mundane — parking, lane-changing, backing up, cargo space and loading — as well as the essential — acceleration, braking, handling, interior quiet and comfort, build quality, materials quality, reliability.
