Ford Escape vs. Subaru Forester

**kirsten** · November 24th, 2007 05:43 AM

ok.after how many months of researching..and alot of it thanks to all of you tskot members who are really so informative and generous of your time and opinions...i have finally narrowed down my choices between ford escape and subaru forester.some thing that i am considering though:

1. fuel consumption(i mostly drive just within the city)..want an suv just for the floods....so ground clearance and practicality on gas consumption is a must
2.reliability(i don't know much about cars and i need one that will not break down easily)
3. i know compared to toyota or honda, spareparts for these two brands are much more expensive. but which one is more expensive than the other?ford or subaru? how aout the after sales service?

thanks so much in advance! will really appreciate your valuable opinions...

**fleas2016** · November 24th, 2007 09:03 AM

the new ford escape consumptions falls between 5~7 km/l in the city. with my previous generation escape i was able to do 9~11 km/l in highways.

i don't know the exactly measurement but i think it's obvious that the subaru forester has a lower ground clearance than the escape.

**niky** · November 24th, 2007 11:45 AM

1. The Escape's air intake is low, so there's a limit to its fording capabilities. And like flea has said, the Forester is a low vehicle... it's only a bit higher up than a sedan. If you really need a flood-worthy car, get a pick-up or a pick-up based SUV, like an Everest or a Fortuner. My friend has successfully survived 3-foot plus floods in his Everest... but if you do such things often, it's best to invest in a snorkel, too...

2. Reliability. Can't say much about the Forester, since it's uncommon. The Escape, there are some issues, but minor ones. Melting tail-lights (of course, the new Escape has different lights) are the only thing that comes to mind.

3. Escape spare parts are available at Banaue. It's not a big problem. Prices are actually surprisingly decent.

Forester parts aren't particularly hard to find. They're easy to get, in fact. But some parts will obviously not be as cheap as, say, parts for a Corolla taxi...

The one problem with the Forester is maintenance. Not many mechanics are familiar, and the flat four engine makes for some peculiar maintenance needs. A simple spark plug change for an I4 engine (like the Escape) can be done at home. With the Forester, you have to get it up on a lift and dismantle the manifolds to reach the plugs.

**ossi** · November 24th, 2007 02:14 PM

my 1Peso:

both the escape and the forester have a ground clearance of 200mm
on parts support you have Ford Phils and MotorImage (s.e. asia & china dealer for Subaru) to run to.
on price of parts always go for oem to protect your investment, unless you want racing parts of w/c there's none for Escape (i still have to see an Escape on the track). For the Forester you can upgrade it to an STI version, if you'll get the 2.5XT
on mechanics, if its a regular maintenance like oil change, brakes, other fluids. there's lot to choose for both brands, better yet get your own manual from Hayne's and the like. If it's a tune up go to the casa or performance shops.

**kirsten** · November 24th, 2007 02:17 PM

thanks flea and niky for your quick reply. i noticed you guys are ford owners.are you happy with their after sales service? read in some threads here that it's not so good and ford even botched up a regular tune up that affected the engine of the guy's car...
regarding the pick up, i still want a nice looking SUV,sportier sana

that's why my choices are down with these two brands.floods isn't really that high in my area. but i just want to be confident incase i get to pass very flooded streets..buendia and south super highway is a nightmare for me when it's raining hard...

**wren** · November 24th, 2007 02:32 PM

minimum ground clearance:

subaru forester = 8.1 inches

ford escape = 8.2 inches

mitsubishi outlander = 8.3

honda crv = 7.3

toyota rav4 = 7.5

konti lang dipirensya...don't let the forester's short stance fool ya.

**kirsten** · November 24th, 2007 02:45 PM

thanks ossi. sorry to be dense but what's a manual from hayne's?

a car manual?

**kirsten** · November 24th, 2007 02:54 PM

thanks ossi. sorry to be dense but what's a manual from hayne's?

a car manual?

**HyBrideVo** · November 24th, 2007 02:59 PM

actually the forester has a somewhat higher intake..

snorkel ftw!

for reference click here ---> Dirty Pics :naughty2:

**niky** · November 24th, 2007 03:08 PM

Ground clearance does not equal fording capability.

Your maximum fording capability is determined by how deep you can go before your engine chokes on water.

Since all of these Compact SUVs are based on car designs, some of them have air intakes that are low to the ground. The Subaru might have the same ground clearance as the others, but the top of the Forester's hood isn't very high compared to a CR-V's... thus, the maximum intake height possible (I'm not familiar with the actual intake position), is lower.

The only way to know for sure is to visit all of these cars at the dealerships, open up the hoods and check the intakes. Maximum fording height should also be indicated in the manual.

Ford service is hit or miss. Some casas (one or two lang, actually) are notorious for bad service, others are very good (Ford was just second behind Chevy in a survey on dealership service satisfaction in the Philippines earlier this year). You can check out Fordclubph.com for feedback on casas.

As for parts, since it's a new vehicle, yes, you'll be getting original parts, just to be sure.

The Hayne's Manual is basically a full service manual for your car. It's a good investment if you're not familiar (or even if you are) with the oil bits of the car, and if you have to have servicing done outside the casa, you can lend it to the mechanic who's doing the work, to make sure they don't mess anything up.