I'm looking at downsizing my f-150 to an escape. I don;t like the idea of the automatic 4x4. I know i know it checks for slips 100 times a second. Im in the bush..snow mudd...i want to be able to lock it in 4x4..is there any mod I could buy to do this?

 

No.

 

I'm in snow from early October 'til late April (Polar Circle, etc.)... never complained. done some mild offroad (soft dirt, the kind that buries the car up to the diff into). never complained either. of course I'm careful. it's not gonna be a car to withstand heavy offroad on a daily basis unless modded from A to Z. but for what it was meant to do, the Escape does it amazingly well, and still retains the feeling of an urban car when you need it.
if you want to do mud-diving or climbing sharp rocks, I'd say forget the Escape, get a CJ5 and mod that. but AFAIK, there are other mods that an Escape would need as well to be able to do what a true 4x4 does. suspension, reinforcements, tires, rims, the whole nine yards. maybe it's just me but when I'm looking under my car I keep telling myself there's no way I would cross a creek with rocks on the bottom with it.
to conclude, Escape has good mileage and keeps you out of trouble when the s*** hits the fan. you can even improve that with synth lube (both tranny and engine) and a good air filter (K&N). but the great outdoors, no, I don't think it'd be a wise idea.