Ford dropping Escape in 2025 for BEV platform - will it impact the Maverick?

[Scott Asheville]

Automotive News and others are reporting that Ford is dropping the Escape in 2025. The Maverick is of course built on the Escape platform. The reports, which follow up on hints Jim Farley dropped a few months back, say that Ford will release several new SUVs and CUVs based on their new BEV architecture.

I'm making no predictions because I don't have a seat in the Ford boardroom (I bet you don't either). But it offers up some hope to small truck fans who are also BEV fans. The stories say that Ford is dropping the Escape because of low profits. You just have to wonder what that means for the Maverick - which is a hot seller, but maybe not a hot profit center? It's gonna be an interesting decade in the auto industry.

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[Rockingchair]

BEV not in the horizon for me. I'll go back to my carbureted, point distributor cars.

 

[Scupking]

25 is when the Maverick, Bronco Sport and Bronco will be getting a refresh. I think they will add Awd hybrid to the Maverick and Bronco Sport. I also can see them making the Bronco sport a little bigger to match the Escape size. No need to have the Escape and Bronco sport. The Bronco name has history with Ford. The escape does not.

 

[Decayed]

Makes sense. The escape is rather bland and it's more expensive than some competitors on the market. Time for a change.

The BEV thing is ripe to fall flat on it's face.

 

[CuriousGary]

25 is when the Maverick, Bronco Sport and Bronco will be getting a refresh. I think they will add Awd hybrid to the Maverick and Bronco Sport. I also can see them making the Bronco sport a little bigger to match the Escape size. No need to have the Escape and Bronco sport. The Bronco name has history with Ford. The escape does not.

The Bronco is just an iteration of the early, boxy Escape. These boxy Escapes had a great design, but poor gas mileage. I loved my boxy Escape, even though it got 16 mpg on a good day.

The latest design of the Escape is just crap unfortunately. Too small a vehicle. Ford could have produced an SUV to compete with the Rav4.

 

[Donodo]

FWIW, my wife and I absolutely love our 2022 PHEV Escape I bought last December It’s awesome driving 35 to 40 miles on electric alone and not have to worry about running out of battery when we go on our 1000 mile round-trips from Sacramento to San Diego.

I love my new Maverick, but our Escape is considerably nicer to drive and definitely more comfortable with its ActiveX seats.

 

[commadorebob]

This was known. It will not affect the Maverick. Ford is just getting rid of all ICE two-row vehicles not Mustang or Bronco [Sport].

Honestly, the BS is what the Escape probably should be given the Escape started as an SUV. They turned the Escape into a hatchback car over time.

 

[Dignam]

The Bronco is just an iteration of the early, boxy Escape. These boxy Escapes had a great design, but poor gas mileage. I loved my boxy Escape, even though it got 16 mpg on a good day.

The latest design of the Escape is just crap unfortunately. Too small a vehicle. Ford could have produced an SUV to compete with the Rav4.

I had a 2011 Mariner that was a pretty decent vehicle (yes, it had wheel well rust forming)...I regret letting that one go. 240hp out of that NA 3.0L, with okay mileage. Good cruiser, comfortable, good looking design.

 

[Your_Cousin_Vinny]

High hopes for an electric maverick, and I really hope they follow the f150 formula and just take out the engine and put a trunk there instead. Storage at one end for the grocery store, the other for the hardware store. perfect form factor. Keep the cheap and cheerful demeanor with an electric powertrain. entry level 200 miles of range would be plenty for 98% of my driving. I have my Lincoln for any kind of trip longer than that.

 

[Delhi Falcon]

My wife has a 2020 Escape Titanium. We both love it and it is nice having all the advanced features. Recent trip averaged 37 mpg with have interstate and half rural roads, a slight amount city stop and go. We ordered a Maverick to replace my F150 FX4 because my wife won't drive it. (too big) We went Maverick because it so similar to her Escape. My daughter has had three trouble free Escapes, will be sad to see it go. Hoping the Maverick will get as a good mpg. Same EB and drive train.

 

[Azmkat]

The Bronco is just an iteration of the early, boxy Escape. These boxy Escapes had a great design, but poor gas mileage. I loved my boxy Escape, even though it got 16 mpg on a good day.

The latest design of the Escape is just crap unfortunately. Too small a vehicle. Ford could have produced an SUV to compete with the Rav4.

Although I definitely agree the current Escape design leaves A LOT to be desired (2024 only slightly better), it's actually larger than the Rav4 in passenger volume (104 c.f. vs 98.9). Cargo room practically identical (37.5 vs 37.6). Another idiotic decision was not offering the 2.0 as an option in lower trims. At least someone in the F150 division woke up, now offering the 700hp option in an XL trim.

 

[jerrisn]

In 2020, my goal was to own a Tesla. However, I unexpectedly encountered a 2015 Volt, which led me to consider trying an EV before fully committing to a Tesla purchase. I drove the Volt from 2020 to 2023, achieving exceptional mileage. I appreciated the freedom to go fully electric or cover about 323 miles on roughly 8 gallons of gas.

By 2022, Mavericks were available. At that point, the daily routine of plugging in the Volt became exhausting. The challenge of finding charging stations while out and about added to the inconvenience. While the Volt's range was limited to 40 miles per charge, its capacity to travel cross country without frequent charging stops remained advantageous. Additionally, with the Volt having accumulated over 100k miles, concerns arose about the dreaded message indicating the need to replace the traction battery, which comes with a substantial price tag of $10-$20k.

Consequently, my perspective has shifted, and I no longer envision purchasing a Tesla or any other Battery Electric Vehicle (BEV) unless it's intended for local use. Given my preference for covering thousands of miles, I find the quick 5-minute fill-ups on my Hybrid Maverick more appealing than the extended charging times required by the Volt or even longer ones for Tesla.

I would potentially consider purchasing a Plugin-Maverick if it offered a range of at least 100 miles per charge and was reasonably priced, similar to my 2023 Hybrid XLT which is under $30k. However, I would not choose to buy an Electric Maverick for the reasons noted above.

 

[PriusHater]

This was known. It will not affect the Maverick. Ford is just getting rid of all ICE two-row vehicles not Mustang or Bronco [Sport].

Ummm, all the Ford trucks are two-row ICE vehicles, with the exception of the F-150 Lightning.

 

[Donodo]

I think a PHEV Maverick would be most advantageous for over a standard hybrid that we have available now. Especially if you can get the $7500 federal tax credit like you can with the PHEV Escape.

 

[Solo]

High hopes for an electric maverick, and I really hope they follow the f150 formula and just take out the engine and put a trunk there instead. Storage at one end for the grocery store, the other for the hardware store. perfect form factor. Keep the cheap and cheerful demeanor with an electric powertrain. entry level 200 miles of range would be plenty for 98% of my driving. I have my Lincoln for any kind of trip longer than that.

An electric Maverick like you describe would be very cool. Unfortunately the cost of it wouldn't be anywhere near what the Maverick cost now (even with the increases we've seen in past couple of model years). Ford can't make enough of them now because it's an affordable model with great utility. Like so many new vehicles today, an electric Maverick wouldn't be any more attainable for me than the rest of what's being offered... The current Escape has nicer features and might even be more comfortable, but (with all those nicer features) it cost about 5-10k more than Maverick. I know I'm stating the obvious, but (being retired) almost all new cars on the market are already priced out of my range, as well as many of the 'nice' used ones too.

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