So I drive a 2009 Ford Escape, its a stock model and nothing special about it. I will be putting on some AT tires at some point, but I have a question: Is the Ford Escape a decent vehicle for off road driving?

So I wouldn't be taking it rock crawling or mudding, but has anyone taken it up some nasty roads? Ive driven it in some deep snow and was fine, but I have a buddy who swears by his Escape and its off road capabilities, but I don't think he's ever actually been off road with it.

I guess the root of the question is you hear stories about people taking their Jeeps, Hummers, and other cars, but is the Escape a good buy for this purpose?

Obligatory car pic:

With decent tires it will do ok, but the awd system will be the big limitation.

I was looking for a new to me vehicle a few months ago. I narrowed it down to the '09-'12 escape or the Rav4. It was hard for me to find the AWD Escape and I liked that the Rav4 had a switch to turn the AWD on. Other than that it is a similar AWD system between the two vehicles. Cost vs age was my issue when I was buying, hard to find a real 4x4 at affordable prices. Anyway I bought an '11 Rav4 and I took it up to one of my hunting spots over the weekend to test it out a little. The soft sand is my big obstacle down in my area. It more or less did well with its street tires. I got to a few spots where the water looked pretty deep or the sand was looking a little too soft to try (since there was no one else out there to pull me if I got stuck). I always keep a come-along, shovel and tow rope in the car with me just in case and if I had a set of traction skids then I think I would be bulletproof. It's not ideal but light years beyond the front drive van I had been moving the kids around in for the last few years. I think your Escape has a road clearance advantage, so you are probably a little better off. I used the AWD in a few spots but turned it on manually. Like the Escape, the computer controls the AWD and kicks it in when needed, I think I turned it on Manually whenever it was needed so I can't really judge how smart the system is yet. Probably best to get out and test its limits.

Put some decent rubber on it and pay attention to where you are putting the tires and it will do fine.  When I was young and poor, I took my Datsun 510 places you would not believe and it was a two wheel drive sedan--hundreds of miles on really shitty old logging roads and jeep trails.  Most roads look worse than they really are.  I freaked my wife out by taking our Toyota Sienna to the Valhalla trailhead in BC last year.  The last mile of that road looked like hell (steep, rutted and rocky) but by taking my time and paying attention to where the tires were we made and only scraped the bottom of the minivan a couple times .  Know the limits of your vehicle and your driving ability, though.  It sucks to get stuck way out in the boonies.

When I think "Off-Road" it wouldn't make it 10 feet down the "road."  But then again, I do have a Wrangler and XJ Cherokee.

Off-Road as I view it - No.

Forest Service/Fire Roads, if that's what you mean by "Off-Road" - Yes, it will make it as long as you drive over washouts properly.  

Your big limitations come down to the AWD system, poor ground clearance, and poor suspension travel.  Basically, unless you keep all the tires on the ground you're kinda f'd.  I'd run into the same issue on the XJ even with mud tires and 6.5in lift (sans lockers) where my Wrangler with the same tire but on a smaller lift would have zero problems because F&R lockers.  

Awd escapes are some absolute beast in the snow. I'd say they would fair pretty well going down less that awesome dirt roads also. Real offroading would probably be a bad idea as the are a fwd car platform.

OP, what does "off road" mean to you?  Usually, when I hear people asking, they are really saying "off pavement".  I can't tell you how many times I've been stuck behind someone babying their SUV up a very nice logging road because they don't want to break it  If you really mean off road then no.  If you just mean off pavement then no problem.  I've been using a 2WD car to get to hiking trails and climbing routes along old logging roads in the Cascades for 30 years.  If my cars can do it, yours can if you do your part.

My wife has an 05 Escape, running Bridgestone HTs (not even close to an off road tire). I regularly run it up to a buddy of mines landing where we shoot. The road is a 12% grade with wash outs anywhere from 5"-20" deep, rocks of all sized dotted around, roadway is about 8-9' wide cut into the side of a hill. The escape climbs up with no issues, you just have to take it easy, plan your lines, and be prepared for wheel lift. I have done TONS of offroading (everything from simple overlanding to rock crawling) and this thing honestly impressed me.
Also on a side note, be sure to keep up on drivetrain maintenance. The rigs can do quite a bit, but I dont think they are really built for it, so keeping up on the oil changes and inspections will keep you from killing the car.

Thanks everyone for the information. I grew up in the NYC area but now live out in the VA mountains. My version of off road may be skewed lol judging by the posts my "off road" is more akin to the logging/fire roads than anything considered true off road. Theres a few camping places that say 4wd is needed and theirs always pictures of Jeeps and FJcruisers. Im new to all this outdoor backwoods driving stuff haha.

No worries!
Hope you come to enjoy the area and mountains down in this part of the country. It's one of my favorite places to be!

+1 I want to get to my camping spot, not blaze a trail to create a camping spot.

Agreed. Ive taken a few back roads, some gravel roads, and a few mountain dirt roads, but I guess going from pavement to the other stuff is an experience ahaha. The last thing I want to do is screw up my car so bad because I over estimated its abilities. I just need to find some good, but affordable AT tires.

I've paroozed craigslist a couple times trying to find a set of wheel for my toyo at a decent price, no joy yet. But these and recovery kit will probably get you out of anything if you don't have the tires.

Traction Skids

Should be fine for logging roads and stuff like that.  I had one as a rental out in AZ a few years ago and took it out on some trails there and got a few "how the hell did you get here" looks from guys in Jeeps and small trucks.  I didn't get into any mud, but it had enough ground clearance and traction for dry sandy washes and some mild crawling.  Like others have said, just be mindful of ground clearance and wheel placement.

Does it have a two speed transfer case ?  ( low range )

Ive driven it without issue in snow up to 14 inches.