2020 Ford Escape vs 2020 Mazda CX-5

The 2020 Ford Escape was a striking compact crossover, sharing its large grille with the outgoing Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks. Its headlights were inspired by the Ford GT supercar, and while the previous Escape had a more upright rear end, the new curvaceous design came at a cost. Despite this, the Escape remained one of the best-looking small SUVs on the market, trailing perhaps only the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee. Inside, the Escape featured a modern cabin with a fully digital instrument panel, floating infotainment screen, and a smooth, forward-looking design. The SE trim, recommended by CarGurus, included an 8-inch Sync 3 screen, automatic climate control, heated front seats, and a power driver’s seat, making it a tremendous value.

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 excelled in executing a premium feel, with captivating style and continual product improvements. For this model year, it included more standard equipment, revised instrumentation, and modifications to reduce noise, vibration, and harshness. The turbocharged engine saw an increase in torque output, and AWD versions gained a new off-road traction assistance feature. The CX-5’s interior, especially in Signature trim, featured premium Nappa leather upholstery, real wood, and a black headliner, giving it a luxurious look and feel. However, the Caturra Brown leather was almost indistinguishable from the otherwise black cabin, lessening the level of contrast that often makes a vehicle seem premium.

The 2020 Ford Escape offered a variety of engine options, including a new 3-cylinder engine making 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, standard in the S, SE, and SEL trims. The 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, available on the SEL and standard on the Titanium trim, produced 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, part of the hybrid drivetrain, made 198 horsepower and was standard on the SE Sport and available on the Titanium. A plug-in hybrid variant was optional on the SE, SEL, and Titanium. The conventional engines used an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the hybrids used a continuously variable transmission (CVT). The most efficient version was the non-Sport hybrid, returning 44 mpg city, 37 highway, and 41 combined.

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 came standard with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine making 187 horsepower and 186 pound-feet of torque, paired with a six-speed automatic transmission with a Sport mode. FWD was standard, with AWD optional. The Grand Touring Reserve and Signature trims featured a turbocharged version of the engine, producing 250 hp and 320 lb-ft of torque on premium fuel, or 227 hp and 310 lb-ft on regular fuel. The turbocharged engine, paired with AWD, provided a healthy amount of power for a compact crossover SUV, though it was less efficient, rated at 24 mpg combined. The CX-5 Signature was engaging to drive, thanks to its G-Vectoring Control Plus technology, but excessive body motions when cornering detracted from the overall driving experience.

The 2020 Ford Escape’s sleeker design resulted in reduced cargo space compared to its predecessor. It offered 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, dropping to 34.4 cubic feet in hybrid models. With the backseat folded down, it provided 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space, or 60.8 cubic feet in upper-level trims. Despite the reduced cargo capacity, the Escape emphasized passenger space, with plenty of headroom and legroom for second-row passengers, and commanding seating positions for the front occupants. The interior featured deep water-bottle holders and multiple trays and compartments for real-world storage solutions.

The 2020 Mazda CX-5’s interior was more cramped compared to sales leaders like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, making it less competitive in terms of practicality and utility. However, it featured an upscale cabin with classy-looking gauges and elegant metallic accents. The Touring trim added dual-zone automatic climate control, heated front seats, and rear air conditioning vents. The Grand Touring trim included a power height-adjustable front passenger’s seat, while the Grand Touring Reserve added ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, and a heated steering wheel. The Signature trim featured Nappa leather, genuine wood trim, and more. Cargo space measured 30.9 cubic feet behind the rear seat, expanding to 59.6 cubic feet with the back seat folded down.

The 2020 Ford Escape’s base trim came with a small 4.2-inch audio control screen, which stood out as an eyesore due to the floating screen design. The SE trim upgraded to an 8-inch Sync 3 screen, featuring Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Titanium trim included a head-up display (HUD) with a small flip-up screen, which was less effective for taller drivers. The latest version of Sync allowed for multi-tasking, enhancing the user experience.

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 featured a Mazda Connect infotainment system, with a 7-inch touchscreen display in the Sport trim, responding to touch only when the vehicle wasn’t moving. The Touring trim added Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Grand Touring trim included an 8-inch touchscreen, satellite radio, and a 10-speaker Bose premium sound system. The Signature trim added a navigation system, a surround-view camera system, and a SiriusXM data subscription. Interacting with Mazda Connect could be frustrating, requiring acclimation to the controls on the center console, steering wheel, and voice-recognition technology.

The 2020 Ford Escape came with a full array of front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, traction control, and a tire-pressure-monitoring system (TPMS). It earned the best overall score of Good from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) in all phases of testing. The Escape also came standard with Ford Co-Pilot360, a suite of advanced safety systems including forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. It also included blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver drowsiness monitor.

The 2020 Mazda CX-5 featured a comprehensive i-Activsense safety package, including adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, forward collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, lane departure warning, and lane-keep assist. It also had standard LED headlights and rain-sensing wipers, with adaptive headlights available on Grand Touring trim. The CX-5 earned a Top Safety Pick+ rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, with high marks in individual testing parameters.