Ford Escape or Rav4

[Minnie]

We have narrowed down our search for an AW SUV to the Ford Escape or Rav4. Other than the daily work travel the use the vehicle will be used to travel / crate out of for dog trials 2-3 weekends a month.

The Rav4 has a slight edge in gas mileage and ends up with a slightly lower price when adding on elements such heated seats, sun roof, etc. However I did find the Escape rides a little smoother and has better lumbar support.

Any thoughts on either of these models would be appreciated

 

[whoopsiedoodle]

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.

 

[MrsHappilyEverAfter]

We have an Escape. I love it! Not the best on gas, but no complaints otherwise.

 

[heartsy77]

My mom has 2013 Escape and she loves it! It's not great on gas around 24 mpg but it rides nicely!

Sent from my iPhone using DISBoards

 

[MillauFr]

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

 

[Minnie]

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

One reason is there are Ford and Toyota dealers in our area so any warranty recalls / repairs can be done locally. Several years ago I owned a vehicle that did not have a local dealer and I will never go that route again.

 

[MillauFr]

One reason is there are Ford and Toyota dealers in our area so any warranty recalls / repairs can be done locally. Several years ago I owned a vehicle that did not have a local dealer and I will never go that route again.

Makes sense. Seems like every other house in Seattle has a Subaru because they have all wheel drive and they do great in snowstorms on steep and windy roads. Other parts of the country very few people own them.

We have a Ford Escape at work and I love driving it when it is not taken. Usually it is because no one wants to drive the piece of crap Chrysler we also have.

 

[buzz5985]

I have a 2003 Ford Escape that I bought used in 2007. It's been a great ride, get's me through the snow (it is a 4 x 4). I would buy another - and plan to in a couple of years. Love the look of the new Escapes.

Janis

 

[StitchFanZ]

Drove my first escape 170,000 miles. Still have it for kids to use. I am now on my second one - I special ordered one as I wanted the lower end one but have to have leather seats and navigation. It is super comfortable and fun to drive.

 

[Swimalie]

Makes sense. Seems like every other house in Seattle has a Subaru because they have all wheel drive and they do great in snowstorms on steep and windy roads. Other parts of the country very few people own them.

Not really true. Where we live, on the east coast, I can't leave my neighborhood without seeing a Subaru. They are all over the place now that I have bought mine. I love it! I can understand not buying one since there isn't a deal close by but in the 3 years I have owned mine, it has been to the dealer once (other than oil changes which my husband will now take over since they are so easy on the Forester). The once it has been to the dealer was for a squeak that we couldn't determine where it came from. After about 2 weeks, it went away on its own after all. So zero issues with the car other than a squeak.

As for the choices, we test drove the Rav-4 before we bought our Forester. We found it cheaply made. The handles weren't tight, the seats moved, etc. After owning several, we don't trust Fords so we didn't test drive it. Our neighbor just bought one last summer and it's been in the shop already for issues.

 

[tinktinktink]

I've owned a ford Escape and have vowed to never own another one. It seemed like we were always putting it In the shop. It wasn't a smooth ride at all and didn't feel comfortable. I traded it in for a Murano and I'm getting the same gAs mileage on a slightly larger SUV. The interior on the escape seems cheaply made. Between the 2 I'd pick the Rav4.

 

[lazy daisy]

We have narrowed down our search for an AW SUV to the Ford Escape or Rav4. Other than the daily work travel the use the vehicle will be used to travel / crate out of for dog trials 2-3 weekends a month.

The Rav4 has a slight edge in gas mileage and ends up with a slightly lower price when adding on elements such heated seats, sun roof, etc. However I did find the Escape rides a little smoother and has better lumbar support.

Any thoughts on either of these models would be appreciated

We have an Escape and love it, had it for 2 years, so far so good!

 

[JandJ]

I have to speak up for the Rav4! Mine is a 2011 and I absolutely LOVE it! I test drove the Rav, CRV, Escape, Santa Fe, and Soul. Granted, I wasn't looking for anything fancy. I live in Florida so leather seats are out because I wear shorts and don't want to burn my legs. I also don't need heated seats. I just wanted a nice, smooth ride, comfortable seat to get in and out of because I have a bad back, space for my dog, power everything, and quality that will last. I found all of that in Toyota. Maybe Ford has improved their quality, but we're the kind of family that drives a car 15+ years. You cannot kill a Honda or a Toyota. My daddy's Toyota pickup had 230,000 miles before it needed a new transmission and it was still going strong when we sold it at close to 300,000 miles. DH is driving a 2000 Civic with close to 200,000 miles on it. We had to put in a new transmission a few years ago, but other than that, it has never given us any trouble.

I can't speak for the 2014 models, obviously mine is a 2011, but when I test drove the Escape, it felt cheap. Everything was just "blah," while the Rav, even the basic one that I got, was nicer, cleaner lines, prettier overall. And the price was thousands less for a comparable Escape.

Love my Rav4. Never getting anything else

 

[BWV Dreamin]

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

 

[Pembo]

I have a 2011 Rav and love it!

 

[Distinkt]

We have two Ravs and absolutely love them. One 2009 and one 2011. The older model is the sport, and has a stiffer ride. I think the ride is comfortable in both, and we take 13 hour one day trips frequently, so I would disagree with one of the previous posters.

They have good storage space, but since they have since moved the spare from the outside to inside, I do not know how that has affected the space behind the second seats. The second row seats are easy to fold down, and we just all around love them.

One caveat is that the newest models did not get a very good safety rating, and the Forester actually did. My son has a Forester and it is nice but seems boxy inside. Anyway, we are Team Rav at this household!!!!!

 

[3happydancers]

Another Rav4, 2011 owner here and love it! Not a fan of Fords in general.

 

[IBelieveInTheMagic]

My DH has the Titanium model of the 2013 Ford Escape and we love it. Not only is it powerful, great on gas mileage, and fun to drive, but it's also a very comfortable car to ride in.

We've been very pleased and the service at our Ford dealership has been perfect. I drive a 2001 Mazda Tribute which technically is part Ford and not any trouble and I have 90,000 miles and hope to keep going. No car payment pays for cruises and vacations!!

Heather

 

[reneaterry]

I loved my rav4. I owned it for 6 years, had 130,000 mile on it and never had issues. Traded it in for Sienna. We loveToyota.

 

[monarchsfan16]

I have a love-hate relationship with my 2011 Ford Escape. I love the ride, the gas mileage is good, it's comfortable, and it gets me where I need to go, in the mountains of NH. I've abused the car with a high mileage commute.

HOWEVER, my extended warranty has already paid for itself. I will not be getting another Escape, which saddens me, because I loved the '97 Explorer I had before this. I didn't like the design of the new Escapes anyway, but I've had my car in the shop a lot for a 3 year old car with only 74,000 miles on it, in the last few months. As problems have come up, I've been googling and found that some of them (particularly the ridiculously expensive air conditioner fix) seems to be a very common problem with Escapes, even the newer models.

I guess the bottom line is, there's a lot to love about the Escape, but don't get one without an extended warranty.