Ford Escape or Rav4

[Good Morning Dewdrop]

I have never driven the Escape - but we do own and LOVE our RAV4 (2007). It has been on all of our Disney trips (except the 2007 one - that one was before we bought the RAV)

The dealership keeps offering to buy it back / sell me a new one - no way are they getting my RAV - I'm going to drive it into the ground.

 

[Gumbo4x4]

I wouldn't split hairs over MPG ratings. Get the one that you enjoy driving. Life's too short to have an uncomfortable car.

 

[travelbug]

I've had my Escape a little over 2 years and I love it. It's been a great car so far and I hope to keep it a long time.

 

[mslhb]

I have a 2007 RAV4 and love it. Extremely roomy inside for a small car. I keep cars a long time and put a lot of miles on them so reliability is very important to me. Haven't had any issues with my Toyota. My 1st car was a Ford and was nothing but problems. I know Ford has come a long way lately but I would still a hard time choosing one.

 

[barkley]

we have an '06 and a '14 ford escape. we would have continued driving the
'06 forever but when dd needed a safe/reliable car we decided to sell it to her and get a new one. we weren't married to getting another escape, but when we looked at a variety of makes/models it came out on top. It's great for everyday driving and wonderful in the snow. we opted to once again get the heated leather seat package and love it-esp. now that the newer models heat not only the seat but midway up the back love the dual climate zones in the front-and the back up camera with video display is awesome.


one thing I would suggest-if you belong to Costco check out their car purchase program. we knew what we could spend allot of time haggling to get the car down to-with the Costco program we got it to that price range with one phone call.

 

[yankebabie]

I have a 2010 Ford Escape and I LOVE IT and it's great on gas.

 

[platamama]

DH loves his '13 Ford Escape Titanium. It's been his favorite vehicle so far even though he experiences occasional glitches with it. It's fun to drive, and is excellent in snow.

The cargo area is pretty small though. I think it would be tight packing if you have a family of 4 and you're planning to go somewhere. It's just right for the 3 of us, but sometimes we have to take the Odyssey (guess we're not light packers!).

 

[Iowajes]

We have an Escape Hybrid and just love it.

No personal experience with the Rav4, but check how well you see all the blindspots. A friend was just in a horrific accident (that she caused) that she said she had been waiting for since basically the first week she got the Rav4. She didn't realize before she bought it that no matter how she turned, she had no way of seeing some spots.

 

[yooperfan]

I have a 2002 Escape I've owned for about 5 years. We travel with it and it's comfortable in front or back seats. One suggestion if you plan to keep whichever for a while. The glittery paint look great but rusts faster. I was told by a repair place that the glittery paint actually has kind of air wholes in the paint which leads to rusting faster. I can't say if it's a fact, but my Escape is almost 13 years old and I just saw a little spot of rust ever. Every vehicle we have owned with the other paint have started rusting between 1-3 yrs of purchase, and some were fresh off the line.

 

[quirty30]

I just purchased a 2014 Escape Titanium and I love it. I didn't test drive a RAV4; I am very tall and every time I've ever test driven a Toyota vehicle my head hit the ceiling. Deterred me enough that I don't even bother anymore.

I did test drive the Honda CR-V, the Nissan Rogue and the Mazda CX5. I narrowed my search down to the CX5 and the Escape, and ultimately chose the latter for several reasons:

1) I didn't want a black interior and the CX5 with light seats still had a black dash and carpet. I thought it looked odd.
2) The Ford Sync system was by far the best technology package, and I loved all the outlets (I have 2 teenagers and this was an issue for me.)
3) The incentives were better. I ended up in a Titanium Escape for not much more than a Touring CX5 (to which I would have had to settle for a black interior and pay extra for remote start and Sirius radio.)

I don't know how Toyota compares to Nissan and Honda, but I can tell you for the other 2 makes, they weren't really offering any kind of deals and incentives. The Nissan salesman told me he couldn't keep Rogues in stock and he didn't have to offer any deals. Honda wasn't offering any rebates or special financing on the CRV. I purchased Memorial Day weekend and I got $2500 in rebates, 2.9% financing, and I negotiated the price down ANOTHER $2500 off the sticker. Was very very pleased and got the Escape equipped EXACTLY how I wanted (1.6 liter engine, 2WD, light interior and panoramic sunroof. I didn't really need navigation but they didn't have any Titaniums in stock without it.) If you like the RAV4 and Escape equally, my bet is you can get a better deal on the Escape (though the incentives are not as good now as they were 2 weeks ago.)

 

[minnie10]

I love my 2013 Ford Escape..We have taken a 10 hour drive to Disney in it and several 6 hour trips to the beach. I could do a commercial for Ford for what all 2 adults and 2 older teens put in the back of that car...I love the ride and gas is much better than my Yukon was...

 

[chris31997]

My 2 cents from owning a Rav, RAV went thru a recall for a transmission or gear sifting thingy. However, my year was not recalled even though it had the same transmission. There was no way for me to get Toyota to do the owrk on it under the recall.

I also learned that at least for my RAV most of the work had to be done at the dealer. The way the car is put together you need special tools. Things like an oil change can be done else where anything major has to be done at the dealer.

I have forgotten the year it was.

I did like how sporty it was. It was great for what we needed in Hawaii. I'm just disappointed in how Toyota dealt with the transmission/gear issue. Thankful we were able to unload it when we moved to Japan.

 

[JanaDee]

My mom has a Rav4 that I drive quite often and I HATE it! It's really squirelly and just doesn't ride nicely. It's horribly uncomfortable too if you have to ride in the front seat for very long. Just bad support and the head rest hits me at a funny angle.

This exactly. It is like driving around in a roller skate.

 

[disney4us2002]

We much prefer foreign cars for reliability - sorry American dealers. Our 1996 Rav and 2004 Rav are still running great. No way would I even look at a Ford! All our crappy work cars are Fords and they are constantly in the shop.

 

[puffkin]

I had a 2003 Escape and LOVED LOVED LOVED it. I traded it in for a 2011 RAV4 Limited. I thought the lesser models just felt very cheap but the Limited is fine. I don't love or hate the RAV4. Its just OK. I would take my Escape back in a second though.

Comparisons:
-I think the RAV drives a bit more like a car than my Escape
-More cargo room in the RAV....but it shifts strangly because its lower in the back
-I detest the side swing door, I absolutely hate it to this day
-RAV is much roomier in the back seat
-I like the dash on the RAV better
-My Escape was TONS better in the snow/ice
-Gas mileage is about the same
-Hard to explain, but the front seats are too small for me in the RAV. I am 5' 9" so not super tall, but when I drive there is a gap between the seat and my knees so no support. It is VERY uncomfortable for long drives. I keep a pillow in the car to support it. We have tried moving the seat all around and nothing makes it better. My DH is the same height but has shorter legs and he doesn't have the issue.

There is nothing wrong with my RAV, its fine and reliable, but if I had to replace it today I would proably go back to the Escape.

 

[Pipperdoodle]

We bought a 2014 Escape Titanium ecoboost 5 months ago and I absolutely love it. I love everything about the car. We have the leather package and the seats are extremely comfortable (and heated). The drive is very smooth, pickup is great thanks to the ecoboost and I love the backup camera and the sync package. We also have blindspot lights on the mirrors which I didn't think I'd use but do all the time. We have owned foreign cars for years and were very hesitant to buy a Ford. So far I love it, but time will tell if it has the longevity of my Nissan.

 

[bookgirl]

I had a 2001 Escape and currently have a 2010 Escape. However I will not be buying another.

I hate the frame design of the new Escape. You might as well buy an Edge.

My mom has the Edge and I don't like driving it, and the new Escape is built along that closer to the ground, lower roof, more bullet shape. She loves it but I prefer the classic Escape.

 

[schoen]

If it is a close race than I would ALWAYS go for the Detroit product!!! Perhaps that is a MI bias, but if you are deciding between the two because they both fit your needs in similar ways, that I would go with the Escape.

That might really just be an MI thing though, as when I travel I see way fewer US brands than I do here in MI.

I love my Ford. I am on my 3rd Ford, and we have been happy with the product and service. I have an Edge, and drove a Mercury Sable before that.

 

[lizzyb]

I will never again by an American brand car. Toyota all the way!

Same!

 

[3 MEN AND A BOAT]

Why did you narrow it down to these two? The best vehicle in the small SUV class is the Subaru Forester.

I know the OP said their are no dealers but I wanted to add that my 2014 forester averages 29mpg, for AWD that's pretty good.

Nothing wrong with either the ford or Toyota, just wanted to give some real world mpg's.