The Great Ford Escape – Halifax Style

Family travel, whether it be for vacation, everyday use or otherwise has a huge bearing on the type of vehicle one drives, especially IF driving something built for purpose use. I’m a big believer in living within your means, especially when it comes to environmental impact. My family has chosen to live in a relatively central urban location. There is some commuting time required, but we have worked to minimize the impact of that as much as possible. We live near a couple of bus routes. We are walking distance to a number of amenities, especially the ones we most often frequent. We drive a small, compact fuel efficient car. There are occasional times when it doesn’t quite meet our needs, a bike rack and a roof-rack will usually accommodate these. However, if we really need to we can rent something short term for specific use. It’s less costly and lowers our carbon footprint.

I recently traded in my three year old car for a Ford Focus hatchback. It’s a zippy little car with just the right amount of space for my family of three. Most families I know drive mini-vans and SUVs to truck their children, groceries and recreational equipment around.

Last week I got to spend some time getting up close to the 2013 Ford Escape.

Ford hosted an Escape for a day in Halifax. A number of bloggers, news and media writers were invited to spend a day driving and learning about the fun that is built into the Escape. I was partnered up with a car blogger, so we had rather unique perspectives on the vehicle. Kevin, CarDriven.ca had a real appreciation for the specs of the vehicle and shared some insights with me during the day. He was also a lot braver than I when it came to testing what the Escape could really handle on the driving course! 😉

The first thing I noticed as we cruised along the highway was just how much roomier the interior was than I expected. It really felt like we were in a big luxury suburban. Although I’m not sure how much of that is relativity – my Focus IS a little smaller. 😉 We got to test out all of the features that the Escape may come loaded with. Including opening up the massive moon roof. I think I got a little sunburned once we discovered that.

The Escape is really comfortable especially for longer road trips. Road noise was minimal and the handy navigator showed us where were at all times! Obviously these features aren’t just important to someone with children. A couple with a dog traveling across the country, or seniors making their annual trek to southern hospitality… It was an unusually warm July day in Halifax, so we tested out the very effective Air Conditioning – after just a few bungles we had cool dry air blowing and keeping us cool. The separate controls were a nice bonus given I liked the temp about 2 degrees cooler than Kevin did. We didn’t have to end the day frustrated with the complete stranger who became a friend during our Escape for the day. 🙂

Once we arrived at Peggy’s Cove we had an auto lift-gate challenge, where we all had to race to load a lobster pot into the back of the escape using the hands-free auto lift. Kevin & I came in second. As Kevin noted, the other team must have been on steroids.

After a tasty lunch of chowder from the Sou’Wester restaurant we headed back into the city to Exhibition Park. It was my turn to drive and I thought it would be nice to turn off the AC, open the sun(moon?)roof right up and roll down the windows since we had no highway driving ahead of us. As we got closer to the driving course at Exhibition Park I started feeling nervous. I am a big wimp when it comes to testing limits! They want me to put the pedal to the metal, then slam on the brakes? They want me to accelerate rapidly and swerve through pylons? Wha?!

First we got to test out the park assist feature – which I’d experienced once before, but not while I was behind the wheel. It is pretty cool to have the car park itself while controlling only the gas and brakes.

Then to prepare us for the driving course we had a wii Fit ski slalom challenge. Turns out I suck at this. Actually, I already knew that. 🙂

Kevin scared the crap out of me on the driving course, well not actually true – but it was fun to let him believe so. I suspect he was more scared when I got behind the wheel! 😉 However, he was kind enough not to get video evidence of my wimpy attempt on the slalom.

Once we completed the accident aversion simulation we headed back on the road to Cable Wharf, where the Mar was waiting to take us on a boating excursion in the harbour! It was a lovely day for a sail, though I was disappointed not to see the sails raised on our trip. 🙁 But who can complain really about being out on the water in the sun, with lots of tasty munchies?

Upon our return the day was completed with a meal at Murphy’s Restaurant. Scrumptious appetizers were ready for us, including scallops and mussels. We ordered refreshing drinks and many at the table experienced the treat of Atlantic lobster. I went for more scallops since I’d been treated to lots of lobster just days earlier at the PEI experience. 🙂

When I see a Ford Escape now, I will be reminded of fond memories of a fun day spent with great people!

I look forward to getting to know the Escape even better when I get to drive it for a week!

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