2013 Ford Escape Uses Video Game Tech For Hands-Free Liftgate: Video

2013 Ford Escape Concept

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If you've ever found yourself carrying a load of groceries in the rain and cursed under your breath while fumbling for the key fob to open your car's liftgate, we have great news: the 2013 Ford Escape will let you open that gate with a simple gesture, meaning that your keys can stay in your pocket or bag.

Once upon a time, being able to open a car door from a distance felt like a truly amazing thing. But as fantastic as remote-control fobs are, they still require us to press a button, meaning that we have to have them in hand.

Then came vehicles like the Toyota Prius, which open automatically once the appropriate key fob gets within range. That, too, is very handy, but for people who do a lot of schlepping -- which is many of us -- gaining access to the rear of most vehicles has remained a problem. With the rollout of the 2013 Escape, Ford addresses that thorny issue with a solution pulled straight from the Xbox Kinect and other gestural gaming systems. 

The new Escape will debut in two weeks at the 2011 Los Angeles Auto Show. There, Ford will unveil the next Escape's completely hands-free liftgate. To open it, owners simply make a kicking gesture under the rear bumper while they have the key fob in their purse or pocket. Just as cool? The liftgate closes with the same motion.

The only potential problem we might see with Ford's new technology is that users have to get very close to the liftgate to activate it, then back up to avoid being smacked in the chin as the gate opens (or on top of the head when it closes). As this video demonstrates, though, there seems to be a built-in delay to account for the time users need to back up, and the gate opens and closes very slowly and smoothly:

The 2013 Ford escape goes on sale next spring. It's expected to come with three fuel-efficient engine options, including 1.6- and 2.0-liter versions of the Ford EcoBoost. The 2013 Escape will be built in Kentucky at Ford's Louisville Assembly Plant.

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2012 Ford Escape Hybrid

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It's the last call for the Ford Escape Hybrid, which returns for its final model year with no changes.

A new Escape is due for the 2013 model year, but Ford says it's not going to add batteries and motors to the new version, since it's fielding a range of new green utility vehicles in the form of the C-Max Hybrid, Energi plug-in and electric vehicles.

Still, the Escape Hybrid is a good green value for shoppers in the mood for a crossover with 34-mpg city fuel economy ratings. Introduced in the 2009 model year, the Escape Hybrid is rated at 34/31 mpg by the EPA, which makes it nearly 30 percent more efficient than its gas-only counterparts. The gas-mileage benefits come from a gasoline-powered four-cylinder with 153 horsepower, teamed with batteries and motors that add torque when needed. A set of motors and generators act as a continuously variable transmission. The setup also allows the Escape Hybrid to run on batteries alone up to 25 mph, with a theoretical maximum EV range of 40 miles.

The Escape Hybrid's a rarity in the way it delivers optional all-wheel drive. The AWD edition uses a mechanical differential to split power between the wheels, whereas other hybrids use electric motors to do the same. This makes the Escape a little more off-road capable than most hybrid crossovers, and with its substantial 8.5 inches of ground clearance, it's more adept in all kinds of weather and traction situations than you might expect.

The downside to the Escape Hybrid is its age. The body structure dates back to 2001, and it's detectable in the boomy, noisy cabin and in the suspension tuning, which feels more flinty than the bounding, softer ride of the gas-only version.

The Escape's virtues are what keeps it selling strongly even in its last year on the market. The glass areas are big, which gives it good visibility, and the Escape Hybrid bears more than a passing resemblance to the first, most popular Ford Explorer. The interior's more trucklike than any other small crossover, especially in its low-grade plastic finishes, but the head room soars, even if the back-seat leg room isn't quite as spacious as the boxy shape might lead you to believe. The seats themselves are fine, with better support in the front buckets than in the back bench, what with its short bottom cushions.

In 2010, Ford updated the Escape Hybrid's entertainment features to include its popular SYNC controller, which uses voice commands to control phone and audio. It's a worthwhile feature, and so is Sirius Travel Link, which uses satellite-radio data to update drivers on traffic, weather, even sports scores and directions to cheap gas, which they'll need less often, obviously. Also available is HD Radio, and a few good safety features enabled by technology--including a rearview camera and active parking assist, which steers the vehicle into parallel-parking spots, with the help of sensors and cameras.

The new Ford Escape is due for a world debut at the 2011 Los Angeles auto show. For a look at the current model and more on its features, styling, performance, safety, and utility, see our most recent full review of the Ford Escape Hybrid.

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2011 Ford Escape

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2008 Ford Escape Review - Driven

NEW CAR PREVIEWS:  From the February, 2009 issue of Automobile MagazineA Face-Lift To Make Joan Rivers Proud.
Ann Arbor Youth triumphs in all things automotive, just as it does in the wider world. So, after a new model debuts, we've come to expect a freshening in year three, a special edition in year four, and an all-new model after five years.

Not so at Ford. The Escape, for instance, was introduced in 2001 and by all rights is due for a full overhaul. But instead, it's getting a face-lift plus. Think of it as a face-lift plus a tummy tuck and a butt-lift. Its appearance is completely revised, but much of what's underneath remains the same.

Luckily, the Escape has good bones. The 2008 Escape retains the previous model's neutral handling balance, stiff structure, and good ride, because it also retains its chassis. The revised exterior is more masculine than the first-generation design. Once you climb aboard, you'll notice the clean, modern, and quiet cabin, which has plenty of interior room even four-up.

Engines and transmissions carry over: either a 2.3-liter four or a 3.0-liter V-6 that is coarse and painfully slow off the line. The four-speed automatic's long, widely spaced ratios may help fuel economy, but we wonder whether any SUV really needs to hit 89 mph in second gear.

Speaking of fuel economy, the 2008 Escape is one of the first vehicles to reflect the new EPA test procedures. So while on paper the EPA numbers have decreased from last year, Ford assures us that the improved aerodynamics beget slightly better fuel economy in the real world.

Standard features include an auxiliary audio jack, a revised restraint system (new seatbelts, air bags, and steering column), split rear seats that fold flat, and a rollover-mitigating stability system on all but the Hybrid model. For the first time, the Escape is available with Ford's excellent touch-screen navigation system, featuring one of the industry's best Sirius satellite radio integrations.

Ford has reduced base prices by an average of about $1000, ensuring that the Escape remains a competitive small sport-utility vehicle, even if it is a little long in the tooth.Jason Cammisa

Specifications
On sale: Now Base price: $25,995 (Limited 4WD)Engine: 3.0L V-6, 200 hp, 193 lb-ftDrive: Front- or 4-wheel

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