[Myrddin]

Too bad. I moved from a 2003 Escape to a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid. The Mercury has leather seats with "seat heat". I was planning an eventual replacement with a conventional gas engine, 4x4, leather seats, nav system and tow package. Perhaps I'll have to choose differently or not at all.

[Crolis]

That’s one of the reasons I bought a 2008 Milan vs. a 2008 Fusion. The Milan had a more conservative look and a few cosmetic improvements which made it more pleasant to look at. LED tail lamps, projector beam headlights. My wife and I managed to find a 5-speed Milan 4cyl Premier. It is fun to drive and gets great economy.

If I was in the market for an Escape, I’d pick the Mariner in an instant. I think it just looks better.

Plus, not that it matters too much, but I’ve always like amber turn signals instead of red turn signals. Mercury has that, Ford doesn’t seem to. I’ve never really figured out why there’s a difference except that the law allows both colors for turn signals.