Hello!
First-time poster, and honestly I haven't been reading very long here either, but I have picked through the wealth of knowledge on this particular board (off-roading, camping, towing) looking for info on towing experiences with the 2013-2018 Escape. I have found a few threads generally several years old, so I thought it would not be frowned upon to resurrect this topic.
I currently own two vehicles - a Pontiac Vibe (hatchback) and a Honda Ridgeline ("sport utility truck"). The latter I use mainly for towing my fold-down travel trailer. It is a 18' (tongue-bumper), 2100-lb dry weight Forest River Flagstaff "A-Frame."
I will soon be selling the 2006 Vibe - still highly functional but well past her prime, so I am handing-down within the family - and am trying to decide what to do next vehicle-wise. Seems the most logical move might be for me to also sell the Ridgeline, which is a 2006 with almost 200,000 miles, and buy a single vehicle that I can use as both daily driver AND tow vehicle.
But I enjoy driving a small car when I am not towing, and I am having a hard time giving that up. So my possible compromise is the smallest, most car-like SUV that could reasonably tow my trailer, and that seems to be the 2.0L Escape. I am sure someone will correct me if he/she disagrees.
So, seriously, I am looking for any new opinions and firsthand experiences others have had in towing a full-height or fold-down/pop-up travel trailer with this version of Escape - performance, stability, gas mileage, braking, adequacy of cooling system, etc. etc.
I'll greatly appreciate any input!
First-time poster, and honestly I haven't been reading very long here either, but I have picked through the wealth of knowledge on this particular board (off-roading, camping, towing) looking for info on towing experiences with the 2013-2018 Escape. I have found a few threads generally several years old, so I thought it would not be frowned upon to resurrect this topic.
I currently own two vehicles - a Pontiac Vibe (hatchback) and a Honda Ridgeline ("sport utility truck"). The latter I use mainly for towing my fold-down travel trailer. It is a 18' (tongue-bumper), 2100-lb dry weight Forest River Flagstaff "A-Frame."
I will soon be selling the 2006 Vibe - still highly functional but well past her prime, so I am handing-down within the family - and am trying to decide what to do next vehicle-wise. Seems the most logical move might be for me to also sell the Ridgeline, which is a 2006 with almost 200,000 miles, and buy a single vehicle that I can use as both daily driver AND tow vehicle.
But I enjoy driving a small car when I am not towing, and I am having a hard time giving that up. So my possible compromise is the smallest, most car-like SUV that could reasonably tow my trailer, and that seems to be the 2.0L Escape. I am sure someone will correct me if he/she disagrees.
So, seriously, I am looking for any new opinions and firsthand experiences others have had in towing a full-height or fold-down/pop-up travel trailer with this version of Escape - performance, stability, gas mileage, braking, adequacy of cooling system, etc. etc.
I'll greatly appreciate any input!