Ford Forums banner

Escape Hybrid audio system

3K views 13 replies 0 participants last post by  dold@XReXXEscap.usenet.us.com 
G
#1 ·
I have a couple of questions about the sound system in the new hybrid
Escape:

1. Where is the CD loader for the Audiophile option located?

2. Are there any issues with the cd player skipping in cold weather? I
currently drive a 2002 Pathfinder (lease ending soon), in which the
6-cd front loader will ALWAYS skip in cold weather.

3. I had asked the dealer about the possibility of installing satellite
radio into the hybrid, and they mentioned something about having to
install some kind of switch to make it sat-ready. Then I would be able
to install the sat radio after market. Any thoughts on this?

Would appreciate any info.

Thanks.

Jon
 
See less See more
G
#2 ·
I was looking at the Escapes recently, they are in the dash above the
center console climate controls. I'm pretty sure all the new Fords
with the 6-cd option have them in the dash above the cener console.

Check out the 6-cd in-dash players with the MP3 capability, the Escapes
have that option. You could stuff a lot of music in there.
 
G
#4 ·
Jon wrote:
> Are you talking about the regular or hybrid Escapes?


Both, I think the trim packages are the same with respect to the audio
options in hybrid and conventional. I test drove a hybrid with an MP3
6CD in dash player. The conventional had a regular 6CD in dash player,
but you can get the conventional with MP3 6CD.
 
G
#5 ·
sleepdog@optonline.net wrote:
> Check out the 6-cd in-dash players with the MP3 capability, the Escapes
> have that option. You could stuff a lot of music in there.


The 2005 Escape Hybrid mach 300 6-cd in dash doesn't play MP3s.
The Owners Guide doesn't contain the word MP3.
I see mention of a single-CD player with MP3 in other Escapes on line,, but
that might have been before 2005, and doesn't seem to be available in the
Escape Hybrid.

--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5
 
G
#6 ·
Jon <gs.scooter@gmail.com> wrote:
> I have a couple of questions about the sound system in the new hybrid
> Escape:


There are three sound systems for the Escape Hybrid.
The standard AM/FM-6CD in dash, the MACH 300 Satellite Ready Sound System
with 6CD in dash, and the Visteon "Vehicle Navigation Radio" with the
Boston Acoustics Audiophile System and Hybrid display.

> 1. Where is the CD loader for the Audiophile option located?


The Nav system has a changer under the passenger seat. The others are
in-dash.

> 2. Are there any issues with the cd player skipping in cold weather? I
> currently drive a 2002 Pathfinder (lease ending soon), in which the
> 6-cd front loader will ALWAYS skip in cold weather.


The Mach 300 in-dash system doesn't seem to skip at all for me. "Cold" is
around 30-40 degrees. I have an annoying number of potholes in the road
near my house, and the Panasonic aftermarket CD/MP3 player in my Dodge
would skip miserably on that section of road.

> 3. I had asked the dealer about the possibility of installing satellite
> radio into the hybrid, and they mentioned something about having to
> install some kind of switch to make it sat-ready. Then I would be able
> to install the sat radio after market. Any thoughts on this?


The mach 300 has "satellite ready" built in. There is a small
behind-the-dash box that plugs into the radio head, and all of the control
is on the radio. I'm not sure about the other models. I've read that some
dealers want to install an FM-transmitter and an XM radio, instead of the
Sirius add-on. I wouldn't get an FM transmitter in any event. I use a
PIE CD-changer simulator in my Honda. www.logjamelectronics.com
I don't see one for the Escape, but I didn't try very hard. The Nav unit
might not accept one.


--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5
 
G
#7 ·
dold@xrexxescap.usenet.us.com wrote:
> sleepdog@optonline.net wrote:
>> Check out the 6-cd in-dash players with the MP3 capability, the Escapes
>> have that option. You could stuff a lot of music in there.


> The 2005 Escape Hybrid mach 300 6-cd in dash doesn't play MP3s.
> The Owners Guide doesn't contain the word MP3.
> I see mention of a single-CD player with MP3 in other Escapes on line,, but
> that might have been before 2005, and doesn't seem to be available in the
> Escape Hybrid.


Looking through the Owners' Guides for the 2005 Escape, and the Escape
Hybrid, I see that the standard Escape has two single-CD/MP3/Sirius-Ready
radios, but those aren't available on the Escape Hybrid.
There is an "Aux" which it says is for DVD, but I suppose that could be an
aftermarket changer or some MP3 player.

https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp


--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5
 
G
#8 ·
Thank you very much for the informative posts.

So, it sounds like that if I want to have a smooth sat radio
installation, I would need to get the Mach system, and that if I got
the Nav unit I could only go PNP. Does that sound right?

Jon

dold@XReXXEscap.usenet.us.com wrote:
> Looking through the Owners' Guides for the 2005 Escape, and the

Escape
> Hybrid, I see that the standard Escape has two

single-CD/MP3/Sirius-Ready
> radios, but those aren't available on the Escape Hybrid.
> There is an "Aux" which it says is for DVD, but I suppose that could

be an
> aftermarket changer or some MP3 player.
>
> https://www.fleet.ford.com/maintenance/owners_manuals/default.asp
>
 
G
#9 ·
"Jon" <gs.scooter@gmail.com> wrote in part:

>I have a couple of questions about the sound system in the new hybrid
>Escape:
>
>1. Where is the CD loader for the Audiophile option located?
>
>2. Are there any issues with the cd player skipping in cold weather? I
>currently drive a 2002 Pathfinder (lease ending soon), in which the
>6-cd front loader will ALWAYS skip in cold weather.


I have a hybrid with the nav option. The changer is under the passenger seat. (One CD can go in the in-dash part if a navigation CD isn't loaded.) I've had no skipping at all.

I didn't want the navigation system, btw, but had to take what I could get. But it turns out to be very, very useful.
--
Jim Chinnis Warrenton, Virginia, USA jchinnis@alum.mit.edu
 
G
#10 ·
Jim Chinnis wrote:
> I have a hybrid with the nav option. The changer is under the

passenger seat. (One CD can go in the in-dash part if a navigation CD
isn't loaded.) I've had no skipping at all.
>
> I didn't want the navigation system, btw, but had to take what I

could get. But it turns out to be very, very useful.

Jim,

Thanks for the response. Have you considered getting satellite radio
installed in your vehicle? If so, how have you thought going about it?

Jon
 
G
#11 ·
"Jon" <gs.scooter@gmail.com> wrote in part:

>Jim Chinnis wrote:
>> I have a hybrid with the nav option. The changer is under the

>passenger seat. (One CD can go in the in-dash part if a navigation CD
>isn't loaded.) I've had no skipping at all.
>>
>> I didn't want the navigation system, btw, but had to take what I

>could get. But it turns out to be very, very useful.
>
>Jim,
>
>Thanks for the response. Have you considered getting satellite radio
>installed in your vehicle? If so, how have you thought going about it?
>
>Jon


Sorry--haven't thought about it at all.
--
Jim Chinnis Warrenton, Virginia, USA jchinnis@alum.mit.edu
 
G
#12 ·
Jon <gs.scooter@gmail.com> wrote:
> Thank you very much for the informative posts.


> So, it sounds like that if I want to have a smooth sat radio
> installation, I would need to get the Mach system, and that if I got
> the Nav unit I could only go PNP. Does that sound right?


I think that's correct. There's no "sat" button on the Nav system. But
there is an external changer, so there are probably PIE or Blitzsafe units
that will make a good audio connection. You would need an XM or Sirius
head unit for control, though. It wouldn't be integrated.

I ordered the nav system, but someone ahead of me on the list dropped out,
so I got a Mach 300 and no nav. For the money that I inadvertently saved,
I could have a new portable GPS and a Sirius unit ;-)

---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5
 
G
#13 ·
dold@XReXXEscap.usenet.us.com wrote:
> I ordered the nav system, but someone ahead of me on the list dropped

out,
> so I got a Mach 300 and no nav. For the money that I inadvertently

saved,
> I could have a new portable GPS and a Sirius unit ;-)


That sounds like the route I'm going to take, especially given the
price difference between the two sound systems.

One semi-unrelated question for you: One of the pieces of eye-candy in
the nav system is the real-time fuel efficiency graphic/diagram. I just
got my hands on the Escape's manual and noticed that the fuel
efficiency can be displayed in the cluster's message center by the
odometer via an Info button. Is that true?

Jon
 
G
#14 ·
Jon <gs.scooter@gmail.com> wrote:

> One semi-unrelated question for you: One of the pieces of eye-candy in
> the nav system is the real-time fuel efficiency graphic/diagram. I just
> got my hands on the Escape's manual and noticed that the fuel
> efficiency can be displayed in the cluster's message center by the
> odometer via an Info button. Is that true?


There is an instantaneous efficiency bar graph with no numbers, just L and
H. There is also a resettable average number display that appears in the
instrument panel. Not as flashy as the video, but you can still use it.

I think the video display that they seem the proudest of is a strange
representation of whether power is going to or from the battery and
engine... The mileage graphs are actually quite nice. I drove one with
the Nav unit. My wife got 68mpg on her portion of the ride, I only got 38.
I think I was going up hill, and neither of us got the hang of the electric
takeoff.

Lacking the Nav display, the little meter of charge/assist seems awkward.
Full throttle shows "assist", as expected, but only for a few seconds, and
then swings toward charge, as if the electric motor is dragging down the
power of the gas engine... something wrong there. My Honda Civic has a
graph that shows charge/assist exactly what I expect it to show.

I wonder sometimes if the electric motor _must_ turn at the same RPM as the
gas engine, or if it ever does turn at the same RPM. There's only one
tach, which drops below zero when you are running electric only, but
there's no indication of what speed the electric motor is turning.

I mention that because the electric motor has a pretty low cutoff for
maximum power, but if it were geared separately from the gas engine, it
could be more flexible in the assist that it offered. My Honda is tied
right to the same crankshaft, so it has to spin the same speed.


--
---
Clarence A Dold - Hidden Valley (Lake County) CA USA 38.8,-122.5
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top