The compact and affordable Ford Escape was Canada's top-selling SUV last year. But the competition has been getting keener by the day, with many new rivals toting all-new architectures with brawny V6 engine options and available third-row seating.

Ford's response is not exactly fighting fire with fire. Although comprehensively restyled, the '08 still employs the same basic architecture as it has the past seven model years, albeit with fine-tuning. The body dimensions barely change, inside or out.

Carryover 4-cylinder (2.3-litres, 153 hp) and V6 (3.0-litres, 200 hp) powertrains are behind the curve in both outputs and the ratio counts of their transmissions (5-speed manual or 4-speed automatic). But at least Escape can still be had as a hybrid.

So, where did Ford expend its development efforts? Mostly, inside the cabin. First, there was a thorough crackdown on NVH (noise, vibration and harshness). And the all-new interior dcor features numerous segment "firsts": an eye-level display for outside temperature, audio controls and climate-control readouts; Ice Blue interior lighting; a centre console that can accommodate a laptop, with removable bins that can be hung elsewhere for increased storage; and seat-fabric manufactured from post-industrial materials, to the benefit of the environment.

Freshened inside and out, should be well priced

Mechanically, rivals leave it in their dust