The Ford Escape is due to receive a heavily revised front end as part of its mid-life update.
Ford is turning its attention to its mid-size SUV, the Escape, following a raft of recent revisions to the Fiesta and Focus ranges. It’s the third time our photographers have spied it during testing in America and the second time we’ve caught it without any camouflage.
We’ve previously spied the updated Escape in a more premium trim level with front fog lights, extra chrome trim, a different grille design, body-coloured sills, diamond-cut alloys and body-coloured wheel arch trim – but this time it appears Ford is testing the base-spec version.
As before, we see an entirely revised front featuring a narrower grille with the Ford badge embedded in a similar fashion to the facelifted Fiesta and Focus, as well as new LED headlights with a central light bar, and a redesigned bumper.
Other revisions include a smaller set of alloy wheels, plastic wheel arch trim and plastic sills beneath the door, but the chrome strip along the top of the window – as featured on other Escapes we’ve spied – remains, as do the body-colour door handles and wing mirrors.
The design of the rear is largely the same as we’ve previously seen, but there’s more grey plastic on the bumper this time. Twin-exit exhaust tips remain, as do the roof spoiler and new rear light cluster. There’s also a new tailgate handle, although that could just be for this North American version of the car.
We also expect the new Escape to get an update inside. The latest version of Ford SYNC4 infotainment should appear, operated via a new 13.2-inch central touchscreen, although the 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster will likely remain.
While these spy shots show a completely uncovered car, we’re yet to see the facelifted Escape testing in Europe, and we don’t expect to until it’s fully revealed until later this year.
Alastair Crooks