The Ford Escape, and its compact CUV rivals including the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4 and Chevrolet Equinox, have taken the place of station wagons and family sedans for many families, seniors and singles. For the’ 23 model year, Ford gussies up the lineup and adds a plug-in hybrid to try to wrest some market share from its rivals and keep the customers it has in this down market for auto sales.
The Escape rides on a flexible architecture developed by Ford that underpins the 5-door CUV as well as the Bronco Sport, Maverick small pickup and Lincoln Corsair. That architecture allows Ford to tinker with the length and width of the track, as well as the ride height in order to adapt it for an array of vehicles.
The current Escape launched in 2019 as a ’20 model, and has become Ford’s fourth best-selling nameplate. The list of changes in this midcycle refresh includes:
- Addition of an ST trim, which includes new shock suspension tuning that matches the European version, as well as red striping accents in the interior and a flat-bottom steering wheel.
- The elimination of SE and SEL trims in favor of Base and Activ, and a change from Titanium trim to Platinum trim.
- Power liftgate is standard throughout the line.
- Addition of SYNC 4 infotainment.
- Available rear-seat adjustment of up to 6 ins. (152 mm).
- Addition of a PHEV model that allows for 37 miles (60 km) of range on a full charge.
- Available 13.2-in. (34-cm) center screen, which has a wider, more horizontal layout than the current model.
- Available 360-degree camera and Co-Pilot.
- Available intelligent adaptive cruise control with Stop-and-Go Lane Centering and Speed-Sign Recognition.
- Ford Power-Up over-the-air software updates
Starting prices for the ’23 Escape range from $28,995 for the Base trim up to $39,995 for the PHEV.
Built at Ford’s Louisville, KY, plant, Escape sales are off more than 2% year-to-date through September at 109,000. That is quite a deficit compared with RAV4’s 303,000, CR-V’s 179,000 and Equinox’s 163,000, according to company data. Ford officials point out that the picture looks better if you combine Escape sales with those of Bronco Sport and Maverick. On the other hand, those same executives don’t much like it when GM combines Chevrolet Silverado and GMC Sierra sales to compare against those of Ford F-150.
Ford’s strategy of offering distinctive vehicles on the Escape platform makes sense. The Escape, say Ford executives, is the ideal urban CUV for its size, handling and all-around utility. The Bronco Sport, with a look meant to reflect its Bronco imagery, has a higher ride height and wider track, making it better suited to weekend adventurers who need to drive off-road to get to their rivers, streams and campsites.
The upgraded Escape has four engines to choose from:
- 1.5L EcoBoost, which produces 181 hp/184 lb.-ft. (250 Nm) torque.
- 2.0L EcoBoost, 250 hp/280 lb.-ft. torque (380 Nm).
- 2.5L hybrid, 199 hp.
- 2.5L plug-in hybrid, 210 hp.
Ford believes the new ST will represent 50% of Escape volume next year, while it is planning for the PHEV and HEV trims to represent 20%-25% combined.
Escape brand manager Adrian Zasky says “authenticity” is what the compact CUV buyer is looking for. That marketing-speak aside, the appeal of the new Escape, compared with rivals, especially those from Toyota and Honda, has been styling, utility and price. The AWD/HEV package, for example, has been very useful and appealing with a real-world 39 mpg (6.0 L/100 km) performance, especially while gas prices have been bouncing between $3.75 and $5.50 the past two years.
With the new upgrades, the ’23 Escape should continue to be a cornerstone of Ford’s showroom and a worthy stablemate to Maverick and Bronco Sport to maximize the profitability of the engineering platform.
