Sport-black side steps are used to access the standard roof rack or to enter and exit the cabin. Compact on the outside, the Escape is roomy inside. Ford claims the Escape, at 133.9 cubic feet, has the most spacious interior in its class. The rear cargo area is tall enough to carry bicycles upright and wide enough to transport plywood from Home Depot. The cargo area is accessed through a rear liftgate or the flip-up glass top of the liftgate.
Rear seats fold for even more cargo-carrying space.
The Escape's interior is traditional sport utility, and, like the exterior, familiar to Ford utility buyers. The instrument panel features the same white background for its gauges as the Explorer Sport and Explorer Sport Trac. All come with standard air conditioning, power locks and windows with the one-touch down feature on the driver's side. The XLT adds more standard fare. Safety features include standard dual front airbags and optional side airbags.