Ford Escape 2021 review

Let’s talk design

The new-generation Ford Escape is longer that the previous model at 4616mm end-to-end, wider at 2178mm across and shorter in height at 1680mm tall.

More importantly for Ford it looks nothing like the last one. Which is a good thing, because Ford says the previous model didn’t sell well because it didn’t look as modern as some of its rivals.

Well, there’s nothing old looking about this new-generation Escape… apart from the interior. Yes, I’m afraid, it seems as though the designers spent all their time and money on the exterior and not enough on the cabin.

Still, the materials feel high quality and even this entry grade Escape’s interior has a premium look. I also like the small touches such as the textures in the doors.

And the seats might not be upholstered leather or even an artificial version of it, but these cloth ones look and feel good while being supportive and comfortable over long journeys.

How practical is the space inside?

The Ford Escape is a five-seater and despite its sleek exterior looks space inside is impressively good.

Rear leg- and headroom is excellent. Even at 191cm tall I can sit behind my driving position with plenty of room to move thanks to the ‘’scooped-out’ design of the front seat backs.

Cabin storage is great up front with super-sized door pockets, three cupholders and a big centre console box, while those in the rear have two cupholders, but tiny door pockets.

For phones, tablets and other devices all grades come with four USB ports (two type-A and two type-C). There’s the wireless phone charger up front and two 12V power outlets.

As a parent who fastens a child into their car seat at least twice a day, I found it frustrating that the Escape’s rear doors didn’t open as wide as a Mazda CX-5’s to give me more space. But the Escape made up for that with standard features such as directional air vents in the back and a proximity key which meant just touching the door handle locks or unlocks the car.

That second row rolls on rails and locks into place and this means boot space can be contracted or expanded between 412 litres and 526 litres.

The Escape’s boot has low load lip which means you don’t have to throw your bags high to get them over the top like you’re staging a prison breakout.

What are the Escape’s safety features?

The Escape was given the maximum five-star ANCAP rating in 2020 but this was under 2019 standards from the European testing that year. This is a reminder, too, that when a car maker says their vehicle has a five-star safety rating you should always check to see which year the score is for, because full marks in 2019 is different from a top score in 2020.

This shouldn’t put you off as all grades of the Escape come with an outstanding level of standard safety tech such as AEB with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane keeping assistance, adaptive cruise control, adaptive cruise control, blind spot warning with cross traffic alert and traffic sign recognition.

Front and rear parking sensors are also standard across the range, so is a reversing camera and auto headlights.

For child seats there are two ISOFIX points and three top tether mounts across the second row.

A space saver spare wheel is under the boot floor.

What’s under the bonnet?

The Escape has the most grunty engine in pretty much this entire segment. We’re talking 183kW of power and 387Nm of torque. How much is that? Well, V8s in the ’90s used to make this kind of mumbo and this is a 2.0-litre four-cylinder petrol, with a turbo of course.

The transmission is an eight-speed automatic and the entry grade Escape is front-wheel drive. If you’re looking for an all-wheel drive version of the Escape you’ll need to step up to the ST-Line or Vignale.