Mechanic warns against buying fan-favorite small SUV and drivers who own one agree it’s ‘absolutely warranted’

A MECHANIC has warned drivers about issues with a fan-favorite vehicle after experts ranked it high on their list of small SUVs.

Auto expert website Edmunds put the Ford Escape as seventh out of 14 on their list of the best small SUVs – but drivers are saying the car doesn’t live up to the hype.

Tiktok/royaltyautoservice

Sherwood Cooke Jr. in a TikTok video for the account run by his garage, Royalty Auto Service[/caption]

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A 2024 Ford Escape plug-in hybrid electric vehicle, which Cooke warned against[/caption]

Sherwood Cooke Jr., who owns a garage called Royalty Auto Service with locations in Georgia, said that owners should “absolutely not” buy the Ford Escape in a video posted to TikTok.

The video, which has over 7,000 likes at the time of writing, was psoted by @royaltyautoservice on September 28 to the account’s 781,200 followers.

Cooke said he reacted to Edmunds’ list based on how often he sees certain vehicles broken in his shop – and disavowed most of the recommended cars including the Escape, the Ford Bronco Sport, and even Jeep Wranglers.

TikTok users tended to agree with Cooke in the comments of the post.

“Lol as a ford escape owner who got 2 transmissions in 3 years….. that quick no is absolutely warranted,” one response said.

“1 transmission and 1 new motor. New suspension system. It’s a 2017,” another shared their experience.

Other drivers asked for more clarification on why he didn’t recommend the vehicle.

“Why not a Ford Escape?” one asked.

“Would it be possible to get reasoning on why you say no on each model? just saying no explains nothing,” another complained.

Cooke said that the small SUV ranking made a “little bit more sense” than the extra small SUV ranking because he took into consideration how Edmunds decided on the lists.

While Cooke said that Edmunds is ranking based on comfort, he thought a more fair or accurate ranking would consist of how often the car breaks down or how long it might last.

After test driving the cars, Edmunds said that the 2024 Ford Escape is “more competitive” than it has been in the past.

“We give the Escape high marks for its comfortable ride and easy-to-use tech, but the non-electrified powertrains still make the hybrid and plug-in hybrid versions more appealing,” the experts at Edmunds said.

Cooke quickly shot down the Escape, along with the GMC Terrain, Kia Sportage, and multiple other cars.

However, he said the Nissan Rogue’s newer models seem promising – and he even agreed with a few of the choices on the list.

From the rankings, Cooke recommended that the Toyota RAV4, Subaru Forester, Mazda CX-5, and Honda CR-Vs as the best small-sized SUVs.

“If you’re keeping it for long term, we gotta start thinking about what these things are going to last,” Cooke said.

Edmunds put the Mazda CX-50, introduced in 2023, at the top of their rankings for the sedans.

Cooke said he could “maybe” understand that, but that it depends on the model.

The mechanic’s son, who filmed the video, agreed and said that they have to make their judgments based on their personal experiences with the vehicles.

“Some of them have a shorter track record than others and we have to go off track record because they do change year over year,” Sherwood Cooke III said.

TikTok users in the comments agreed and shared their love for Hondas and Toyotas, which were rarely mentioned on the rankings.

“Toyota and Honda have always been good for me,” one fan wrote.

Another shared, “Toyota & Honda all day!”

The U.S. Sun has reached out to Royalty Auto Service for comment.