A Bofy Mopar Map Light Harness on 2040-parts.com

2013 Ford Escape can tow 3,500 pounds with EcoBoost engine

The 2013 Ford Escape, which we saw at the Detroit auto show in January, will have a towing capacity of 3,500 pounds when equipped with the 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine, Ford said on Wednesday. That number easily bests four-cylinder-equipped competitors such as the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Kia Sportage and the Acura RDX. Ford says the new engine will make enough power to pull two jet skis down to the lake with a trailer, or to drag a snowmobile to the frozen tundra.

BMW to offer rear-wheel drive X3 SUV

Most BMW X3s spend a negligible amount of time off road - apart from crunching across Middle England's gravel driveways - so BMW has seen fit to release a version that ditches the all-paw capacity and reverts to classic rear-wheel drive. While it's still going to be some way from a classic rear-drive Ultimate Driving Machine, the X3 sDrive18d is the cheapest and most economical way into X3 ownership. You'll be able to get your hands on one from £28,580 when it arrives in the UK in the autumn of 2012.

Eight places to be this Memorial Day weekend, an AW list

Most people spend Memorial Day Weekend in the backyard, at a local beach or stuck in traffic. That's all well and good, but you, AutoWeek reader, are not most people. Where you should be this weekend: 1.