The compact Ford Escape (known as the Ford Kuga in other markets) arrived on the crossover scene in 2000 with unibody construction and the option of four-cylinder or V6 power plus a manual ...

The Ford Escape compact SUV joined the Ford lineup — alongside the bigger Explorer, Expedition and now-defunct Excursion — in 2001, as the 1990s SUV craze spilled into the new millennium.