They both came from the same manufacturer but they possess different features and offer different packages. So now let us take a look at their individual praiseworthy aspects and shortcomings to see which one is right for you. We had rated them on a scale of 1-10 with 1 being the lowest and 10 being the highest, according to how they make an impact on each SUV.
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PROS AND CONS
Ford Escape
Pros
- Plenty of standard driver assistance features
- Two rows of adult-friendly seats
- User-friendly infotainment system
- Excellent reliability rating
- Impressive handling and comfy ride
Cons
- Mediocre interior materials
- Eight-speed transmission does not always find the correct gear
New for 2020
- Completely redesigned
Ford EcoSport
Pros
- Impressive maneuverability
- Substantial cargo space
- Optional infotainment system has lots of features
Cons
- Standard tech features are few
- A bit stiff ride
- Slow acceleration
- Limited driver visibility
New for 2020
- Modified exterior styling
- Power-adjustable driver’s seat is not standard anymore in SE trim
RATINGS
Ford Escape
- Price: $24,885 – $33,400 (depending on the trim)
- Scorecard: 8.2 Overall
- Critics’ rating: 7.3
- Performance: 7.9
- Interior: 7.5
- Safety: 9.9
- Reliability: 4.5 out of 5
Ford EcoSport
- Price:$19,995 – $29,075 (depending on the trim)
- Scorecard: N/A
- Critics’ rating: 3.7
- Performance: 4.7
- Interior: 6.3
- Safety: N/A
- Reliability: N/A
PERFORMANCE
Ford Escape
Escape Engine: Enjoy an EcoBoost
The Ford Escape comes standard with a 108-horsepower four-cylinder EcoBoost turbocharged engine. There is an available 250-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine. Both engines offer a lot of power for everyday driving, and they aid the Escape to carry out quick acceleration. But the turbo-four feels way more peppy compared to the entry level engine.
Escape Gas Mileage: Excellent Ratings (with the Base Engine, at Least)
The Escape earns better gas mileage compared to its peers with its entry level engine. It received ratings of 27 mpg in the city and 33 mpg on the highway. For differentiation, rivals like the Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V earned the following ratings:
Toyota RAV4 – 26 mpg in the city and 35 mpg on the highway
Honda CR-V – 26 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway
The Escape models with the four-cylinder engine and all-wheel drive earns 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway.
Escape Ride and Handling: Lots to Like
The Escape is undeniably one of the most fun-to-drive vehicles in the compact SUV class. It will not surpass the Mazda CX-5 in that aspect, however, the Escape feels planted around turns, features sharp steering, and does not have a great deal of lean. It mostly absorbs road imperfections well and also rides comfortably.
Escape Towing and Hauling
The Escape can tow up to 3,500 pounds when properly equipped.
Ford EcoSport
EcoSport Performance: Not Much Eco or Sport
EcoSport Engine
The Ecosport comes standard with a 123-horsepower turbocharged 1.0-liter three-cylinder engine. This engine offers sufficient power for commuting around town, however, it is having difficulty carrying a full load of passengers and cargo, and acceleration is slow. Buyers will probably choose the available naturally aspirated 166 horsepower 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine as it carries out quicker acceleration. Both engines are partnered with a slick-shifting six-speed automatic transmission.
EcoSport Gas Mileage
There has not been any ratings released yet for the 2021 Ecosport. But the identical base 2020 Ecosport earns an EPA-estimated 27 mpg in the city and 29 mpg on the highway. With the upgraded engine, it goes down by 4 mpg in the city.
EcoSport Ride and Handling
The EcoSport is one of the easiest small SUVs to maneuver around turns and through dense city streets thanks to its responsive steering and small size. But its ride is rough over broken pavement, and it can get noisy inside. While the front-wheel is standard with the three-cylinder engine, the all-wheel on the other hand, is available with the four-cylinder engine.
EcoSport Towing Capacity
When properly equipped, the EcoSport can tow up to 2,000 pounds.
Verdict:
The Escape’s base engine may be a little weaker compared to the EcoSport, but it does not make it less, because it has redeeming features like excellent mileage ratings and available powerful engines.
SAFETY
Ford Escape
Escape Crash Test Results
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration has given the Escape an overall safety rating of five out of five stars, with five stars in the frontal and side crash tests and four stars in the rollover test.
The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety dubbed the 2020 Escape a Top Safety Pick, giving it the highest rating of Good in six crash tests. All except the Titanium trim got the second-lowest rating of Marginal for how well the headlights illuminate the road ahead. Titanium models earned the second-highest rating of Acceptable.
The IIHS used a different scale to assess the collision avoidance features. It has given this Ford the highest rating of Superior for the effectiveness of its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian and vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention systems. Some models got a mid level rating of Advanced for the pedestrian avoidance category.
Escape Safety Features
Standard driver assistance features include rear cross traffic alert, blind spot monitoring, curve control, driver drowsiness monitoring, lane keep assist, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, and rearview camera. A lot of these features are part of Ford’s Co-Pilot 360 suite of tech. The Escape also comes standard with MyKey, which allows you to do things like set speed and audio volume limits for other drivers.
Available active safety features include adaptive cruise control, a head-up display, evasive steering assist, rear parking sensors, lane centering assist, and parallel and perpendicular park assist.
Ford EcoSport
EcoSport Crash Test Results
The National Highway Traffic safety Administration has given the 2021 EcoSport an overall safety rating of four out of five stars. It obtained five stars in the side crash test and four stars in the frontal crash test. The Front-wheel-drive Ecosport earned three stars in the rollover test, and the all-wheel-drive model received four stars.
As of now, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety has not crash tested the 2021 EcoSport.
EcoSport Safety Features
Standard advanced safety features:
- MyKey, allows you to do things like set speed and audio volume limits for other drivers
- Rearview camera
Available advanced safety features:
- Fog lights
- Rear cross traffic alert
- Rear parking sensors
- Blind spot monitoring
- Rain-sensing windshield wipers
Verdict:
The Escape has excellent safety ratings, while the EcoSport has been rated as good. Although the Escape comes standard with a bunch of safety features, the EcoSport offers much more available advanced features.
INTERIOR
Ford Escape
How many people can occupy the Escape?
The Escape seats five people. Drivers can enjoy excellent visibility, and both rows of seats are comfy and supportive. The real highlight, though, is the available space. Tall adults can sit comfortably in the back, even if another taller person is sitting up front.
Escape and Child Car Seats
The Escape comes with two full sets of LATCH car-seat connectors.
Escape Interior Quality
The cabin of the Escape does not lack space, however, it will leave some wanting more quality. At first glance, it seems like there are a lot of soft-touch materials. There are plenty of hard plastics as well, which is especially apparent from the rear seats even in the higher trims. Overall, the interior quality is not significantly poor for the class, but it is not impressive either.
Escape Cargo Space
The Escape offers you more cargo space compared to many of its peers. It has 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats and 65.4 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down.
Escape Infotainment, Bluetooth, and Navigation
The 2020 Escape comes standard with the SYNC system with a 4.2-inch display, a USB port, and a six-speaker audio system. Available features include the SYNC 3 infotainment system with an 8-inch touch screen, a moonroof, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, satellite radio, a Wi-Fi hot spot, and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system.
It is worth upgrading to at least the SE trim to get the SYNC 3 infotainment system. The interface is easy to understand, and the touch screen responds quickly to user inputs. There are physical controls for a number of functions as well, and everything is within reach of the driver.
Ford EcoSport
Ecosport Interior: Acceptable on Space but Lacks Features
Ecosport Cargo Space
The EcoSport has arguably one of the largest cargo capacities in the class. This small crossover has 20.9 cubic feet of cargo space behind the back row and 50 cubic feet once the 60/40-split-folding rear seats are folded. This subcompact SUV comes with a cargo door that opens to the side. Shoppers must check out this feature first before buying the EcoSport to ensure it suits their needs.
How many people can occupy the EcoSport?
There is a seating for up to five people in the Ecosport, however, it will be a struggle to comfortably seat more than four average-sized adults at once. The rear seats are positioned upright, which may cause difficulty for passengers to find a comfortable seating position. Visibility is limited due to thick roof pillars and narrow windows.
Ecosport and Child Car Seats
The Ecosport comes with two complete sets of LATCH connectors on the rear outboard seats and a tether anchor for the rear middle seat.
Ecosport Interior Quality
The EcoSports’s interior quality is common for an affordable subcompact SUV, and it has attractive styling. But rivals like the Hyundai Kona boast higher-quality cabin materials.
EcoSport Infotainment, Bluetooth, and Navigation
The standard SYNC infotainment system has a small display and no advanced smartphone integration tech. Experts recommend the upgraded SYNC 3 infotainment system, which is offered in every trim but the base. This system has a touch screen that is much larger compared to the base display, and it includes Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Its touch controls are responsive and easy to use. In addition, there are convenient physical knobs on the control panel that make it easy to adjust audio and climate settings.
Standard infotainment features: six speakers, a 4.2-inch display, two USB ports, and a Wi-Fi hot spot.
Available infotainment features: an 8-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay, android Auto, satellite radio, HD Radio, a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system, navigation, and a seven-speaker audio system
Other available features: proximity keyless entry, push-button start, a moonroof, automatic climate control, and ambient lighting
Verdict:
While the Escape may offer comfort and maneuverability as well as a number of infotainment system features, the EcoSport can offer great cargo and passenger space.
RELIABILITY
Ford Escape
Is the Ford Escape Reliable?
The 2020 Ford Escape has an excellent predicted reliability rating of 4.5 out of five from J.D. Power.
Ford Escape Warranty
Ford covers the Escape with a three year or 36,000 mile limited warranty and a five year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.
Ford EcoSport
Is the EcoSport Reliable?
The 2021 Ford EcoSport doesn’t have any predicted reliability rating yet.
Ford EcoSport Warranty
The 2021 EcoSport is covered with a three year or 36,000 mile basic warranty and a five year or 60,000 mile powertrain warranty.
Verdict:
They both have the same warranty coverage from Ford. The only setback of the EcoSport is that it does not have any predicted reliability ratings yet.
Should you Buy a New or Used Ford Escape?
Ford fully revamped the Escape for 2020, so finding a used model from the same generation is less likely to happen. For many shoppers, the new Ford Escape has sufficient updates to make it worth buying instead of a used model from the previous generation. A bunch of driver assistance features are now standard for 2020, including driver drowsiness monitoring, blind spot monitoring, forward collision, and automatic emergency braking.
The 2020 Escape has a new powertrain lineup, too. For 2020, the Escape comes standard with a 180-horsepower turbocharged three-cylinder engine, replacing the 2019’s 168-horsepower naturally aspirated four-cylinder.
Ford EcoSport
Should you buy the Ford EcoSport?
Experts do not recommend purchasing the Ford EcoSport. A couple of competitors are just as good as the EcoSport in terms of navigating the city streets, and most offer much more. The Kia Soul, for example, is more roomier, while the Hyundai Kona comes with a more potent engine and more standard features.