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New Off-Road Crossover Based On 2020 Ford Escape Confirmed By Ford Official

2020 Ford Escape 20 photos
Photo: Ford
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Earlier this month, Ford revealed the 2020 Kuga and 2020 Escape on the C2 vehicle architecture of the Focus. According to executive vice president of product development and purchasing Hau Thai-Tang, there’s another crossover coming on the C2.
“The off-road utility will be more upright, boxy,” explained the official, leading us to believe that Ford is preparing to roll out the Baby Bronco. The Detroit Bureau reports “the new vehicle will join the Ford lineup about six months after the Escape, which is scheduled to go into production toward the end of the summer in time for an autumn introduction.”

The Baby Bronco was teased to U.S. dealers in November 2018 as the “yet-to-be-named off-road SUV.” The computer-generated images showcase a squared-off silhouette with round LED headlamps, F O R D lettering on the front grille, and all-terrain tires. According to a tipster, both the Baby Bronco and Bronco are supposed to be released within a few months of each other.

As a competitor to the Jeep Wrangler, the mid-size Bronco is a body-on-frame SUV with underpinnings from the 2019 Ford Ranger. The 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 could be the engine of choice for this model. In addition to an automatic transmission, chances are that Ford will offer a seven-speed manual.

Turning our attention back to the Baby Bronco, there’s no denying the C2 allows Ford to hybridize the off-road crossover. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrains are coming to the Escape, both based around the 2.5-liter Atkinson four-cylinder engine. The 1.5- and 2.0-liter EcoBoost are also available, and if there’s a case to be made for a performance-oriented version, the 2.3-liter EcoBoost sounds a-OK for this application.

In regard to production, the Baby Bronco could be manufactured alongside the Escape at the Louisville plant in Kentucky. Pricing information isn’t available for the time being, but don’t expect the all-new Escape to be that more expensive than the 2019 model year. The compact crossover starts at $24,105 excluding destination charge.
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About the author: Mircea Panait
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After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well.
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