The Ford Escape (Code U204) is a compact crossover SUV, sold by the automaker Ford Motor Company since 2001 and priced below the Ford Explorer. The Escape was sold in Europe as the Ford Maverick. It was jointly developed with Mazda, in which Ford owns a controlling interest, and was released a few months after the nearly-identical Mazda Tribute.
A more upscale version, the Mercury Mariner, was introduced for Ford's Mercury marque in the 2005 model year. It fills Ford's compact SUV gap since the discontinuation of the Bronco II in 1990. A hybrid version was released in 2004.
It is built on the Ford CD2 platform, which is in turn based on the Mazda GF platform, which was used by the Mazda 626.
Source: Wikipedia
Gallery: Ford Escape (2003)
