2021 Volvo XC40 vs 2021 Ford Escape

The 2021 Volvo XC40 had a traditional SUV styling with a tall, flat roof and an upright rear hatch, fitting well with the rest of the Volvo lineup. It featured “Thor’s Hammer” LED headlights and a simple oval grille, with gasoline models offering a white contrasting roof for a retro look. The XC40 Recharge was distinguished by a blanked-off grille, subtle “Recharge” badging, and model-specific alloy wheels. It also had a gloss black roof and mirror caps, a different rear bumper, and a model-exclusive color—Sage Green Metallic. The interior was minimalist with high-quality materials, including real metal trim and a combination of Nappa leather and Nubuck textile upholstery. The design was coherent, with elements like the portrait-oriented touchscreen and air vents melding together seamlessly.

The 2021 Ford Escape, in its fourth generation, straddled the line between SUV and hatchback with a curved snout and sleek roofline, giving it a less truck-like look compared to competitors like the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester. For 2021, it 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 upgrades included 19-inch alloy wheels, ActiveX upholstery with Miko Suede seat inserts, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel with leather trim. The interior, however, lacked a cohesive theme, with odd design choices like an angular instrument cluster and low-rent materials. Even the top Titanium model didn’t get standard leather upholstery, and dual-zone automatic climate control was only available from the SEL trim level.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 offered a three-tiered powertrain lineup, with the electric Recharge at the top. The two gasoline options included a 2.0-liter turbo four-cylinder engine and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The base FWD T4 had 187 horsepower and 221 pound-feet of torque, while the AWD T5 had 248 hp and 258 lb-ft. The Recharge shared its powertrain with the Polestar 2, featuring one electric motor for each axle, enabling AWD and a combined 402 hp and 486 lb-ft. It had a 78-kilowatt-hour battery pack, with 75 kWh of usable capacity, divided into modules under the floor and in the space normally occupied by the transmission tunnel. The Recharge could accelerate from zero to 60 mph in 4.7 seconds, the T5 in 6.1 seconds, and the T4 in 8.1 seconds, with all versions electronically limited to 112 mph. The Recharge emphasized quiet and comfort, with excellent ride quality even on winter-ravaged roads, and was capable of one-pedal driving using regenerative braking. It also had a towing capacity of 2,000 pounds when properly equipped.

The 2021 Ford Escape was available with 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, coupled to an eight-speed automatic transmission with standard FWD or optional AWD. The EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo-four upped output to 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, available only with AWD. The hybrid and plug-in hybrid both used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, with a total system output of 200 hp. The plug-in hybrid’s larger battery pack allowed for significant electric-only driving distances, but it was FWD only. 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, 2.0-liter, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models could be equipped with a Class 2 Trailer Tow Package, with a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds for the 2.0-liter engine.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 claimed no difference in passenger or cargo space between the Recharge and gasoline models, but it wasn’t particularly spacious. It had less legroom in both the front and rear seats compared to the Tesla Model Y and Ford Mustang Mach-E, less headroom than the Tesla, and a substantially smaller cargo area. The Recharge’s frunk was also very small, with much of the space under the hood occupied by powertrain hardware. The gasoline XC40 was more competitive on interior space compared to rivals like the Audi Q3 and BMW X1. Volvo made up for the lack of overall space with clever storage solutions, including a removable trash bin in the center console, a bag hook in the glovebox door, and extra-large door bins by moving the Harman Kardon system's speakers onto the dashboard. A wireless charging pad was optional, while a single USB-C port was standard, but second-row occupants didn’t get any phone-charging options.

The 2021 Ford Escape compared well against more traditionally-styled compact SUVs on interior space, despite its car-like styling. First-row and second-row headroom and legroom were near the top of the segment, with a standard sliding rear seat that could be moved fore and aft to expand legroom or cargo space. Sliding the bench seat all the way back yielded 40.7 inches of rear legroom in non-hybrid models, second only to the 2022 Hyundai Tucson. The placement of the battery pack in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models ate into some of that legroom. With the rear seat up and in its default position, the gasoline Escape had 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had 30.7 cubic feet. Sliding the rear seat forward increased cargo space to 37.5 cubic feet for gasoline models and 34.4 cubic feet for hybrid/plug-in hybrid models. Folding the rear seat yielded 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space in gasoline models and 60.8 cubic feet in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Most competitors offered more cargo space, with the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester able to swallow over 70 cubic feet with their rear seats folded.

The 2021 Volvo XC40 Recharge featured the Android Automotive OS infotainment system introduced on the Polestar 2, while gasoline models continued with the previous system. Android Automotive OS used Google apps, including Google Assistant and Google Maps, and allowed Android phone users to sync their personal Google accounts for further customization. The system included conventional Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Bluetooth hands-free phone connectivity, with a 9-inch touchscreen and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster as standard. Graphics and menu layouts were top-notch, but drivers who didn’t like Google’s interface might be displeased. The Recharge was the first XC40 variant to get OTA update capability, covering any vehicle function controlled by software. Recharge models also lacked a start button, instead allowing drivers to simply get in the car with a key fob and shift out of park.

The 2021 Ford Escape used Ford’s older Sync 3 infotainment system, with base Escape S models only getting a 4.2-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot were standard. Upgrading to the Escape SE netted an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Escape Titanium trim level added a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. Sync 3 remained one of the easier infotainment systems to use, but Ford didn’t offer as many standard tech features as competitors, and the Escape missed out on the wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto bundled with the new Sync 4 infotainment system.

The gasoline 2021 Volvo XC40 received the highest “Top Safety Pick+” rating from the IIHS and a five-star overall crash-test rating from the NHTSA, with five stars in frontal-crash and side-crash tests, and four stars in rollover crash tests. These ratings weren’t applicable to the electric XC40 Recharge, but Volvo expected it to perform well in crash tests due to a safety cage around the battery and a redesigned front crash structure. The XC40 came with a long list of standard safety features, including lane-keep assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic emergency braking, rear parking sensors, hill-start assist, and hill-descent control. Optional features included traffic-sign recognition, reverse automatic emergency braking, a driver-alertness monitor, run-off road mitigation, oncoming lane mitigation, and Volvo’s Pilot Assist driver-assistance system. The Recharge model also got Volvo’s latest sensor suite, scalable for more advanced driver aids in the future.

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. It also earned high marks for front-crash prevention tech, but only “Acceptable” and “Marginal” ratings for headlights, depending on trim level. The NHTSA gave the 2021 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.