The 2011 Ford Escape is the brand’s flagship grocery-getter. So, if you want to find the cheapest trim and be done with it, no problem. But there’s plenty to like in the XLT and Limited models, too.
Key Points
- The 2011 Ford Escape‘s entry-level XLS trim feels basic even for a 2011 crossover, with a 171-horsepower 2.5L engine and manual air conditioning.
- Adding a 240-horsepower V6 option and leather steering wheel with mounted audio and cruise controls, the XLT is well worth the price bump.
- The top-of-the-line Limited adds heated leather seats and style upgrades throughout, with Kelley Blue Book (KBB) estimating the trim to start around the same price as the XLT, making this one a no-brainer for best overall value.
- Though the Hybrid and Hybrid Limited were easy to recommend a decade ago, hybrid traction batteries only have about 10 years max before they need replacing at around $2,000 to $3,000 a pop.
Stripped-down 2016 Escape XLS Starts with a 2.5L Inline-four, Cloth Seats, and Manual A/C
Starting at around $8,000 on KBB, the entry-level XLS comes with a 2.5L inline-four Duratec engine cranking out 171 horsepower. That’s paired with a five-speed manual transmission and front/four-wheel drive.
Mechanically speaking, the XLS is adequate, but there’s a lot of room for improvement. You can upgrade to a six-speed automatic transmission, but everything else is pretty much take-it-or-leave-it.
Don’t expect anything too fancy inside the SUV. Cloth bucket seats with a folding split-bench in the back, manual air conditioning. The most advanced feature you’ll find here is remote keyless entry. Even for a 2011 the XLS leans toward basic.
For entertainment, you’ve got a four-speaker AM/FM radio with a CD player, MP3, and auxiliary input.
Overall, it’s really not a bad deal for the price. But when we say that it’s really, really basic, that’s not us being picky. The XLS delivers what you expect of an entry-level 2011 SUV, and absolutely nothing more.
2011 Escape XLT Adds V6 Engine Option and Basic Interior Upgrades for $1,000
With the XLT, the six-speed automatic transmission comes standard, and you can choose between the inline-four or a 3.0L V6 Flex Fuel engine cranking out 240 horsepower.
KBB prices range from around $9,000 to $11,000, and you should expect the V6 to start at around $10,000.
Upgrades to the interior include a six-way power seat for the driver with premium cloth upholstery, a leather-wrapped steering wheel with mounted speed and audio controls, and a compass with an exterior temperature display. Outside you’ve got front fog lamps and SecuriCode keyless entry.
The main thing you’re getting for the price bump is the option of putting a V6 under the hood. That adds nearly 70 horses to the package, plus Flex Fuel. All the other features are just a nice bonus.
Heated Leather Bucket Seats and Style Upgrades Make 2016 Escape Limited Well Worth the Price
The Limited is the top-tier trim level, but it actually starts at a few hundred bucks under the XLS. Like the XLT, you’re getting a 2.5L inline-four, or a 3.0L V6, front/rear-wheel drive, six-speed automatic transmission, and so on.
Most of the differences here come down to style and comfort. Leather heated bucket seats up front with six-ways power adjust for the driver, and a little extra chrome throughout the interior and exterior trim.
While the Limited doesn’t offer a lot of major improvements over the XLT, the fact that it typically sells in the same range as the XLT, running somewhere between $9,000 and $11,000, makes it kind of a no-brainer. If you can find a V6 Limited at a good price, there’s no reason to bother with the XLT.
2016 Escape Hybrid Has Same Upgrades as XLT, but Replacing a Decade-old Traction Battery Can be Pricey
Recommending a 10-year-old hybrid is always a tricky proposition. It might be one of the best hybrids ever made, but after a decade, the original traction battery is likely to have burned out and could cost around $2,500 to replace. That’s not a great deal if you’re shopping for a reasonable daily driver. You don’t want to spend $8,500 on a used car and then spend another couple of grand just to get it running.
But supposing you can get a 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid cheap enough to put some cash aside for a new battery, what are we getting out of the deal?
The standard Hybrid comes with a 2.5L inline-four Atkinson-cycle engine with an electronically controlled one-speed CVT. You can expect to get a combined 32 miles to the gallon at 177 horsepower, and just like with the other models, it’s front/four-wheel drive.
The features are, for the most part, comparable to the XLT, with premium cloth bucket seats and a leather-wrapped steering wheel. Bonuses over the XLT include a 110 volt AC power outlet, dual-zone automatic climate control, and Ford Sync with voice activation.
2016 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited is Basically a Limited, but with a Hybrid Powertrain
The Hybrid Limited features the same mechanical specs as the standard Hybrid, and upgrades the interior with heated leather bucket seats up front, a six-speaker audio setup, power moonroof, a reverse sensing system and rearview camera, and some style upgrades throughout including ebony black center stack finish and chrome grilles.
Starting at around $9,000, or $500 over the Hybrid, the Hybrid Limited’s upgrades do justify the extra cost, even if nothing here is necessarily a must-have.
Thanks to its Value-packed KBB Price, the 2016 Ford Escape Limited is Hard to Beat
The hybrid models would be worth it at their KBB prices. But you’re not paying the Blue Book prices, you’re paying that, plus another $2,000 to $3,000 for a new battery. So if you’re looking for the best value trim level, it’s not going to be one of those.
Our take: the best overall deal in the lineup is going to be a V6 Limited.
Even for a 2011, the XLS is really, really basic, and doesn’t save you all that much over the higher trim levels. So our advice would be to shop for an XLT or a Limited and grab whichever one you can get at a great price on.
Photos: Ford
