2020 Ford Escape vs 2020 Ford Edge

The 2020 Ford Escape presented itself as a very attractive compact crossover. It shared its large grille with the outgoing Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks, and the headlights took clear inspiration from the Ford GT supercar. The previous Escape had a more upright rear end, while the new, curvaceous design of the 2020 model came at a cost. Despite this, the Escape stood out as one of the best-looking small SUVs on the market, perhaps only behind the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee.

Inside, the Escape revealed a fantastic, modern cabin that didn’t stray too far into the futuristic. The design was forward-looking, yet it kept the basic controls intuitive and easy to find. Our test model featured a fully digital instrument panel, a floating infotainment screen, and a smooth, modern design throughout.

The 2020 Escape came in several trims: S, SE, SE Sport, SEL, and Titanium. The base S trim featured 17-inch steel wheels with plastic covers, a 4.2-inch instrument-panel screen, three 12-volt power outlets, manually adjustable front seats, and Sync infotainment with a 4.2-inch screen in the center console. The SE trim added painted aluminum wheels, tinted side- and rear windows, a chrome grille surround, and other amenities like automatic climate control and heated front seats.

The SE Sport trim had black-painted wheels and sporty touches like a black surround grille and black mirror caps, along with a 12.3-inch fully digital instrument panel and a hybrid drivetrain. The SEL added fog lamps, black roof racks, and 18-inch machined aluminum wheels. The range-topping Titanium trim had unique 19-inch wheels, LED fog lamps, a massive dual-panel moonroof, handsome wood paneling, a two-tone leather interior, and a premium B&O audio system.

In comparison, the 2020 Ford Edge carried a design update from 2019 but maintained its overall look since its second-generation debut in 2015. This made it seem a touch dated compared to competitors from Honda and Toyota, which tend to redesign their vehicles every six years or so. Nevertheless, the styling update gave the Edge the impression of being a crossover version of the Fusion, sharing the sedan's angular headlights and large, trapezoidal grille.

Inside, the Edge showed signs of its age, with an overall layout that had minor updates since 2015. The center console featured small climate and radio controls, and the buttons were awkwardly arranged. However, the rotary shifter was a contemporary design cue and solved space issues.

Cabin quality was pretty good, featuring plenty of soft-touch materials and solid fit-and-finish. However, heavy use of hard plastics, especially around the center console, somewhat undermined these efforts.

The Edge came in SE, SEL, Titanium, and ST trims. The SE trim included a 10-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, satellite radio, WiFi hotspot, two USB ports, and remote keyless entry. The SEL trim added LED fog lights, heated side mirrors, and synthetic leather upholstery, among other features. The Titanium trim provided more upscale features like genuine leather upholstery, a 10-way power-adjustable front passenger seat, and a B&O by Bang & Olufsen 12-speaker sound system. The performance-focused ST trim had the same features as the Titanium but added a more powerful engine, standard AWD, and sportier styling.

The 2020 Ford Escape differentiated itself by offering four engine options, a rare move among small SUVs. The base engine was a 3-cylinder unit making 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, standard in the S, SE, and SEL trims.

The next step up was a turbocharged 2.0-liter 4-cylinder engine, available on the SEL and standard on the Titanium. This engine generated 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, making it the most powerful option in the lineup. Brisk acceleration was a hallmark of this powertrain.

Additionally, the Escape offered two hybrid setups. A 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine paired with a battery pack and electric power to generate 198 horsepower was standard on the SE Sport and available on the Titanium. There was also a plug-in hybrid variant available on the SE, SEL, and Titanium, offering even more flexibility. Conventional engines used an 8-speed automatic transmission, while hybrids came with a continuously variable transmission (CVT).

Our test vehicle, the Escape Titanium, came with the turbocharged 2.0-liter engine, offering a smooth driving experience and plenty of power, especially on the highway. The steering was direct and responsive, giving it an athletic feel uncommon in small SUVs.

In terms of fuel efficiency, the non-Sport hybrid was the most efficient, returning 44 mpg city, 37 highway, and 41 combined. The 1.5-liter turbo engine delivered 27/33/30 combined, while the 2.0-liter turbo with AWD in our test model returned 23/31/26.

The 2020 Ford Edge came standard with a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine, just like the Escape's Titanium trim, also making 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. Power was routed to the front wheels or available AWD through an eight-speed automatic transmission. This engine provided solid low-end acceleration perfect for city driving, although it struggled to find power at higher speeds, making highway acceleration just adequate.

The Edge ST featured a 2.7-liter EcoBoost V6 powertrain, producing a significant 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque, routed through an eight-speed automatic to standard AWD. This setup provided an engaging driving experience, especially once the revs got up. The steering was heavy, and cornering capabilities were impressive, particularly for a vehicle of its size. Sport mode amplified the driving experience by livening up throttle response and transmission mapping.

The 2020 Escape's sleeker design resulted in a trade-off in cargo space. Behind the second row, the Escape offered 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space, which dropped to 34.4 cubic feet in hybrid models. Folding the backseat provided 65.4 cubic feet of space or 60.8 cubic feet in upper-level trims. In comparison, the outgoing 2019 Escape had 68 cubic feet of cargo space, and rivals like the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, and Volkswagen Tiguan offered approximately 75 cubic feet.

Nonetheless, Ford focused on passenger space over cargo capacity. The second-row passengers enjoyed ample headroom and legroom, while front occupants had commanding seating positions with good visibility. Real-world storage solutions were plentiful, including deep water-bottle holders and multiple trays and compartments.

The 2020 Ford Edge excelled in cabin layout and comfort. The commanding view of the road, paired with plenty of cubbies and compartments, made it an ideal choice for commuting or road trips. Second-row head- and legroom were plentiful, ensuring that rear passengers did not lack comfort even with the front seats placed back.

The Edge provided 39.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats. Folding the 60/40 split-fold rear seats expanded this to 73.4 cubic feet, surpassing the Jeep Grand Cherokee (68.3) and Nissan Murano (67), though slightly behind the Honda Passport’s 77.9 cubic feet. SEL and Titanium trims added convenience with a hands-free foot-activated power rear liftgate.

In-car tech was no longer a luxury, but the base 2020 Escape had a disappointingly small 4.2-inch audio control screen. The SE trim upgraded this to an 8-inch Sync screen, which included Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Sync 3's latest version was intuitive and functional, allowing multitasking between apps.

The Titanium trim added a head-up display (HUD), but its small flip-up screen rather than a windshield projection limited the experience, especially for taller drivers who found it falling below their line of sight.

The 2020 Ford Edge offered a higher level of standard technology. All trims featured the SYNC 3 infotainment system with an 8-inch touchscreen, which was user-friendly. Apple CarPlay and Android Auto integration were standard, allowing users to bypass the need for in-built navigation by using their preferred apps. Optional voice-activated navigation was available on SEL and ST trims and standard on the Titanium, complete with five years of SiriusXM Traffic and Travel Link.

The Edge also came standard with two smart-charging USB ports and offered a semi-digital instrument panel on the SEL and ST, which was standard on the Titanium. An optional dual rear-seat entertainment system was available for all trims.

The 2020 Ford Escape came with a comprehensive suite of safety features, including front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, traction control, and a tire-pressure-monitoring system. It had not been tested by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), but it received the best overall score of Good from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) in all phases of testing.

Ford Co-Pilot360 came standard with the Escape, featuring advanced safety systems like forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver drowsiness monitor.

The 2020 Ford Edge also featured a full array of front- and side-impact airbags, AdvanceTrac traction control, Roll Stability Control, and Curve Control, along with a tire pressure monitoring system and a child seat anchoring system. Ford Co-Pilot360 was standard across all trims, with features like automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, lane departure warning, automatic high beams, and blind-spot monitoring.

The Edge SEL trim allowed buyers to opt for the Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package, which added adaptive cruise control and active lane centering. This provided the Edge with basic semi-autonomous driving capabilities on highways.

The 2020 Edge received a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the IIHS, scoring the highest "good" in all crash tests but receiving "average" to "poor" headlight ratings depending on the trim. It also earned a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA, with top marks in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests.