Topic: Comparison Test: 2017 Ford Escape vs 2016 Hyundai Tucson

[Fobroader]

somebody has to scream at the abyss in defiance, even if it is fathomless and all encompassing - or else they will take silence as acceptance...and you never know how far this trend will go...ok tinfoil hat is falling off so 

Hey Choaoshere, I was noticing your moniker "won't run with the pack" and thinking how much marketers love you guys because you just become another easily identifiable group they can sell to with products aimed at the "outliers".  I recently saw a Lexus RX commercial that perfectly captures this dynamic as they try to convince the viewer that they too can be a "rebel" by buying the best selling luxury SUV in North America, the one favoured by well heeled soccer moms everywhere. Hilarious....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mXv__x7Pc

The commercial is hilarious.....stand out by buying the new RX....ummm, stand out like every well to do soccer mom in the south of Edmonton, Beaumont, St. Albert, Sherwood Park.... 

[S. Aureus]

It's hard to tell which one is the copycat. Personally, I'm unimpressed with either. From experience, Ford left me cold with it's substandard build quality/reliability and hype over Sync. Hyundai - meh all around. Perhaps every vehicle has it's quirks, but I'll keep with a Subaru Forester - even if it's got a CVT.

+1 - I'll take an FXT any day over these two.

[sacrat]

"There’s an underlying current of simplicity and goodness to this basic Tucson that wins us over. And to throw a little more gas on the fire, choosing the $36,649 2016 Hyundai Tucson 1.6T Limited (that still undercuts the as-tested price of our loaded Ford Escape SE) nets a 175-hp 195 lb-ft 1.6-litre turbo four, slick seven-speed dual-clutch transmission, leather, 8.0-inch touchscreen with navigation, heated steering wheel, heated rear seats, premium audio, power liftgate, 19-inch wheels… you get the picture."

Have you driven the dual clutch ?! It's the antithesis of "slick" and was the reason we bought the Escape instead (2.0 turbo/6 spd. auto).
The sweet spot in the Tucson lineup is the 2.0 Luxury ( $34,014 D and D + $1000 currently on hood)  if you value smoothness over power.
At that price it blows away a loaded Escape SE except of course on driving dynamics. It also comes with sensible and good riding 17" tires.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

One thing:

However, the win here goes to the Tucson for its standard niceties like leather steering wheel, heated rear seats (the kids will love you) and such safety systems as blind-spot detection and rear cross-traffic alert.

The kids won't care because they're in car seats or booster seats. Teens might, but they'll just find something else to complain about.

[lebowski]

two identical generic lifeless blobs to ferry the kids to the mall, they look the exact same  Suburban perfection to match the maze of identical semi-detached homes.

Ahhhh...whatever. Enjoy what you like, and if these things float your boat, then enjoy the hell out of em. At least they are honest baby-strollers, and not like the fat SUVs trying to be sports cars that is all the craze these days. So yeah...my first positive comment about a CUV ever. Something must be wrong with me.

ok, im 

somebody has to scream at the abyss in defiance, even if it is fathomless and all encompassing - or else they will take silence as acceptance...and you never know how far this trend will go...ok tinfoil hat is falling off so 

Jeezus. Chaosphere, dude, you doth protest too much, and we all see it. Why not just be happy with your own bold, renegade self, and skip the sh***ing on what others drive and where they live? We get it - you're a straight-up maverick. If Steve McQueen, Caroll Shelby and Juan Manuel Fangio had a 3-way love-child, it would be you, no doubt. Because you drive a 90's Alfa and a GM'ified Saab.

Sorry, back to cars. For what these are, hard to beat the reliability and value of the Tuscon...though I'd be very tempted to step up to the Santa Fe Sport.

[Sir Osis of Liver]

two identical generic lifeless blobs to ferry the kids to the mall, they look the exact same  Suburban perfection to match the maze of identical semi-detached homes.

Ahhhh...whatever. Enjoy what you like, and if these things float your boat, then enjoy the hell out of em. At least they are honest baby-strollers, and not like the fat SUVs trying to be sports cars that is all the craze these days. So yeah...my first positive comment about a CUV ever. Something must be wrong with me.

ok, im 

somebody has to scream at the abyss in defiance, even if it is fathomless and all encompassing - or else they will take silence as acceptance...and you never know how far this trend will go...ok tinfoil hat is falling off so 

Jeezus. Chaosphere, dude, you doth protest too much, and we all see it. Why not just be happy with your own bold, renegade self, and skip the sh***ing on what others drive and where they live? We get it - you're a straight-up maverick. If Steve McQueen, Caroll Shelby and Juan Manuel Fangio had a 3-way love-child, it would be you, no doubt. Because you drive a 90's Alfa and a GM'ified Saab.

Sorry, back to cars. For what these are, hard to beat the reliability and value of the Tuscon...though I'd be very tempted to step up to the Santa Fe Sport.

 Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!

[sacrat]

Sorry, back to cars. For what these are, hard to beat the reliability and value of the Tuscon...though I'd be very tempted to step up to the Santa Fe Sport.

This is a good point if size is not an issue. My wife found the Santa Fe just too large for her liking. With a 2017 redesign coming,  there should be some smokin' deals to be had on 2016s though...

[Jaeger]

Sorry, back to cars. For what these are, hard to beat the reliability and value of the Tuscon...though I'd be very tempted to step up to the Santa Fe Sport.

This is a good point if size is not an issue. My wife found the Santa Fe just too large for her liking. With a 2017 redesign coming,  there should be some smokin' deals to be had on 2016s though...

My sister drives the current Santa Fe (2011 my) and was hoping the Tuscon might serve as a less costly replacement.  But she just found it too small, particularly in the cargo area.

[lebowski]

 Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!

 

Sorry, back to cars. For what these are, hard to beat the reliability and value of the Tuscon...though I'd be very tempted to step up to the Santa Fe Sport.

This is a good point if size is not an issue. My wife found the Santa Fe just too large for her liking. With a 2017 redesign coming,  there should be some smokin' deals to be had on 2016s though...

My sister drives the current Santa Fe (2011 my) and was hoping the Tuscon might serve as a less costly replacement.  But she just found it too small, particularly in the cargo area.

ahh gotcha, i didn't realize there was a significant size difference between the two. Yeah, Santa Fe definitely seems considerably bigger.

[G.Bombay]

We tried to trade in our 2005 escape for a new one in 2013. We originally thought the SFS was too expensive for us. Long story short after a horrible Ford dealer experience we paid less for our SFS and have been really happy with it. I'm glad my wife preferred it over the Escape.

[mlin32]

I don't understand the strong dislike for the Escape/Kuga here.

I lived with one for a few months and there generally wasn't much to complain about. There was a bit of wind noise, and the diesel fuel consumption was nowhere near close to quoted figures, although the aggressive throttle calibration may have something to do with that. But quality was fine, as was comfort and drive manners. Precise steering, strong brakes, and solid right up to the max of 208 km/h.

Maybe the Valencia (ES) plant has better build quality than Louisville. 

[EV-Light]

I don't understand the strong dislike for the Escape/Kuga here.

I lived with one for a few months and there generally wasn't much to complain about. There was a bit of wind noise, and the diesel fuel consumption was nowhere near close to quoted figures, although the aggressive throttle calibration may have something to do with that. But quality was fine, as was comfort and drive manners. Precise steering, strong brakes, and solid right up to the max of 208 km/h.

Maybe the Valencia (ES) plant has better build quality than Louisville. 

It's probably because most people here are biased towards imports...the market obviously doesn't have the same opinions!
I think if the market was based on this forum, VW, Subaru and Kia would be the top 3 selling brands in Canada

[mlin32]

I don't understand the strong dislike for the Escape/Kuga here.

I lived with one for a few months and there generally wasn't much to complain about. There was a bit of wind noise, and the diesel fuel consumption was nowhere near close to quoted figures, although the aggressive throttle calibration may have something to do with that. But quality was fine, as was comfort and drive manners. Precise steering, strong brakes, and solid right up to the max of 208 km/h.

Maybe the Valencia (ES) plant has better build quality than Louisville. 

It's probably because most people here are biased towards imports...the market obviously doesn't have the same opinions!
I think if the market was based on this forum, VW, Subaru and Kia would be the top 3 selling brands in Canada

Don't forget the almighty Mazda.....aside from the rust issue.

I did see a ton of Golf Rs in YVR last week; now I understand the statement "CA probably has the highest concentration of Rs per capita....."

[ChaosphereIX]

somebody has to scream at the abyss in defiance, even if it is fathomless and all encompassing - or else they will take silence as acceptance...and you never know how far this trend will go...ok tinfoil hat is falling off so 

Hey Choaoshere, I was noticing your moniker "won't run with the pack" and thinking how much marketers love you guys because you just become another easily identifiable group they can sell to with products aimed at the "outliers".  I recently saw a Lexus RX commercial that perfectly captures this dynamic as they try to convince the viewer that they too can be a "rebel" by buying the best selling luxury SUV in North America, the one favoured by well heeled soccer moms everywhere. Hilarious....

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I4mXv__x7Pc

yeah, that is precious 

[Russ5Tide]

First off the 17 Escape DOES NOT have a double clutch 6 speed transmission it's just a conventional 6 speed auto with a torque converter and second off the slEscale comes with a leather wrapped steering wheel. Just letting you know since you seem to RAVE about the "leather wrapped steering wheel" on the Hyundai. I recently drove 7 different new crossovers from the Hyundai to the Escape to the CRV and the CX-5 to the Nissan Rouge to the Chevy Equinox Etc. and came away with the 2.0 liter Titanium Escape hands down by a mile. I know all this stuff of opinionated but to say that the Hyundai Tuscon was better than the 1.5 Escape is absolutely hilarious to me. It was last on my list with the Nissan Rouge right behind it bi guess the fact that you saying the Escape "has a Dual Clutch Transmission" and "doesn't come with a Leather wrapped steering wheel" completely shows me the validity of this review though so I shouldn't be to surprised.

[Jaeger]

First off the 17 Escape DOES NOT have a double clutch 6 speed transmission it's just a conventional 6 speed auto with a torque converter and second off the slEscale comes with a leather wrapped steering wheel. Just letting you know since you seem to RAVE about the "leather wrapped steering wheel" on the Hyundai. I recently drove 7 different new crossovers from the Hyundai to the Escape to the CRV and the CX-5 to the Nissan Rouge to the Chevy Equinox Etc. and came away with the 2.0 liter Titanium Escape hands down by a mile. I know all this stuff of opinionated but to say that the Hyundai Tuscon was better than the 1.5 Escape is absolutely hilarious to me. It was last on my list with the Nissan Rouge right behind it bi guess the fact that you saying the Escape "has a Dual Clutch Transmission" and "doesn't come with a Leather wrapped steering wheel" completely shows me the validity of this review though so I shouldn't be to surprised.

I'm sure your claim that the Escape is best in class 'hands down by a mile" is just as hilarious to others.  But it's good that you use your first post to inject a little levity. 

[JacobBlack]

First off the 17 Escape DOES NOT have a double clutch 6 speed transmission it's just a conventional 6 speed auto with a torque converter and second off the slEscale comes with a leather wrapped steering wheel.

You are entirely correct. Sorry I missed that in my edit. Peter has this transmission confused with other Ford products with a SelectShift DCT. And you're right about the leather-wrapped wheel too - though what Peter is saying is it's an option on this trim, not standard as it is on the Hyundai.

I'll update the article accordingly. Also, congratulations on your purchase!