Every vehicle has a name. But the names that matter most are the ones we lovingly give the vehicles that make an impact in our lives.
Our Ford owner, Chantal Poitras-Magee, has always named her vehicles. There was Bessie, a hand-me-down Ford Escape she got from her husband, Todd. And then there was her second, a blue Escape, aptly named Blue. This story is about a 2016 Escape named Dolores.
It began with a chance visit to her local Ford Store. The Ruby Red Escape had just come off the vehicle transporter and with one look – the panoramic roof and the new SYNC system – Chantal fell in love. “I bought it that day,” Chantal says. So how did a Ruby Red Escape become Dolores? Inspired by the ruby slippers from the Wizard of Oz, “Dorothy” came out as “Dolores”. The name stuck.
A perfect match.
Chantal is a mother of three, a nurse practitioner in an intensive care unit and a medic at the local Forces base. So she has to keep going. Chantal adds, “Like a fighter in mixed martial arts, you just don’t go down or it will just pile on.”
“My truck is my go-to, a best friend in my day,” Chantal says. Like Chantal, Dolores the Escape never quits… In the snow… On rough roads… The reliability is incomparable. Taking care of her is easy: regular maintenance at her local Ford store, fill-ups, car washes and vacuuming. Lots and lots of vacuuming.
With three kids, it can look like a candy store threw up in the back seat. Cookie crumbs. Crackers. Spilled drinks. Yet, the interior cleans up easily. A damp cloth and a vacuum and, in Chantal’s words, “It looks brand new all over again.”
Day to day, there are three features Chantal can’t live without: SYNC 3, the panoramic glass roof and the plug in the back seat.
Cleans up nicely and listens, too.
“I use my SYNC every day. It’s my very favourite feature. It’s too easy use. It’s that easy. I can talk to my vehicle. I can text and call from the touch of a button. It’s all hands-free.”
A smooth suspension and a powerful engine can only smooth things out so much. To keep the backseat drivers calm on long road trips, the 115-V plug in the back seat is a dream. The games keep gaming and the movies keep moving. For Chantal and husband Todd, long drives are peacefully efficient.
To Chantal, the panoramic glass roof gives everyone a window seat. It’s something they’ll all share even when sharing isn’t the mood. When the day is winding down, a touch of a button lets in the air and releases the tension. And when the sun comes up, Chantal’s Escape keeps coming back for more.
“It’s hard not to understand why I love my vehicle. I have had three friends that have bought the new Ford. It absolutely sells itself.”
We thank Chantal, Todd, and their children, Alex, Reid and Mira, for letting us hang out with them. We’d love to hang out with you, too. Share your Ford story with us. And you could be next.