Despite being from different manufacturers, not only are these cars the same color and largely the same otherwise, but they’re even the same MY, based on a plate check. Coincidence, or does someone have a real thing for dark blue 2005 Escapes and Tributes?
FWIW, I rather like these cars, and the color too. I thought these were just about right on the mark in terms of their styling, packaging and otherwise. I suspect that all was influenced a fair bit by the Subaru Forester, which had just come out a couple of years earlier. Or maybe that was a coincidence too?
And the hybrid was the first of its kind, in a CUV package. Hard to believe, but the hybrid came out 20 years ago already. It made the Escape a popular car among those out here on the West Coast that otherwise would not have touched a domestic brand, not unlike the Chevy Bolt in more recent years.
Blue, white, red…Makes no difference to me. ALL SUVS and crossovers have no Love or respect from me! Give me a full size luxury sedan, a real LAND YACHT any day.
I believe Ford called that color sonic blue and I really love it. Interesting Mazda used the same color, so much for differentiation!
I had a ’05 Escape AWD while living in upstate NY. One of the best vehicles I’ve ever owned. However, NY uses rock salt on the roads and the entire bottom of the vehicles has subtle orange pockmarks. Sold it at 220K miles. Engine & transmission was a strong as the day I picked it up at the dealership.
Bought a ’12 Escape as a replacement. Just donated it at 150K and the A/C, engine, & transmission was still running fine.
Would get another Escape, but not happy with the current 3 pot version.
As a follow up, an identically equipped Mazda Tribute was going for a $1K premium over the ’05 Escapes at that time. Yet, both had the same engine, transmissions, AWD drivetrain and came off the same Kansas City Assembly line….go figure!!
The one to get is the Hybrid or if you have a 110v outlet available the PHEV version. No turbos and 4cyls.
Looking at the examples you presented here, I do like the more creative design detailing on the Mazda. Including the handling of the appearance of the taillight assemblies, and the fully grey fender flares. As well as the more creative/attractive rear window design, and chromed trim above the rear licence plate. It does look more refined, and slightly more modern, than the Escape. I strongly associate Ford’s version of chrome yellow, with the Escape.
Not often, an owner has the need to duplicate a vehicle type, so specifically. You have presented so many fascinating auto contrasts over the years. Contrasts that simply never present themselves, at my part of the continent.
As a metric of durability, it’s often useful to look at vehicles that have been in commercial service. These vehicles, especially the hybrids, served countless millions of miles in taxi service in NYC and elsewhere.
I love the facelift/refresh after this. Simple, boxy, basic. The interiors of Fords of this period were parts-bin plastic but are easy to clean and hold up. For a little extra flair get a Mercury Mariner.
My now-wife owned a V6 Escape when we were dating, until one of her kids hit a deer with it. My wife was very disappointed – she called it her favorite car ever. Later I bought a used one to give to one of our kids after he was getting back on his feet after a serious setback. I drove that one for a couple weeks to shake out anything that might have been wrong with it. I saw what my wife meant. It was terrific to drive.
Maybe it’s just me, but it looks like the Mazda Tribute has the Ford Escape’s wheels and the Escape has the Tribute’s wheels–maybe they were swapped out?
I think you’re right. Good catch!!
We finally found a used Subaru Forester with a manual transmission in Marine Blue instead of the usual black/gray/silver/white palette. Now we see them everywhere in that color, at least three or four every trip out.
Well, PN, to pose it as a clear question, it’s altogether too easy an affect to attribute the Tribute to the effect of the Forrester-tribute effect, and, of course, fairly impossible to escape the attribution, to the Escape, of the effect of the Tribute’s affect (or, perhaps, the effect of the Tribute’s affect on the affect of the Escape), but surely it is an inescapable tribute to the Tribute, or Escape, that both appear to have effected an effective escape from the effect of clear attribution altogether?
I loved the design of these triplets when they came out. I thought the interior upgrade in ‘06, adding the center console and shifter, was a huge improvement. Apparently the hybrid version is quite durable.
Data point of myself, when these came out I was the only tech certified in my dealerships to work on these. Never saw a single one come in for warranty or basic maintenance from 2005 through my last days in 2007. I still have the completely unused set of high voltage rubber and leather gloves in my toolbox.
A friend owned that (initial) Escape generation and got tons of reliable miles out of his; our (blue) next-gen 2009 has passed 150K needing little beyond wear parts and plug change—it’s the household’s workhorse now (see below). I’m not certain it’s a COAL candidate just yet; I’m hoping to get 20 years out of it.
The newer 2018 (also blue) has the turbo 4cyl, which feels a bit like “one more high tech thing to give me trouble as it ages,” but the car has been faultless.
Each Escape generation, I’d say, has been a little less “Jeep-like,” as Ford learned from what their customers wanted….trading boxy styling for a few fewer cubic feet of cargo capacity; moving tires toward a less aggressive tread, etc. The latest iteration does *not* have the opening rear window in the back hatch–and some day I’ll wish it did.
Now he should get a Mercury Mariner to complete the set. Minor trivia, Mazda supposed considered naming the Tribute the CX-5 but apparently reserved the CX for Mazda built vehicles.