The 2013 Ford Escape was presented with the first-ever Popular Mechanics Car of the Year award today. The vehicle received the award not only because it finished first in multiple different categories judged by the magazine's editors but for also being an affordable vehicle at just $23,230.
"The all-new Escape is fun, smart, and practical," said Popular Mechanics in the statement. "Everything a PM Car of the Year should be."
Click here to see who else won awards from the magazine this week.
The Ford Escape was first introduced in 2000 and has since been marketed as part of the company's traditional SUV series instead of a separate crossover lineup. Each generation of Escapes usually gets passing marks by most major car publications and experts, so the issues come to many as a surprise.
The 2013 edition was released in the U.S. this past spring and currently ranks second out of 20 SUVs on U.S. News Affordable Compact SUVs list.
The car features two turbo-engine options: a 178-hp 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine or a 240-hp 2.0-liter powerhouse according to the company's website. Drivers can get up to 22 mph on the highway and is equipped with a towing package that can pull over 3500 pounds.
"Escape is freshly minted, with a solid new chassis shared with the European Ford Kuga," said Popular Mechanics reviewers in the statement about the award. "The driving experience feels like it's two full generational leaps ahead of the old Escape, a perennial best seller for Ford."
The company has had to deal with a recall for older Escape models released during the years of 2005 through 2012 that were having throttle problems. 1.6 million cars world-wide were affected by the recall in October after an investigation was completed by the Federal Safety Regulators.
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