Ford SYNC Connect adds smartphone control to new Escape

The formula for the compact crossover is not a complicated one: Combine space and utility with a modicum of off-road capability and an elevated seating position.

Ford will offer two new EcoBoost engines on the 2017 Escape: a turbocharged 1.5-liter and a twin-scroll turbocharged 2-liter. Ford expects the 1.5L to produce 180 hp and 185 lb.-ft. of torque, comparable to the current 1.6L turbo it replaces.

Those engines include a 1.5-liter and 2.0-liter. The third engine choice is the normally aspirated 2.5-liter engine that remains unchanged and makes up the entry-level option with 168 bhp (125 kW) and 170 lb-ft (230 Nm) of torque. Sleeker headlights come standard with projectors, and high-intensity discharge (HID) lights are available on the range-topping Titanium trim.

Ford’s Escape is big business. The app also permits owners to remotely schedule future starting times and to check the amount of fuel left in the tank, as well as receive vehicle reports concerning future service appointments such as oil changes.

Owners enable SYNC Connect through a two-step authentication process to protect personal information, confirming setup on the vehicle touch screen and on the mobile application.

Ford is giving its SYNC infotainment system a connected update, with SYNC Connect promising smartphone control of your vehicle.

SYNC Connect comes with complimentary service from Ford for five years. Both are equipped with start-stop technology to help save fuel. The vehicle is packed with the latest safety & assistance technologies, like adaptive cruise control, upgraded active park assist, lane-keeping, and driver alert system.

Now, for 2017, the updated Escape will again launch new technology. Essentially new from the A-pillars forward, the 2017 model’s fascia, fenders, and headlamps have been redone, as has the aluminum hood. New taillights and a redesigned tailgate create a neater look at the rear. On the interior, designers removed the intrusive parking brake lever on the center console in favor of an electronic push-button version to free up more room for storage; there’s also a new center stack. Ford says a wholesale upgrade of the interior materials was ordered, but without a 2016 Escape on hand for direct comparison, it’s hard to tell the difference.

The SE comes optional with a new 2.0-litre EcoBoost – standard on the top-trim Titanium, pictured here – with an available Class II towing package that’ll give the Edge a towing capacity of 3,500 lbs-that’s better than most other four-cylinders on the market. Three additional exterior colors-Canyon Ridge, White Gold, and Lightning Blue-join the order sheet, as do six new wheel designs in sizes up to 19 inches. In its new tentative labor deal with the United Auto Workers, Ford promised to end production of the Lincoln MKC, also built at Louisville, when its product cycle ends to make even more Escapes.