Rachel Levy: Social Media & Marketing

I was lucky enough to be asked by Ford to test drive the Ford Escape Hybrid for 6 days… how fun! I currently own a Honda CRV, which is a great car, but, mine is a 2000 and was one of the first of its kind, so is very basic and boxy. Before that I drove an Audi A4, and am definitely missing many of the upgraded features in the CRV.  So to be able to drive ANY new car is exciting to me, not to mention testing out a Hybrid. Overall, I loved the car, but here are my specific thoughts:

Positives

• Features
  • AC plug and USB port… very cool!
  • Speaker phone wired directly into the car
  • Built-in GPS (although I think it was turned off for my test-drive as I couldn’t get it working)
  • Funny disco lights around the console — optional pink, white, blue, green (!)
  • Overall comfortable leather seats
  • Cargo cover in the back (yea!  no more hiding my stuff under a blanket !)
  • Car charger in the back seat
  • Radio controls on the steering wheel
• Driving
  • The car was smooth to drive
  • It handles well in the rain (good thing, because we’ve been drenched in Boston lately!)
  • Good pickup — loved getting up to speed quickly when getting onto the highway
  • I felt safe driving it
  • It was roomy in the front and back
  • Beeps while reversing when getting close to something (great for city parking!)
  • Good turning radius
• Hybrid
  • Very quiet when idling
  • 30.2 miles per gallon when driving around the city

Negatives

• I think the front of the car looks manly — maybe I’m  not the target? (guessing I am though, or they wouldn’t have asked me to test drive)
• No lumbar support in the seat — big for me, as I have a back problem, so need good lumbar support
• Childproof windows in back (although I understand all new cars have that as a safety feature)
• VERY sensitive brakes — tough to brake smoothly
• Loud when accelerating
• No reverse view (some new cars have a camera that shows you the view from the back of your car when you are reversing)
• Door locks, when locked, are not flush with the door, so they can more easily be opened if the window is cracked

Thanks to Ford and their social media agency Social Media Group for asking me to test drive the car!

Note: I was NOT paid to do the test drive or write this post. Ford gave me the leeway to talk about the car in any form I wanted (twitter, video, blog, etc), and write positive and negative comments about my experience.

What do you think? Have you driven a Ford Escape? Hybrid?