I generally agree that foreign cars are better but I’ve owned two Fords over the last sixteen years and their performance has been very satisfying. I got ten years out of my Explorer and then downsized to an Escape which I’ve driven for the last six. It’s truly odd that virtually all my union loving liberal friends drive cars that aren’t built by the UAW.
The best evidence of this can be found when you compare identical vehicles that are built by the same manufacturer but have different brand names. I remember a Consumer Reports or Car & Driver rating of SUVs back in the early 1990s, for example, where they rated the Ford Explorer "Average" and the Mazda Navajo "Superior" even though the Navajo was built by Ford and was identical to the Explorer in every way except a minor difference in the front grille.
The Escape (XLT or higher) is a nice midsize SUV. So far no complaints. Of course not the first model year, but it’s been real good. Handles well. Hauls what I need to.