It’s more upscale. That’s the Escape for 2008, an SUV with a nicely spiffed up interior and exterior. The molded-in-color fascia is gone as is the lower body side moldings. And the interior has lost its blandness. Escape’s new ‘look-at-me’ attitude is a good thing. The cabin is considerably more appealing in terms of colors, textures, and button placements. Instead of green hue backlights, the interior lighting is an icy blue. And that color is dynamite in daytime and nighttime driving. (The blue hue marks a first for a Ford model.) Seats are now made from 100% post-industrial materials, correlating to a nice environmental windfall. (Among the list of Earth benefits: a projected savings of more than 7 million kilowatt hours of electricity annually.) Escape is still powered by either a 2.3-liter 4-cylinder Duratec that produces 153 horsepower and 152 pounds-feet of peak torque, or a 3.0-liter V6 Duratec that produces 200 horsepower and 193 pounds-feet of peak torque. The front wheel drive (with intelligent 4WD) Escape comes with standard 16-inch steel wheels, or optional 17-inch aluminum wheels. Standard fare on the Limited 4WD Escape includes AM/FM/CD/MP3 player with auxiliary jack, privacy glass, roof rack, front fog lamps, and 4-wheel independent suspension. The 4WD Escape Limited with V6 engine and four-speed automatic overdrive transmission has estimated mpg of 17 city/22 highway and a MSRP of $25,330.