FWIW you can still store some of those things under your rear bench seat.
I had an Escape before and loved my trunk/hatch area. Filled it with clothes and fire starter, blankets, jumper cables, scissors, TP, Games and all sorts of junk.
I don't miss it.
I would think keeping the RPM the same would generally be good during the break-in period.
A road trip is the Italian tune up, assuming you are avoiding city driving, it's supposed to help the parts and seals fit better, especially when it is brand new.
Normal is more responsive and playful, it will accelerate and rev up faster when you depress the pedal. Eco reduces the response of your input on the pedal and shifts differently, keeping you in lower RPMs and reducing your acceleration.
I use Eco alot although recently noticed that normal is...
I miss being able to save multiple seat settings like I could in my 2013 Escape.
It also saved my mirror settings I believe.
Maybe junk pick parts from an old Escape and see if you can install those
How long were you driving? How long was the drive?
This sort of thing happened to me in my 2013 Ford Escape when I was driving between Colorado and the East Coast.