having driven an 09 escape v6 i can attest that it is sedan like and a very nice vehicle. i have NOT driven a CRV but you wouldnt be able to get me to do so, its really a waste of money. if they would drop the price on it 5-7k, then i see it as being an ok vehicle. it simply is not worth what folks are paying for it. I have driven a RAV4 and its a joke. i don't loathe the CRV like I do the RAV. Mainly my disdain for the CRV is that its highway robbery, its a Kia Sportage with an H on the grille. The RAV is cheap and tinny and plasticky.
If one must really have the Asian brand cute ute, the forester is the classy one. You might be able to convince me its worth what folks are paying. The Outlander is the best of all of them though, cargo capacity, flexibility, tech, etc. The outlander is most appealing Asian cute ute and its not even close. So where the escape falls in all of this......better pricing and now the engine and handling are fixed. it has sync and sirius travel link. Send someone with 27k to look at a RAV4 or CRV and then have them drive an 09 Mariner like with the v6 6 speed and Voga pkg or something. its not going to take much to convince them what a real vehicle is. Honda should be ashamed of selling what amounts to a puffy hatchback with a slow powertrain for the highway robbery prices they are.