My $0.20:
1) The Escape has more payload than most CUVs.
2) Aftermarket hitches are available for up to 500 pounds tongue weight
3) Traveling solo should make staying under GVWR achievable, as long as the car is packed smart and the trailer is setup correctly.
4) Exceeding GCWR may make the car work harder, and fuel economy will be way worse, but if you stay under GVWR and the trailer has good brakes, GCWR is hardly a safety rating. Lower you expectations (i.e. travel at 55 instead of 75MPH) then traveling over GCWR isn't the end of the world.
5) Frontal area is a killer, but a good trailer profile can mitigate some of that.
6) One of my customers (when I was running a Napa AutoCare) towed a 18' full-size TT with her 2010 Escape hybrid. She had a proper hitch receiver and wiring. She was 5x her tow rating (maybe more), but she LOVED the way it towed, including pulling in the hills. After the first couple oil changes, we moved back to the regular Ford recommended oil change intervals every 10,000 miles because at 7500 miles the oil still looked brand new.
