Ann Arbor, Michigan - There are certain things in life that you just don't mess with. Why try re-inventing the wheel? If it's not broke, why fix it?
There's a world of wisdom in those little phrases, and if people are smart, they'd do well to remember them, because change for the sake of change is not exactly a smart idea.
Take my old school mate, Albert, for instance. Every girl in the school fancied him when we were growing up because he was the spitting image of Donny Osmond. Therefore, he always kept the same look about him. If he'd gone off and had a punk rock haircut, or grown a goatee, that would have been crazy, wouldn't it?
No, Albert was a lot of things but he certainly wasn't a fool, and I'm glad to say that neither is the Ford Motor Company, because once again, it has resisted the temptation to change Canada's best-selling compact SUV.
However, just as Albert, the pig farmer (no joke that!), might have improved himself slightly with the addition of a trendy shirt or two and perhaps some up-to-date running shoes, Ford has made a few minor alterations to its Escape range, just to keep it fresh and to help maintain its prized position in the market.
Now I say minor, but in fact, some might deem what Ford has done to be rather radical, especially in terms of performance and fuel economy.
There I go again, confusing the issue by placing words together which at first glance don't exactly mesh together well. However, they do now, because that is exactly what the company has accomplished for the 2009 model lineup.
Yes, for '09, fuel economy figures are up, and yet amazingly, so are the horsepower and performance numbers.
Let's start with the first of those, fuel economy. Now I defy anyone to notice a change to the exterior of the new Escape, but there are actually a couple of small items which have been tweaked. First is the front spoiler, which has been lowered by 40 mm, and now extends further over the wheels to help diminish drag. The other is the addition of rear tire spoilers which are placed to better manage airflow.
There's a world of wisdom in those little phrases, and if people are smart, they'd do well to remember them, because change for the sake of change is not exactly a smart idea.
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| It still retains its size and styling which has made it so popular. |
Take my old school mate, Albert, for instance. Every girl in the school fancied him when we were growing up because he was the spitting image of Donny Osmond. Therefore, he always kept the same look about him. If he'd gone off and had a punk rock haircut, or grown a goatee, that would have been crazy, wouldn't it?
No, Albert was a lot of things but he certainly wasn't a fool, and I'm glad to say that neither is the Ford Motor Company, because once again, it has resisted the temptation to change Canada's best-selling compact SUV.
However, just as Albert, the pig farmer (no joke that!), might have improved himself slightly with the addition of a trendy shirt or two and perhaps some up-to-date running shoes, Ford has made a few minor alterations to its Escape range, just to keep it fresh and to help maintain its prized position in the market.
Now I say minor, but in fact, some might deem what Ford has done to be rather radical, especially in terms of performance and fuel economy.
There I go again, confusing the issue by placing words together which at first glance don't exactly mesh together well. However, they do now, because that is exactly what the company has accomplished for the 2009 model lineup.
Yes, for '09, fuel economy figures are up, and yet amazingly, so are the horsepower and performance numbers.
Let's start with the first of those, fuel economy. Now I defy anyone to notice a change to the exterior of the new Escape, but there are actually a couple of small items which have been tweaked. First is the front spoiler, which has been lowered by 40 mm, and now extends further over the wheels to help diminish drag. The other is the addition of rear tire spoilers which are placed to better manage airflow.
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| The front spoiler has been lowered by 40 mm. |