Less busy than before, the Escape’s interior is perilously close to inattentive. (Ford and Mazda were once cozy, but not like this.) There are more than a few similarities shared with Mazda too, especially in the rear quarters and in profile. We see a little Tesla Model 3 in the Escape’s nose, which steers away from the typical 1,000-yard stare into something that’s a little friendlier. Ford offers a pixelated, trucky crossover on the Escape’s bones, but calls it a Bronco Sport instead. It’s softer and more car-like, a right turn away from contemporaries such as the Toyota RAV4 that have gone blocky like old Atari. The Escape’s clean shape has worn well since it was new last year. It’s a 7 on our style scale the old-fashioned way: on exterior appearances alone. The inside is a little plainer, less expressive, and more restrained. The 2021 Escape looks best where it counts the most, and by that we mean the outside. The Ford Escape is assembled in Louisville, Kentucky. The Escape Titanium clocks in close to $40,000, where its value falls down. We’d opt for an SE or SE Sport at close to $30,000 for the best value. It’s available on more trim levels this year and eligible for a federal tax credit or local incentives, where applicable.Įvery Escape is comfortable and easy to drive, and equipped with automatic emergency braking and active lane control along with a stellar crash-test scorecard.īase versions cost about $26,000 and are roomy-but also leave plenty of room for improvement. It's rated the same as the hybrid, about 41 mpg combined, but only drives the front wheels via the CVT. The Escape Plug-in Hybrid pairs the same 2.5-liter inline-4 with a much bigger 14.4-kwh lithium-ion battery that can power the crossover on electricity alone for up to 37 miles. It returns up to 41 mpg combined, according to the EPA, and in the Escape SE Sport, it becomes a stone-cold steal for crossover shoppers looking for efficiency who don’t want to wear green on their sleeves. Its performance metric is measured more in confidence: there’s more passing speed and more power to tap for mountain-state buyers.Ī 2.5-liter inline-4 pairs to a small battery in Escape Hybrid models and drives the front or all four wheels via a continuously variable automatic transmission (CVT). It drives the front wheels as standard but can shuttle power toward the rears for all-weather traction.Ī meatier 250-hp turbo-4 is on the menu that powers all four wheels via the same 8-speed automatic. Under the hood is a smorgasbord of powertrain possibilities, beginning with a small 181-horsepower turbo-3 that pairs to an 8-speed automatic transmission. The 2021 Escape is available in S, SE, SE Sport, SEL, and Titanium trim levels. A hybrid powertrain is now available on more trims and a plug-in hybrid launched late last year returns again this year. The Escape takes a year off after its initial splash last year. Among the highlights: a perfect safety score and exceptional value in lower trims. Its 7.0 TCC Rating indicates that it’s very good for a new car that costs about $30,000 in our recommended SE or SE Sport trim.
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