One of my favourite things about my job is being able to try out and test
new products, sometimes even before they are available to the general public. Being a brand ambassador certainly has its
perks.
We were recently contacted by our friends at Ford of Canada,
and challenged to take on the roads of Southern Ontario in the all-new 2017 Ford Escape Titanium.
Let me preface my story by saying that I am already the proud owner of a Ford Explorer, so
being able to compare two SUV's was kind of fun.
We picked
up the 2017 Ford Escape Titanium Monday afternoon to begin the trek home along the QEW. I was very impressed with how responsive
and peppy the 2.0L Ecoboost engine was. A 6-speed automatic transmission with Selectshift makes for a very smooth ride.
When I told the kids about the challenge, they were like, "all-in."
I arrived home and loaded them into the truck and headed out to Niagara Falls for the evening. We figured it might be cold
so we packed our coats, hats and gloves in the ample cargo area in back. My 11 year old thought the "coolest" feature
was the Foot-Activated, Hands-Free Power Liftgate, simply wave your foot under the rear bumper and voila, it opens right up.
Another press of a button and it closes up tight.
On day two of our Ford March Road Trip Madness Challenge, we decided
to venture back into the city and go to Ripley's Aquarium. Having never been, it was the perfect way to have all the family
together for an outing. My niece and her friend even joined us which made it that much more enjoyable. On the way into Toronto
the kids were experimenting with the Escape's infotainment system complete with SYNC3.
High-speed performance, enhanced voice recognition, touch screen with pinch-to-zoom capabilities as well
as Siri for those Apple users. It works seamlessly, almost as simple as using your cell phone. The kids thought the car
reading text messages out loud was just hilarious. We had a riot sending funny messages to each other. If you can travel
anywhere with a car full of kids and all you hear is laughter, that's a big win in my books.
Some of the roads in downtown TO can be pretty bumpy, but you wouldn't
know it driving in the 2017 Ford Escape complete with 4WD and large 18 inch tires. She was more than capable of handling
the rough terrain of the city.
After being thrilled by the sights
of Ripley's, we went out for dinner along Front Street. A couple of hours later we were at the Ricoh Coliseum for the Toronto
Marlies game. A 6-0 win for the home team was the icing on the cake for a very exciting, yet tiring day. By the time we
arrived home I had to wake two of the kids.
On day three, we rested and went for a leisurely drive in the Escape to
try out the other cool features that the Titanium was equipped with. Lane-Keeping System is a customizable, driver-activated
system that aids the driver in preventing unintentional lane changing (drifting). You are alerted quickly to anything that
may cause the car danger. Adaptive Cruise Control pays greater attention to the traffic you are approaching and makes seamless
adjustments to your preset speed and will resume once safely out of reach of other cars.
For those of you who are afraid or timid when it comes to parking in busy lots, the Enhanced Active Park
Assist makes those situations a breeze. The car will simply park itself, made possible by a series of sensors located on
all sides of the car. It can even back out of tight spots when surrounded by other cars. Reversing into and out of tight
lots is a snap.
Overall, my experience with the 2017 Ford
Escape Titanium was very positive. It seats 5 people comfortably and would definitely be an option for my driveway if we
didn't have 4 kids. The gas mileage was also very impressive. Toronto to Niagara Falls, back to Oakville on first day.
Oakville to Toronto and back on day two. Driving around town on day three and back to Toronto to return car with still a
quarter left in the tank.
Check out your local Ford Dealerships for a test drive or go to www.ford.ca to see the other great vehicles in their line up.
A big Thank-you to Ford of Canada for asking us to participate in the March Road
Trip Madness Challenge. It was very fun and exciting being able to have the family together and doing things that were new
to all of us.
For anyone who asks, I would have no reservations
in recommending the 2017 Ford Escape.
WonderMoms was compensated for this experience, my opinions are my own.
