On a test drive, you’ll likely notice the improvements right away. Engineers took great efforts to eliminate road and wind noise, and sounds from under the hood—engine noise, vibration and harshness have been hushed. The feeling of tranquility never wanes, all the way up to and including highway speeds. Ford paid attention to various surfaces and touchpoints, and the Escape offers a much friendlier environment to interact with. Additionally, Ford’s SYNC infotainment system has been given a slicker interface and is noticeably quicker to respond. Anyone who found the older model a little small in the cargo area will be delighted by the commodious hold, and passenger room has been increased enough to make longer trips more comfortable.
The Ford Escape engine: What’s really inside this used car?
With the bar set relatively low by previous models, the newish 2020 Escape delivers an unmistakably more satisfying drive. Under the hood, the available hot-rod 2.0 four-cylinder turbo engine offers 250 horsepower, good for 0 to 100 km/h in less than six seconds. This engine runs just fine on regular-grade gas (like the rest of the Escape’s engines), though filling with premium high-octane gas can generate a little more power and torque.
The 1.5-litre three-cylinder is incredibly smooth and powerful for its size and makes a great noise when you give it the spurs. That’s an achievement, because three bangers usually give off vibrations more suited to a paint mixer coupled with weak power figures. The opposite is true in this case, and Ford’s little EcoBoost engine makes pretty much similar horsepower and torque as the turbo four in the Honda CR-V, for example. So, the 1.5-litre is smooth and refined but also stout and, unsurprisingly, it’s very efficient.
There’s more: Not only does the engine feature the now-familiar stop/start technology, but it can shut down one of its cylinders under cruising and light loads to save fuel. This process takes fractions of a second, meaning that the Escape still moves with more verve than you might expect.
Other engine choices included a 2.5-litre four-cylinder, and a hybrid-assisted version of that engine with slightly more power and improved fuel economy. Many owners appreciate the ride quality of their Escapes, which was very disciplined, smooth and comfortable. The all-wheel drive works without driver input, delivering the traction required for use in inclement weather and for tackling winter conditions common in much of Canada. Using a quality set of winter tires will dramatically improve the performance of the Escape’s AWD, braking and traction management systems in winter driving, allowing drivers to get the most out of the car’s weather-busting tech
Ford Escape issues to know about
The Escape has made significant gains in interior quality, but there’s still room for improvement. Take the interior door panels as an example. It seems as though Ford could have exerted a bit more effort on fitting and finishing the door panel trim, but this certainly isn’t a hill to die on.
The rotary shifter allows console space for a purse or what have you, but it feels a bit shaky and imprecise. And the placement of the ignition button—in the dashboard, to the right of and behind the steering, at an angle rather than facing the driver—felt like an afterthought at first, but you do get used to it.
What to look for when test-driving the Ford Escape
Open and close all of the doors multiple times, confirming that none fail to close with moderate force. Check all power windows for proper operation, too. If you note any trouble here, faulty spot welds may be to blame. According to a service message from Ford, some models from 2020 and 2021 may have a cracked or broken spot weld at the check arm attachment point in the door assembly, especially if the vehicle has been heavily used.