2020 Ford Escape Review: Good Enough to Beat the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4?
Perhaps more important: Will it be enough to make up for the loss of almost every car in the lineup?
LOUISVILLE, Kentucky—With Ford preparing for a post-car lineup in America—only the Mustang has been spared—the Dearborn manufacturer needs to have an offering ready for buyers spurned by its dramatic strategy shift. In other words, Ford must get the next-generation 2020 Escape right if it wants to retain consumers looking for an update to their Focus, Fusion, or even Taurus.
0:00 / 0:00
At the first-drive event, we spent the most time in a 2020 Ford Escape Titanium, rather than an SEL trim, in order to sample a fully loaded vehicle. It was painted Magnetic Metallic and rode on 19-inch machined aluminum wheels. The bodywork looked upscale, and with the quad-style LED headlights, a few other writers attending the event muttered that it looked a little bit like a Porsche Macan, as if this was a bad thing. Ford kept the dual-exit exhaust from the previous-generation model, which helps create an appearance that, on looks, promises a sporty drive.
Beneath the hood was the EcoBoost turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder, the most potent option available in the Escape range. The engine is so smooth that you hardly feel any vibration during normal operation. It makes a fairly throaty rumble at full throttle, offering some gratification for those attempting to drive the crossover with a little enthusiasm.
The engine's 250 horsepower and 280 lb-ft of torque proved to be ample to move the AWD-equipped car off the line. The Ford-developed eight-speed automatic transmission does good work to shuffle through the gears during moderate driving and to provide positive upshifts under harder acceleration, but when called upon to kick down, it occasionally hunts for gears. This Escape also featured vague, overly boosted steering feel and a hypersensitive brake pedal, dampening our enthusiasm a bit. Indeed, Ford routed us through some fantastic backcountry roads in the Louisville area, and rather than highlight the vehicle's abilities, they instead showcased its weaknesses.
The steering rack had noticeable play around center, with responses initiated only after maybe five degrees of lock. It then became oversensitive within the next few degrees, with further input delivering much more normal responses. On curvy roads, even when traveling at or at less than the speed limit, it was difficult to traverse a bend smoothly without making several corrections. The suspension, which uses passive damping, offers a comfortable ride and does well to keep body roll in check, although the otherwise comfortable seats could use a bit more lateral support.
Likewise, braking response is aggressive at the top of pedal travel, but overall feel is vague. It added a further layer of difficulty when attempting to wind through Kentucky's hills with confidence. Owners may get used to the odd calibrations, but every corner seemed to entail jerky braking and continuous trajectory corrections. The steering calibration, at least, will be useful for arrow-straight highway cruises in that it won't feel nervous.
