Escape to Badlands

[Adam CW]

Hello everyone.

The lease on our 2019 Escape Titanium 2.0 AWD is approaching its end. We will need to extend the lease until we’re able to get our hands on a replacement.

We recently had a discussion with our dealer who explained just how bad the situation regarding stock, incentives and ordering currently is. Of course, we’re going to have to order a new vehicle and we’ve been told to expect it to take about four months.

We’re primarily interested in the Bronco Sport Badlands, mainly due to the 2.0 Ecoboost.

We were able to look at and test drive a Bronco Sport with the 1.5. We thought it would be a good idea as we might not mind the smaller, less powerful engine. We have been thinking about fuel economy!

I don’t know if there was something wrong with the one we test drove, but we immediately noticed unpleasant engine noise. It was quite noisy and rough sounding. There was a slight improvement after it reached temperature and a good few miles of driving.

The other issue was vibration. The amount of vibration from the engine entering the cabin, seats and steering wheel was, in my opinion, unacceptable for a modern vehicle.

We also realized just how much we would miss the 2.0’s power.

Unfortunately, our dealer didn’t have a Badlands for us to test drive at the time. They’re going to let us know if one becomes available soon.

My question for you guys is: does the Badlands feel more like the Escape with the 2.0 Ecoboost in terms of power and refinement?

Thank you

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[RiotfunK]

I had the same escape as a rental with the 2.0 and flipping hated every minute of driving it. Felt unrefined, laggy with huge power falloff once you tried to go. Have the BS BL now after coming from a 19 Acura RDX awd a spec. And feel the 2.0 in the BL is really nice for power delivery, more linear and doesn’t feel like it falls on its face when accelerating. The throttle response is better. The gearbox seems far better sorted out than the escapes did. Even with bigger tires it goes good and rides really well. No vibes. Not that much louder than my RDX inside. I also wasn’t a fan of the 3cyl.

 

[SportWest]

I don’t know if there was something wrong with the one we test drove, but we immediately noticed unpleasant engine noise. It was quite noisy and rough sounding. There was a slight improvement after it reached temperature and a good few miles of driving.

The other issue was vibration. The amount of vibration from the engine entering the cabin, seats and steering wheel was, in my opinion, unacceptable for a modern vehicle.

Probably nothing "wrong" with that one, it's just the turbo + 1.5L + relative lack of noise reduction in the Sport. My 21 Big Bend was always sputtering, chattering, and wheezing -- sounded like an old jalopy you'd see in Looney Tunes or something lol. Some of the sounds were due to the transmission or possibly the brake release cable, which has a TSB. There's a giant thread about noises on the forum.

 

[Mark S.]

We own a 2020 Escape Titanium and a 2021 Badlands. The ride quality is better with the Escape, but power delivery is identical. You'll be quite satisfied with a Badlands.

 

[ESBadlands]

Our Badlands makes some noises that caught us off guard but i think most of it is all the computer controlled stuff that we’ve never had in a vehicle before. Our last new vehicle was a 2015 with a 2.0 and a lot has changed in that time. Be prepared for hood shake though. Thread title sounds like a new Disney movie ?

 

[Escape2Bronco]

Our Badlands makes some noises that caught us off guard but i think most of it is all the computer controlled stuff that we’ve never had in a vehicle before. Our last new vehicle was a 2015 with a 2.0 and a lot has changed in that time. Be prepared for hood shake though. Thread title sounds like a new Disney movie ?

Yes, these are noisy little boogers aren’t they! Just open the doors and there’s a marching band playing under the hood. Must be really small as you can’t see them when you open the hood but you can sure hear them.

personally, I like the thread title!

 

[ESBadlands]

Yes, these are noisy little boogers aren’t they! Just open the doors and there’s a marching band playing under the hood. Must be really small as you can’t see them when you open the hood but you can sure hear them.

personally, I like the thread title!

And five minutes after you turn it off it sounds like somebody kicking over a snare drum when it goes to sleep. That took some getting used to. But I wonder why YOU would like the title so much ??

 

[Major Kong]

OP if you ever decide to return to the Escape there's a how-to manual

 

[13MikeH]

The Badlands is not an escape. as I sarcastically mentioned earlier, my badlands is designed for off road, get dirty, with some highway manners. The Escape is for your daily trip to the mall and country club. They are NOT the same vehicles. bronco sport is a SUV, and escape is a MUV or mall utility vehicle.
That's not to poke fun..each are truly designed differently and if you expect it to be a handy replacement due to shortages, it's not. The concern with sounds and rattles is warranted. Your radar is up, I'd stay clear. Find an escape to replace your escape. May need to widen your search.

 

[Adam CW]

Thank you all for responding. I figured the thread title might attract some attention!

Of course, the Badlands is not an Escape. My point was purely in relation to the 1.5L 3-cylinder engine and the performance and vibration we experienced.

We very much like the Bronco Sport otherwise and it’s exactly what we’ve been looking for (for several years). It’s practical and ideal for the long winter months.

I think it might feel quite different with the 2.0L and give us more of the performance we expect.

We have no interest in the current Escape.

The only issue we have with our 2019 Escape is the annoying rattles from the center portion of the dash where the screen and speaker are located.

How are your Bronco Sports doing when it comes to interior rattles?

 

[Warpious]

Coming from a '12 mustang V6 (305 hp) and a '08 mariner v6 (albeit a very pedestrian one at 200 hp) the 2.0 smokes the mariner and in all honesty is more fun, responsive, and much more low end torque than my old mustang.

 

[13MikeH]

Thank you all for responding. I figured the thread title might attract some attention!

Of course, the Badlands is not an Escape. My point was purely in relation to the 1.5L 3-cylinder engine and the performance and vibration we experienced.

We very much like the Bronco Sport otherwise and it’s exactly what we’ve been looking for (for several years). It’s practical and ideal for the long winter months.

I think it might feel quite different with the 2.0L and give us more of the performance we expect.

We have no interest in the current Escape.

The only issue we have with our 2019 Escape is the annoying rattles from the center portion of the dash where the screen and speaker are located.

How are your Bronco Sports doing when it comes to interior rattles?

Specifically, one year and 10K months I don't have any quirky rattles or unusual sounds. So far so good. I'd guess I am in the majority with a fun/well built and top to bottom solid vehicle for series one production. As I and others have said...on social media/forums, when one person exclaims there is an issue, and ten others have the same issue...it appears as if the vehicle is a lemon. Truth is ten out of what 45?50,000 or more? I'd say odds are ten or one hundred is a small sample of unfortunate mechanical issues or just flat lemon problems.
All sorts of stories about unhappy assembly line workers missing rivets or parts, Mondays being good build days or bad depending on hangovers and holidays., Wednesdays being the best (mine was a Wednesday assembly...so may be some truth?) Fridays not so good as the weekend is the focus.

 

[ESBadlands]

Door speaker rattled for a few days but quit(B&O system) and the only other interior rattle comes from when the cargo management is folded on top of itself. Other than that it’s just some wind noise because it’s a bit of a brick.

 

[Adam CW]

Thanks for your response. Really helpful!

 

[Jill]

We own a 2020 Escape Titanium and a 2021 Badlands. The ride quality is better with the Escape, but power delivery is identical. You'll be quite satisfied with a Badlands.

I also went from Escape Titanium to Badlands and hate to admit that I enjoyed driving the Escape more than the Bronco Sport. Bronco Sport sure looks better though!

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