Used Ford Escape review: 2020-2023
By David Morley · 14 Jul 2026
Ford’s Escape SUV has had a bit of a chequered past in terms of how it was marketed and what it represented. But, fundamentally, the version we saw launched here in 2020 as the fourth-gen Escape (the ZH model in Ford-speak) was more or less a third-generation Ford Kuga, engineered in Germany and built in Spain.Confused? Wait till you see the model line-up. Ford went against years of tradition by dumping established names such as Ambiente and Trend and kicked the new Escape off with the model simply badged FWD (front-wheel drive). From there, the range flowed through the ST-Line FWD and ST-Line AWD (all-wheel drive), then the rather grandly named Vignale (Ford picked up the Vignale badge as part of its buyout of De Tomaso in the 1970s) in both FWD and AWD forms.And shortly after the initial launch, Ford followed up with a model dubbed ST-Line PHEV which, as the name suggests, featured a plug-in hybrid driveline and was front-wheel drive.The vehicle itself was a five-seat mid-sized SUV that was actually pretty sporty to look at and, even in entry-level form, provided pretty stunning performance thanks to a racy driveline. All variants apart form the PHEV used a 2.0-litre petrol engine with a turbocharger for a rather stirring 183kW of power and lots of torque. Both FWD and AWD versions used the same eight-speed conventional automatic transmission.The PHEV was the odd-one-out, with its normally aspirated 2.5-litre four-cylinder engine and electric motor accounting for 167kW and driving through a continuously variable transmission (CVT).Far and away the biggest compliment the Escape gets is for its performance. That torquey turbo motor puts out plenty of power, meaning performance is pretty impressive as a result. So, if a mid-sized SUV with five seats and some decent straight-line stomp is what you’re after, then the Escape is indeed very possibly what you’re looking for.Beyond that, however, the Escape is a bit me-too and kind of disappeared into a sea of similarly sized, similarly priced SUVs from literally dozens of carmakers.The Escape doesn’t have a perfect reliability record, but it is better than the model it replaced. It’s still a pretty complex piece of machinery, though, so there are a few things to check before buying. A complete service record is also crucial to long-term reliability, as it is with any make or model.The news here is better than for previous Escapes, but still not perfect. That’s mainly because the old EcoBoost 2.0-litre engine was known for catastrophic failures and engine fires due to a flawed basic design. That engine had too little sealing surface area on the head gasket which meant that coolant could leak into the cylinders. When that happened, the engine could overheat to the point of causing a fire, or simply destroy itself in the process.But post-2020 versions of the engine used a more robust crankcase design that eliminated that problem.But the hybrid Escape wasn’t so lucky and has experienced problems with its high-voltage battery which could present a fire risk if it was one of the ones that had an inbuilt flaw in its construction. If you were unlucky enough to buy one of those (and there was no way to tell in the showroom) the flaw could have produced an internal short-circuit that may have caused a fire or complete battery failure down the track. The advice from Ford to owners of these cars was to not charge the battery beyond 80 per cent and to only drive in EV Auto mode until the car could be checked (see recalls section).Aside from that, the Escape has also been known to suffer cracked exhaust manifolds (which mounts the turbocharger) and premature fuel pump failures. Some owners have also experienced carbon build up in the engine’s valves. The Escape’s engine uses direct-injection so the valves are not `rinsed’ off by the fuel as it’s injected into the engine. A build up of carbon is often the result, but to be fair, this is not a Ford-specific thing and many other makes and models are similarly affected.Like a lot of complex vehicles, the Escape has had its share of safety recalls for owners to deal with. For the full story, you can check out https://www.vehiclerecalls.gov.au/ and search for this model, but in the meantime, here’s a thumbnail look at those recalls.The first was for early examples which may have had a fault in the engine-bay airflow management system. Shutters under the nose of the car that were designed to open and close as necessary may not have opened when they should have, and that posed a fire risk if there had been a fuel or oil spill at the same time.A batch of 2021-built cars were recalled to check the bonding of the glass panel of the panoramic sunroof which could detach at speed.PHEV Escapes built until 2024 were recalled to check for a manufacturing fault that could have led to a fire if the engine suddenly blew up (literally). Equally seriously, a batch of 2021 cars were recalled to check for excess play in the steering which could have led to steering failure if unchecked. The Escape was also recalled to check the reversing camera system which could glitch out and leave the screen blank when drivers most needed the system.Then there was the high-voltage battery problem we’ve already touched on. Apparently, a manufacturing flaw in the battery itself could lead to thermal runaway and an intense fire. It’s hard to imagine any Escape PHEV not having been checked for this problem by now, but it’s still worth making sure. You can do that at a Ford dealership.Like a lot of cars, Ford gradually worked the bugs out of the Escape, so the best one now (and the one least affected by recall notices) is a late-model example. The later the build date, the better, more bug-free the car is likely to be.You’ll see the odd Escape for sale with more than 160,000km, but that will definitely be in the minority. Most for sale now have travelled closer to 100,000km or even less, suggesting there’s plenty of life left in them. There are even a few for sale online that are showing super-low mileage, suggesting they may actually be leftover demonstrator models, even though the Escape officially left showrooms back at the end of 2024.As a car ages, the difference between the cheapest and most expensive variants when brand new starts to shrink dramatically. With that in mind, the Vignale is the one to look for now. Do you really need an all-wheel-drive Escape when a front drive will do the job? Not really, but the all-wheel-drive option helps tame that feisty little engine’s power delivery and gives a safety margin on most road surfaces, wet or dry.The one we’d avoid would be the PHEV. Aside from the longer list of potential faults, it just never seemed as resolved or sorted as a modern PHEV should have been. And you’ll be missing out on that ripper little turbo motor which is clearly the highlight of the entire car.Prices start at about $15,000 for cars in good condition and with relatively low kilometres showing. You’ll be buying a front-drive car for that sort of money, although you might get lucky and spot an all-wheel-drive version for under $20,000.A high-spec all-wheel-drive, late-model Escape is yours for about $30,000 or more, and should have fewer than 50,000km on its odometer. The best value is probably somewhere between those two extremes, and look for a car with some factory warranty remaining. That’s great peace of mind.Ford has one of the biggest dealer networks in Australia and, thanks to the long history of Ford vehicles in this country, many of those are situated in regional areas. As such, repair and service parts should never really be a problem, even though the Escape is something of an orphan in this market.Parts are readily available through traditional retailers and there’s good online support, too. Servicing can also be handled by any decent independent workshop which should also be able to stamp the service handbook to protect any remaining new-car warranty.The Escape was largely overlooked by buyers, mainly because the mid-sized SUV market was, and is, such a crowded space. Plenty of competition from other established badges such as Mazda, Toyota and Nissan, as well as the march of the Chinese brands, meant that the Escape was ignored by many.The result was that, even in its best year (2020) Ford sold just over 2000 Escapes; a long way short of the 35,000 sales recorded by the Toyota RAV 4 the same year. And that’s why even the big online sales sites now have less than 100 ZH Escapes for sale right now.
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