2021 Ford Escape vs 2020 Toyota Highlander

The 2020 Toyota Highlander had a design that was somewhat unremarkable from the side, with a few updates from the previous model year, such as a more slanted tailgate glass and more pronounced body panel creases. The trapezoidal theme was evident in various parts of the vehicle, including the tailgate's license plate cutout, rear bumper, headlights, grille, and lower front bumper. Higher trims like the Limited and Platinum featured projector-beam LED headlights and fog lights, as well as new 20-inch wheels. The interior of the Highlander was where it truly shined, with quality fit and finish, silver-painted accents, and a multi-layered dash. The Limited trim boasted a three-tone interior with rich textures and padded surfaces, making it one of the nicest interiors in its class.

In contrast, the 2021 Ford Escape had a design that straddled the line between SUV and hatchback, with a curved snout and sleek roofline that made it look more like an enlarged Focus. The Escape's design was less truck-like compared to competitors like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, but it also appeared more generic than the latest Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage. For 2021, the Escape introduced new appearance packages for three of its four trim levels, including the SE Sport Appearance Package, SEL Stealth AWD Package, and Titanium Elite Package. These packages added features like 19-inch alloy wheels, ActiveX upholstery with Miko Suede seat inserts, and leather-wrapped steering wheels. However, the interior design choices were less cohesive, with materials that felt low-rent, even on the top Titanium model.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander came equipped with a 3.5-liter V6 engine, available in both front-wheel drive (FWD) and all-wheel drive (AWD) configurations. This engine delivered 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration and a smooth, quiet idle. The eight-speed automatic transmission made full use of the engine's power, although it required a heavy foot to initiate a kickdown. The Highlander's steering was loose, requiring adjustments to center the car at highway speeds, and the soft suspension had too much rebound, making it feel like an older Buick at speed. However, the Highlander offered a wonderfully isolating driving experience, especially on long road trips. The Limited and Platinum trims included torque vectoring on the rear axle for AWD models and selectable driving modes. Fuel economy was impressive for a large vehicle, with the FWD model rated at 21 mpg city, 29 mpg highway, and 24 mpg combined, while the AWD model achieved 20/27/23 mpg.

The 2021 Ford Escape offered two gasoline powertrains, as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. The base powertrain was a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and available in FWD or AWD. The upgraded EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo-four engine delivered 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque, available only with AWD. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid models used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, producing a total system output of 200 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery pack allowed for significant electric-only driving distances. The Escape's chassis tuning left much to be desired, with sloppy suspension and steering making it feel like a chore to drive. For 2021, the Escape introduced a Class 2 Trailer Tow Package for 2.0-liter, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models, with a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds for the 2.0-liter engine.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander seated eight or seven with the second-row captain's chairs, which were standard on Limited and Platinum trims and a no-cost option on the XLE. The second-row seats were versatile, with generous fore/aft and reclining adjustments, and the amount of legroom was impressive. The rear doors opened wide, making ingress and egress easy. The Highlander featured three-zone climate control, a 120-volt outlet for the rear, side window shades, and a heated second row on upper trims. Cargo space was generous, with 16 cubic feet behind the third row, 48 cubic feet behind the second, and 84 cubic feet when both rows were folded. The Highlander also had eight cupholders, four bottle holders, and two shelves integrated into the dash for added convenience.

The 2021 Ford Escape compared well against more traditionally-styled compact SUVs in terms of interior space. It offered near top-of-segment headroom and legroom in both the first and second rows, with a standard sliding rear seat that could be moved to expand legroom or cargo space. The gasoline Escape had 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat up, which increased to 37.5 cubic feet when the seat was slid forward. Folding the rear seat yielded 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space. However, hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had less cargo space due to the placement of the battery pack, with 30.7 cubic feet of space with the rear seat up and 60.8 cubic feet with the seat folded. Most competitors offered more cargo space, with the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester providing over 70 cubic feet.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander featured an infotainment system that felt outdated, with maps that lacked detail, no onboard apps, and low-resolution screens and cameras. The 12.3-inch touchscreen, optional on the Limited and standard on the Platinum, had limited usable area due to the constant display of climate and fuel economy information. However, the Highlander came standard with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa integration. Upper trims featured a 10-inch head-up display and a 7-inch display in the instrument cluster, both of which were crisp and informative. The semi-automated driving system was effective, and the optional JBL audio system had 11 speakers. Standard features included SiriusXM, HD radio, WiFi, and four USB-A ports, along with a one-year trial for Safety Connect.

The 2021 Ford Escape used Ford's older Sync 3 infotainment system, with the base Escape S model featuring a 4.2-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot were standard. Upgrading to the Escape SE added an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Escape Titanium trim level included a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. While Sync 3 was user-friendly, the Escape lacked some standard tech features compared to competitors and missed out on the wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available with the newer Sync 4 system.

The 2020 Toyota Highlander came standard with Toyota Safety Sense 2.0, which included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams. Optional features included blind-spot monitoring, parking sensors, and rear emergency braking. The Highlander also had a driver's knee airbag and a special cushion airbag for the front passenger. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) awarded the Highlander a 2020 Top Safety Pick, with top ratings in all six crash tests and for emergency braking. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) had not yet rated the 2020 Highlander.

The 2021 Ford Escape received a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the IIHS, with top "Good" scores in all crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. The Escape also earned high marks for front-crash prevention technology but received "Acceptable" and "Marginal" ratings for headlights, depending on the trim level. The NHTSA gave the Escape a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests. Standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. The optional Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, park assist, and Evasive Steering Assist.