Patriot X1 vs Ford Escape

What's the difference?

Over the past 12 months, some of the most significant names in camper-trailers have fallen victim to their own success. Ultimate Campers, one of the most interesting and (previously) desirable camping products was placed in voluntary administration and bailed out, while Kimberley Kampers, always the pinnacle of off-road camper design, still has a very uncertain future, if one at all. 

But amongst all that, here is Patriot Campers, an Aussie company essentially building $40,000 to $60,000 soft-floor camper-trailers and flourishing where others are failing. 

So what’s so good about them, and are they really worth all that money?

We might have been excited to see the new generation Ford Ranger and Ford Everest models in 2022, but the real star of the show for the Blue Oval brand could well be this - its first electrified model to make it to Australia, the new Ford Escape PHEV.

If you’ve seen the letters PHEV before and not understood what it meant, don’t stress - you’re not alone. It stands for Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicle. And what that means is that this car comes with a battery bank and electric motor, a port to plug it in and recharge it to drive on EV power only, and it also has a petrol engine to make sure you’re not stuck when you run out of charge.

I’ll run through all the details on the drivetrain below, but think of it this way - if you want a Toyota RAV4 Hybrid but want the possibility to drive on dedicated electric power for up to (and in excess of) 50 kilometres on a charge, this could be the right car for you…