2020 Ford Escape vs 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2020 Ford Escape was a striking compact crossover, sharing its large grille with the outgoing Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks, and featuring headlights inspired by the Ford GT supercar. The previous model had a more upright rear end, but the new curvaceous design, while attractive, came at a cost. Despite this, the Escape remained one of the best-looking small SUVs on the market, trailing only behind the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee. Inside, the Escape boasted a modern cabin with a fully digital instrument panel, floating infotainment screen, and a smooth, forward-looking design that kept basic controls in familiar places.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, on the other hand, offered a sense of luxury that belied its price tag. The Calligraphy trim, in particular, featured premium materials like a suede-like headliner and quilted Nappa leather. The interior exuded quality, with fit and finish that made it feel more expensive than it was. The exterior design, however, was more polarizing, with Hyundai's "parametric dynamics" design cues creating some discordant asymmetry. Nevertheless, the Santa Fe's interior comfort and upscale feel were undeniable, making it a standout in its class.

The 2020 Ford Escape offered a variety of powertrain options, starting with a 3-cylinder engine that produced 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, delivered 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration. The hybrid setup, combining a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with electric power, produced 198 horsepower and was standard on the SE Sport and available on the Titanium. A plug-in hybrid variant was also available. The Escape's most efficient version, the non-Sport hybrid, returned fuel economy of 44 mpg city, 37 highway, and 41 combined.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe introduced three new powertrains. The SE and SEL trims came with a 191-horsepower 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The hybrid models, based on a turbocharged 1.6-liter four-cylinder engine, produced a total system output of 226 horsepower. The higher-level Limited and Calligraphy trims featured a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine generating 281 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed wet-plate dual-clutch transmission. The Santa Fe's turbocharged engine offered impressive performance, with a fuel economy rating of 24 mpg in combined driving for both powertrains.

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, the Escape provided 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space, or 60.8 cubic feet in upper-level trims. While this was less than rivals like the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester, the Escape emphasized passenger space, with ample headroom and legroom for second-row passengers and a commanding seating position for the driver.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe, designed for those who didn't need a third-row seat, offered a spacious and comfortable interior. All trims included dual-zone automatic climate control, with higher trims featuring leather seats and luxurious touches like a suede-like headliner and quilted Nappa leather. The rear seat was particularly comfortable, with ample legroom and features like air-conditioning vents, quick-charge USB ports, and rear side-window sunshades. The Santa Fe provided 36.4 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat, expanding to 72.1 cubic feet with the rear 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 in the new "floating screen" design. The SE trim upgraded to an 8-inch Sync 3 screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Titanium trim featured a head-up display (HUD) on a small flip-up screen, which was less effective for taller drivers. Despite these limitations, the Sync 3 system was praised for its functionality and ease of use.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe Calligraphy was loaded with technology, including a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, a surround-view camera system, and an 8.5-inch color head-up display (HUD). The basic 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system came with wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, while the 10.25-inch screen offered wired versions, upgraded voice-recognition technology, and enhanced Blue Link connected services. Blue Link provided a range of features, including remote engine start and climate control adjustment, but the Santa Fe lacked a WiFi hotspot. However, it did offer Digital Key and Remote Smart Parking Assist 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.

The 2021 Hyundai Santa Fe offered an impressive array of safety features, particularly in the Calligraphy trim. The forward-collision warning system included pedestrian, cyclist, and junction turning assistance. Safe Exit Assist used blind-spot monitoring sensors to warn occupants not to open a door when it was unsafe. The rear-occupant alert system detected movement within the Santa Fe for up to 24 hours, and the Blind-Spot View Monitor displayed a video view within the digital instrument cluster. Highway Driving Assist combined adaptive cruise control with lane-centering and lane-following technologies. The Santa Fe earned the highest possible ratings for crashworthiness and front crash-prevention technology performance from the IIHS.