Ford Escape Cold Weather Package: What’s Inside and Is It Right for You?
As winter approaches, drivers in colder climates know that navigating icy roads and frosty mornings can be a challenge. For those looking to enhance their comfort and safety during the colder months, Ford offers the Cold Weather Package for the Ford Escape. Available for select models, this package bundles a variety of features aimed at making winter driving easier and more enjoyable. Join Aschenbach Ford as we dive into the details to help you decide if it’s a worthy addition for your next vehicle.
Understanding the Ford Escape Cold Weather Package
The Cold Weather Package is an add-on designed for drivers of the Ford Escape Active and ST-Line cars. It offers a suite of features tailored for cold-weather driving. It’s important to note that this package is included with all-wheel-drive versions of the Ford Escape and is available as an add-on for drivers preferring front-wheel drive.
Key Features of the Cold Weather Package: Heated Mirrors
Ford has equipped this package with features to address the typical challenges of winter driving, providing comfort and enhancing visibility.
- Heated Exterior Mirrors with Rear Defrost: These heated mirrors reduce fogging and ice buildup, ensuring a clear line of sight in freezing temperatures. The rear defrost system works in tandem, ensuring your back window stays ice-free for better visibility.
- Remote Start Capability: Why face the chill when you don’t have to? With the remote start system, you can warm up your Ford Escape from inside your home, getting the interior nice and toasty before you even step out the door.
- Heated Front-Row Seats: Both the driver and front passenger can enjoy the warmth of heated seats, making winter drives much more comfortable, especially on frosty mornings.
- Heated Steering Wheel: No more icy steering wheels on those cold days. This feature adds an extra touch of luxury and comfort by keeping your hands warm as soon as you start driving.
Heated Side Mirrors: Enhancing Safety and Visibility
Heated side mirrors are a game-changer when it comes to driving in cold weather. These mirrors are designed to defrost and clear fog, snow, and ice, ensuring you have a clear view of your surroundings. This feature significantly enhances safety and visibility, reducing the risk of accidents caused by obscured mirrors.
One of the standout benefits of heated side mirrors is their convenience. When you activate the rear defrost, the heated mirrors kick in automatically, saving you the hassle of manual scraping or defrosting. This is particularly useful for those living in regions with harsh winters or frequent fog.
Ford makes heated side mirrors a standard feature on many of its vehicles, including certain configurations of the Ford Escape. However, if your model doesn’t come with this feature, you might consider upgrading to heated side mirrors to enjoy the same level of safety and convenience.
Remote Start Functionality: Convenience at Your Fingertips
Imagine stepping into a perfectly warmed car on a freezing morning or a cool, comfortable vehicle on a scorching day. That’s the magic of remote start functionality. This feature allows you to start your vehicle from a distance, ensuring the interior is at your desired temperature before you even open the door.
The remote start system is typically activated using a key fob or intelligent access transmitter. Once activated, it can start the engine, adjust the climate control, and even set the seats and mirrors to your preferred positions. Some vehicles come with a memory function that recalls these settings, adding an extra layer of convenience.
Ford’s remote start system is designed with flexibility in mind. You can start your vehicle from up to 300 feet away, and the system can be programmed to run for a set period. However, it’s crucial to follow the manufacturer’s guidelines and warnings to avoid any potential risks or hazards.
Advantages of the Cold Weather Package
This package offers more than just comfort — it delivers added safety and convenience, too. Here’s how it benefits drivers.
- Increased Comfort: The heated seats and steering wheel ensure that you’re cozy, even on the coldest days, making daily commutes or long trips more pleasant.
- Better Visibility: The heated mirrors and rear defrost system provide a clearer view of the road, contributing to safer driving in icy or snowy conditions.
- Time-Saving Convenience: The remote start feature allows you to skip the discomfort of waiting in a cold car while it warms up, saving you time and effort during your morning routine. It’s important to note that power windows will not function during the remote start process, highlighting a specific limitation of the vehicle’s capabilities.
- Enhanced Resale Value: For those looking to sell or trade in their vehicle in the future, the Cold Weather Package could increase the appeal of the Ford Escape, especially in colder regions.
How the Package Improves Your Winter Driving Experience
The Cold Weather Package transforms your Ford Escape into a winter warrior, making daily driving less stressful and more comfortable. By heating up the interior and exterior before you even start driving, the package saves you from battling the cold and scraping ice off mirrors. Heated seats add an extra layer of comfort, while the heated steering wheel means you won’t need to rely on gloves to stay warm.
This package is more than just an accessory — it enhances your entire winter driving experience. With improved visibility from the heated mirrors and rear defrost, you’re better equipped to handle challenging road conditions. It also ensures a smoother, warmer ride, making harsh winter days much easier to endure.
Is the Cold Weather Package a Good Investment?
For drivers regularly facing cold temperatures, snow, or ice, the Cold Weather Package is a practical and worthwhile investment. The added comfort and convenience it provides, combined with the safety features, make it an appealing option. If you live in an area that experiences tough winters, the ability to stay warm and prepared with this package may outweigh the cost, especially with the peace of mind it brings.
Elevate Your Winter Driving with the Cold Weather Package
For anyone who drives in colder climates, the Ford Escape’s Cold Weather Package offers an impressive blend of comfort, safety, and convenience. From heated mirrors and a remote start system to the warmth of the heated seats and steering wheel, this package is designed to make winter driving far more manageable and enjoyable.
While it adds to the cost of the vehicle, the Cold Weather Package is a smart investment for those prioritizing winter comfort and safety, transforming cold-weather commutes into a more pleasant experience. If you’re looking to stay ahead of the frost, this package could be just what you need to enhance your Ford Escape’s performance this winter. Find your perfect Ford Escape at Aschenbach Ford.
