Es. Cah. Pay.*

 When Patrick went to Costa Rica with his Dad in late May, I was kinda sorta busy with a little show I was co-producing. You may have heard me mention it once or twice...

During the insanity of the 2 weeks leading up to The Big Day, I woke up one morning to find a sparkling new Ford Escape waiting for me on the driveway**. It was like a gift from heaven to have a vehicle that I knew was 100% reliable and wouldn't require me to climb over piles of McDonald's bags to find the floor.

 Aside from a few blind spots that we Vertically Challenged folks are accustomed to, I was absolutely in love with the Ford Escape. It handles well and, most importantly, it was great on gas.With all of the errands I had to run that week, the smooth and affordable ride lifted a huge weight off of my shoulders (and wallet).

I never tire of marveling over the fanciness of new cars; XM radio, On-Star, and that whole reverse-camera thingy... It's AMAZING. And tricky to figure out. If you are in the market for a new vehicle, I really suggest trying out a car for a few days before purchasing one, rather than just a quick test drive. I mean, you're going to be driving this vehicle for (hopefully) many, many years. It'd be a good idea to invest in renting one for a little while to be sure that you are actually REALLY comfortable in that seat and that the position of the buttons works for your shorter-than-average-arms...

All in all, for the approximate $23k MSRP, The Ford Escape is a vehicle I'd be happy to drive again. Lots of space for the kids, groceries and random boxes of show materials and driving it just felt really...well... cool. I felt cool driving it. Like, windows down, music pumping, nodding at the cute guy on the corner kind of cool. (Not-so-much in my minivan, no matter how much I like driving that vehicle, either...).

Questions or comments? I'd love to hear how you feel about the Escape or Ford in general!

*I love that line from Finding Nemo....

**It didn't magically appear in my driveway; I agreed to review a Ford Escape for a week. No monetary compensation was received and all opinions remain my own.