[TonyC]

We moved to the Villages two years ago with two cars: 2006 Jeep Liberty and 2007 Toyota Rav4. My wife absolutely loved her Jeep and I my Rav4. With two golf carts, we gave the Jeep to our daughter and are now thinking of giving the Jeep to our son, who is returning from France.

Only one challenge. What car can we get that we both like. After sitting in SUVs at over a dozen different car dealers, we have narrowed our choice down to two - the Forester and the Escape.

The main deciding factors on our part were to find an SUV that was:
1. Around 180 inches or less
2. Has excellent visibility
3. Has a power lift gate at the back
Being able to see the front of the car and able to lower the lift gate with no effort are of prime importance to my wife. None of the SUVs had as good visibilty as her Jeep (even the latest Jeep Compass and Patriot) but the Forester and Escape have acceptable visibility to her, and both are well regarded SUVs.

An issue with the Escape seems to be the complexity and some problems with the My Ford Touch/Sync system, that even Ford have acknowledged and are trying to fix. A potential issue with the Forester may be the low power (170 HP) compared to the Escape (you can get a 240 hp version). To get a more powerful Forester engine you would need to go to a turbo model and use premium gas, which I do not want to do.

Both SUVs have a lot of excellent features, once you get past that issue.

Before we pick a dealer to test drive them, I would like to hear your good (or bad) experiences with either of these two SUVs? If I can call you to chat about your experiences with the Forester or Escape, and with the local dealers etc, please reply privately and I will send you my phone number.

Tony

[Baileysmom]

I have a 2008 Escape that I purchased new and I love it. It is in fact my second Escape. I have never been in a Forester so I can't compare but I truly enjoy my car. I love the size and visability it provides even if we rarely use it now, going everywhere we can in our golf car. Good luck.

[jojo]

We have a 2005 Forester that has been trouble free. The size is perfect for what we need in The Villages. When it goes I plan to get another Forester. We got the LL Bean top of the line version. My husband likes the safety record.

[JB in TV]

Tony, you seem like you are very well versed on what you have seen and what you want. Be aware, that both vehicles are brand new designs this year, and both replies above mine reference prior models. The Escape is so far removed from the prior model that there is almost no comparison.

[railroadman]

Originally Posted by TonyC

We moved to the Villages two years ago with two cars: 2006 Jeep Liberty and 2007 Toyota Rav4. My wife absolutely loved her Jeep and I my Rav4. With two golf carts, we gave the Jeep to our daughter and are now thinking of giving the Jeep to our son, who is returning from France.

Only one challenge. What car can we get that we both like. After sitting in SUVs at over a dozen different car dealers, we have narrowed our choice down to two - the Forester and the Escape.

The main deciding factors on our part were to find an SUV that was:
1. Around 180 inches or less
2. Has excellent visibility
3. Has a power lift gate at the back
Being able to see the front of the car and able to lower the lift gate with no effort are of prime importance to my wife. None of the SUVs had as good visibilty as her Jeep (even the latest Jeep Compass and Patriot) but the Forester and Escape have acceptable visibility to her, and both are well regarded SUVs.

An issue with the Escape seems to be the complexity and some problems with the My Ford Touch/Sync system, that even Ford have acknowledged and are trying to fix. A potential issue with the Forester may be the low power (170 HP) compared to the Escape (you can get a 240 hp version). To get a more powerful Forester engine you would need to go to a turbo model and use premium gas, which I do not want to do.

Both SUVs have a lot of excellent features, once you get past that issue.

Before we pick a dealer to test drive them, I would like to hear your good (or bad) experiences with either of these two SUVs? If I can call you to chat about your experiences with the Forester or Escape, and with the local dealers etc, please reply privately and I will send you my phone number.

Tony

Tony: I have a 2008 Ford Escape (Hybrid).
It has 145,000 miles on it and has been an excellent vehicle.
The only thing, I have done to it, is change the oil every 3,000 miles
and replaced the brakes.

[keithwand]

Get the Escape. We just got a 2013
Lincoln MKX an d like it a lot.

[ijusluvit]

My resounding vote is for the Forester, despite the fact that is not a domestic car. My father-in-law has the 2012 model and gets just under 30 mph driving hilly country roads in upstate New York. For some reason the newest Forester is a labeled a 2014, which will result in increased trade-in value down the road than if you are trading a 2013 Escape. The Forester has been redesigned and has a more comfortable interior with excellent leg and cargo room and visibility. I've looked at the Escape and don't think it's quite as good in any of these categories. I would be very surprised if you would notice any disadvantage to the standard 170 hp engine size, especially in flat Florida. Check out the edmunds.com website and do a comparison of the two vehicles, including all of the different options available at the various price points. I think you will agree that study makes the Forester look like a a better buy as well. Congrats on trying to be really well informed! Consider getting price quotes from Edmunds or Consumer Reports and showing at dealers fully armed on one of the last couple of days of the month. Good luck!!

[Topspinmo]

I have friend that has Forester, He complains about the cost of scheduled maintenance. His is all wheel drive model and dealership servicing 15K, 30k, and 60K was close to thousand dollars.. If you get the all wheel drive model I would research maintenance costs. As for the ford Touch/Sync system I would get model without it. We test drove one and didn't like all the gadgets that we wouldn't use and the cost was thousands dollars less then.

[CraigAC]

I travel almost every week on my job and spend a lot of time in rental cars. I haven't driven the Forester, but have rented several Ford Escapes. Some of them have been new and others have had close to 15k to 20k miles.

I can't say I've had a bad experience with any of the Escapes -- can't say the same thing about some of the other vehicles I've been stuck in.

I think it's a solid vehicle. I especially like the Sync system -- great option once you learn how to use it.

[Barefoot]

Originally Posted by TonyC

A potential issue with the Forester may be the low power (170 HP) compared to the Escape (you can get a 240 hp version). To get a more powerful Forester engine you would need to go to a turbo model and use premium gas, which I do not want to do.

I bought a Subaru Forester two years ago, because I consider it the safest SUV around. Plus it offers a lot of visibility. I have a Forester XT, turbo model. It does use premium gas so it costs me a few dollars more to fill up at the pump, but is it ever worth it! Performance wise, it's amazing. I've been told by the Subaru dealer that the new turbo charge Foresters do NOT require premium gas.

[JoelJohnson]

It's not which is best, but price/performance. I think the Subaru provides good performance for the price.

BTW, I've been buying Suby's since 1978.

[TonyC]

Thank you all for your helpful responses, It looks like both the Ford Escape and Subaru Foresters are great recommended choices.

I am concerned about dealer maintenance costs, as they do tend to be more expensive than the "Tire Choice" type service shops. I would be interested in your experiences with both the local Ford and Subaru dealers for sales, and also for regular maintenance versus using the "Tire Choice" type shops.

Also if any of you have the 170hp Subarus, have you found them adequate for your needs. I will not be doing towing of UHauls any more, and don't expect to do many long trips each year, so I feel 170 hp should be OK for me.

It does look like the more powerful Subarus with the 250 hp engine do require premium gas, which I prefer not to use.
Subaru Forester | Forester Compare Tool

[keithwand]

Originally Posted by AlanC

I travel almost every week on my job and spend a lot of time in rental cars. I haven't driven the Forester, but have rented several Ford Escapes. Some of them have been new and others have had close to 15k to 20k miles.

I can't say I've had a bad experience with any of the Escapes -- can't say the same thing about some of the other vehicles I've been stuck in.

I think it's a solid vehicle. I especially like the Sync system -- great option once you learn how to use it.