2021 Ford Escape vs 2021 Ford Bronco Sport

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport had been eagerly anticipated as the smaller sibling to the resurrected Bronco. It drew inspiration from the 1966-1996 Bronco, aiming to be a rugged competitor to the Jeep Wrangler and Toyota 4Runner. However, the Bronco Sport was a unibody crossover designed more for suburban life with a flair for weekend adventures. Its modern retro look, reminiscent of a Land Rover, featured short front and rear overhangs, tall fender wells, and a tucked-in body for trail driving. The bold "BRONCO" lettering on the grille and tailgate, along with various wheel options, added to its rugged appeal.

Inside, the Bronco Sport offered a tastefully rugged design with an uncluttered layout. The HVAC vents had a unique shape, and the center stack featured convenient storage cubbies and an 8-inch infotainment screen. The interior trim varied from cloth seats to leather-trimmed, heated sport-contour bucket seats, and even Navy Pier Leather power front seats on the First Edition. The cargo area was practical, with options for rubberized flooring and a rubberized cargo floor for easy cleaning.

The 2021 Ford Escape, in its fourth generation, straddled the line between SUV and hatchback. Its curved snout and sleek roofline gave it a more car-like appearance compared to the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, or Toyota RAV4. 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.

Inside, the Escape's design choices were less cohesive, with an angular instrument cluster that didn't quite match the exterior. The interior materials felt low-rent, even in the top Titanium trim, which lacked standard leather upholstery. The SEL trim level offered dual-zone automatic climate control, but overall, the interior didn't match the exterior's sleek design.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport offered two engine choices tied to trim levels. The Base, Big Bend, and Outer Banks trims featured a 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. The Badlands and First Edition models came with a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 245 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque. All models had an eight-speed automatic transmission and all-wheel drive (AWD), along with a terrain management system with up to seven G.O.A.T. modes (Go Over Any Type of Terrain).

The Bronco Sport excelled off-road, thanks to its short wheelbase, four-wheel independent suspension, generous suspension travel, and decent ground clearance. On-road, it had good manners, with the 2.0-liter engine better suited to its character. The 1.5-liter engine could feel strained when pushed hard.

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. It came with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or optional all-wheel drive (AWD). The EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo-four engine, available with AWD, produced 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque.

The Escape hybrid and plug-in hybrid used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, delivering a total system output of 200 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery pack allowed for significant electric-only driving. The hybrid was available with FWD or AWD, while the plug-in hybrid was FWD only. The Escape's chassis tuning left much to be desired, with sloppy suspension and steering making it less enjoyable to drive.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport catered to active buyers with clever features. The cargo space was designed to hold two 27.5-inch-wheel mountain bikes, and Ford offered over 100 factory and aftermarket accessories for transporting outdoor gear. The roof could hold up to 150 pounds (100 with a moonroof), and the 2.0-liter engine could tow up to 2,200 pounds, while the 1.5-liter could tow 2,000 pounds. The cargo hold featured a flip-up rear glass, an optional cargo management package with a slide-out work table, a 400-watt inverter, and liftgate floodlamps. The front cabin had ample storage compartments, but taller drivers might find visibility challenging due to the roof overhang and hood bulges.

The 2021 Ford Escape offered competitive interior space for a compact SUV. First-row and second-row headroom and legroom were near the top of the segment, with a standard sliding rear seat that could be adjusted to expand legroom or cargo space. Sliding the rear seat all the way back provided 40.7 inches of rear legroom in non-hybrid models. However, the battery pack in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models reduced legroom. 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 in gasoline models. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had slightly less cargo space.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport featured the latest versions of Ford's infotainment systems. The 8-inch touchscreen connected to SYNC 3, compatible with Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Ford+Alexa, and SiriusXM. FordConnect with 4G LTE WiFi hotspot was standard. The base audio system had six speakers, while a Bang & Olufsen sound system was available on higher trims. The terrain management system offered up to seven G.O.A.T. modes, and trail control technology provided cruise-control-like assistance for off-roading. Intelligent access with push-button start was included on all trims except the Base model, and higher trims had heated and leather-wrapped steering wheels and a 6.5-inch digital instrument panel.

The 2021 Ford Escape used the 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 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 wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2021 Ford Bronco Sport came standard with the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety features, including pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keeping assist, auto high-beam headlamps, and a reversing camera. The optional Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, lane centering, evasive steering assist, a voice-activated touchscreen navigation system, and road-sign recognition. Trailer sway control was available with the tow package. All Bronco Sport models had AWD and a terrain management system with G.O.A.T. modes. Crash-worthiness ratings from IIHS and NHTSA were not yet available.

The 2021 Ford Escape received a "Top Safety Pick" rating from IIHS, with top scores in all crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. It also earned high marks for front-crash prevention tech but had lower ratings for headlights. 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 included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, 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.