2021 Ford Escape vs 2021 Toyota Highlander

The 2021 Toyota Highlander certainly did not blend into the background. This wasn't a nameless midsize SUV, indistinguishable from its competitors lining up to pick up kids from school. The Highlander's distinctive appearance ensured it stood out. Its front end, less dramatic than the 2021 Sienna's bullet-train-inspired design, still made a bold statement with wide headlights, a long hood, and an assertive grille. Profile-wise, it featured a character line reminiscent of the Supra sports car, and the rear boasted taillights akin to those on Lexus models, sans the vertical element. Overall, the 2021 Highlander appeared longer and lower than its predecessor without compromising its spaciousness.

The introduction of the XSE trim in 2021 added an edge to the Highlander. This trim, with its aggressive front end and sporty suspension tuning, along with visually appealing 20-inch wheels, unique fascia, and lower spoiler, managed to trick some into thinking it was a sportier variant. However, it wasn't designed to compete with performance-oriented SUVs like the Ford Explorer ST.

Our test vehicle wasn't the XSE but the Limited trim, just below the top-tier Platinum. The upscale exterior, with chrome accents and roof rails, complemented the luxurious interior. The Limited trim excelled in comfort, with near-flawless fit and finish, tan leather seats accented by dark brown trim, and impressive faux wood details.

In contrast, the 2021 Ford Escape straddled the line between SUV and hatchback. Its sleek, curved design gave it a car-like appearance, more akin to an enlarged Ford Focus. Yet, it retained the high ride height typical of SUVs. This styling resulted in a less rugged look compared to the Honda CR-V or Subaru Forester, but it appeared more generic next to the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage.

For 2021, new appearance packages for three of its four trims were introduced. The SE Sport Appearance Package, SEL Stealth AWD Package, and Titanium Elite Package brought aesthetic upgrades like 19-inch alloy wheels, ActiveX upholstery with suede inserts, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel.

Inside, the design felt disjointed. The angular instrument cluster didn't quite align with the exterior look, and some interior materials had a low-rent feel. Even the top-tier Titanium trim lacked standard leather upholstery, though it did offer ambient lighting. Dual-zone automatic climate control required upgrading to the SEL trim.

The 2021 Toyota Highlander wasn't built for fiery performance but for smooth, reliable operation. Its 3.5-liter V6 engine produced 295 horsepower and 263 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It was available in either front-wheel or all-wheel drive. While it wasn't designed to win drag races, it provided ample power for highway merging and held its ground well against competitors like the Hyundai Palisade and Kia Telluride.

Given its size, the Highlander was a bit cumbersome through corners, a consequence of its soft suspension prioritizing comfort. The XSE trim somewhat mitigated this with tighter suspension tuning, including higher-rated springs, retuned shock absorbers, and a rear stabilizer bar, making it slightly more exciting to drive for those seeking a bit of sportiness in their family vehicle.

On the other hand, the 2021 Ford Escape offered more variety under the hood. Its base powertrain was a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 181 hp and 191 lb-ft of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission available in FWD or AWD. An upgrade to the 2.0-liter turbo-four engine brought 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, exclusively available with AWD.

The Escape also offered hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants, both using a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist for a combined output of 200 hp. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery enabled significant electric-only driving, but it was FWD only, unlike the hybrid, which offered both drivetrain options.

Despite the small base engine, the Escape managed well, with smooth transitions between electric and gasoline power in hybrid models. Unfortunately, all 2020 models suffered from sloppy suspension and steering, a flaw unaddressed in the 2021 models, making them less enjoyable to drive.

For 2021, 2.0-liter, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models could be outfitted with a Class 2 Trailer Tow Package, with the 2.0-liter engine offering a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds—no towing figures were available for the hybrid powertrains.

Three-row crossovers like the 2021 Toyota Highlander relied on their ability to comfortably accommodate passengers and cargo. The Highlander excelled in this domain with several thoughtful features. Shelves ahead of the front seats were large enough for big cell phones, and a pass-through allowed charging cords to reach USB ports. Higher trims featured a wireless charging pad within the center console.

Second-row passengers enjoyed ample legroom, with seats that moved forward and backward to optimize space for either the middle or rear rows. The third row, while capable of accommodating adults, required cooperation from second-row occupants to provide necessary legroom. A notable quirk was the placement of rear-seat air vents on the ceiling, which blew air directly downwards.

In terms of cargo space, the Highlander offered 16 cubic feet behind the third row, 48.4 cubic feet with the third-row seats folded, and 84.3 cubic feet with both the second and third rows down—adequate for most needs but dwarfed by minivans.

The 2021 Ford Escape, despite its car-like exterior, compared favorably with traditional compact SUVs in terms of interior space. The first and second-row headroom and legroom were among the best in its class. A standard sliding rear seat expanded legroom or cargo space as needed. With the rear seat fully back, non-hybrid models boasted 40.7 inches of legroom, second only to the Hyundai Tucson. However, hybrids lost some space due to the battery pack placement.

Cargo capacity for the gasoline Escape was 33.5 cubic feet with the rear seat up, 37.5 cubic feet with the rear seat slid forward, and 65.4 cubic feet with the seat folded. Hybrid models had less space due to the battery pack, at 30.7 cubic feet (rear seat up), 34.4 cubic feet (seat slid forward), and 60.8 cubic feet (seat folded)—less than many competitors, like the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester.

In the 2021 Toyota Highlander, trim levels below the Limited came with an 8-inch touchscreen, while the Limited offered a 12.3-inch touchscreen as an option (standard on the Platinum trim). Both systems were user-friendly, though navigation required an additional cost. Android Auto and Apple CarPlay were standard across all trims.

The 12.3-inch screen, available in our Limited test vehicle, was bright, crisp, and responsive, though some apps only utilized part of its width—navigation, for instance, displayed in an 8-inch rectangle, raising questions about the value of the larger screen. The JBL audio system provided decent sound quality, with both volume and tuning knobs.

The 2021 Ford Escape used the older Sync 3 infotainment system; the base Escape S model had a modest 4.2-inch touchscreen. Standard features included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot. Upgrading to the Escape SE brought an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom and SiriusXM satellite radio. The luxury Titanium trim added a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system.

Although Sync 3 was user-friendly, it lacked some standard tech features found in competitors and missed out on the wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available with the newer Sync 4 system.

The 2021 Toyota Highlander featured advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) as a standard, including the upgraded Toyota Safety Sense 2.5+ suite. This included automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, intersection support, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, lane-tracing assist, road-sign assist, and automatic high beams. Such extensive safety features contributed to the Highlander receiving a five-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a Top Safety Pick+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS).

The 2021 Ford Escape also performed well in safety tests, earning a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS, including top scores in all crash tests and high marks for front-crash prevention and LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. However, it received lower ratings for headlights. The NHTSA awarded it a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests.

Standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner encompassed automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, 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 for emergency maneuvers.