2020 Ford Escape vs 2021 Volkswagen ID.4

In case you didn’t hear, Ford came out with an electric crossover, calling it the Mustang Mach-E. Ford could have called it something else, but the marketing department decided to leverage the famous Mustang name to capture headlines and, hopefully, shoppers. What should not be overlooked is the fact Ford chose to make its first-ever standalone electric vehicle a crossover.

This choice is a testament to how far the sport utility vehicle has come. Paired with Ford's decision to phase out sedans and hatchbacks, it's clear the company is putting all of its eggs into its trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. Suffice it to say, there is just a bit of pressure on the redesigned 2020 Ford Escape.

While the Escape has been around since 2000, it came into its own in 2013 when the “One Ford” philosophy was adopted, meaning that vehicles would be sold in multiple markets around the globe. As a result, the U.S. got Europe’s Ford Kuga, rebranded as the Escape—a high-tech, handsome, and surprisingly athletic small SUV.

So, with all this mind, the new Escape needs to not only be an improvement over the previous generation to compete against the rest of the compact crossover segment, it also needs to win over would-be sedan and hatchback customers. Can the 2020 Escape rise to the occasion?

The “Dieselgate” emissions scandal forced Volkswagen to double down on electric cars, and now we’re finally seeing the first result of that: the 2021 Volkswagen ID.4 electric crossover.

VW has made an electric car before, but its last attempt, the e-Golf, was built to satisfy emissions standards, not rack up sales. It was barely advertised, and it was sold only in certain states. That’s not the case with the ID.4, which will be available nationwide and will even be built in Tennessee starting in 2022. Volkswagen views the ID.4 as a rival not to other EVs, but to mainstream gasoline vehicles like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4.

Being late to the party means there are already several other EVs trying to coax new-car buyers away from internal combustion, however. If you want a reasonably-priced EV, the Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Kona Electric, and Kia Niro EV already exist, and General Motors just announced the 2022 Chevrolet Bolt EUV—a new variant of the Chevy Bolt EV with a crossover body style similar to the Volkswagen.

We tested an ID.4 1st Edition, which commemorates the car’s launch, and an ID.4 PRO S with all-wheel drive (AWD). The 1st Edition is a limited-edition model that has already sold out, but it’s mechanically identical to the ID.4 Pro S AWD, albeit with power sent only to the rear wheels.