2023 Ford Escape vs 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2023 Ford Escape embraced a sleek, European-inspired design that signaled a departure from its boxier predecessors. This model was marked by a refreshed exterior, ditching its previously criticized grille for a more refined front fascia, complete with the Ford logo and a stylish LED light bar. The Escape came in several trims, including Active, ST-Line, ST-Line Select, Platinum, and ST-Line Elite. The ST-Line Elite, which we tested, featured 19-inch wheels, body-color mirror caps, and sleek wheel-arch cladding, enhancing its upscale appearance. Inside, it boasted diamond-stitched leather upholstery, although the material felt somewhat hard and plasticky. Despite this, the seats were comfortable and conducive to long drives. However, the interior had an abundance of plastic, some of which seemed cost-cutting and scratchy.

Conversely, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe introduced an entirely different aesthetic. Drawing from Hyundai's recent design innovations, it offered a unique boxy yet premium look, emphasizing great storage capacity. The Santa Fe’s design chief, SangYup Lee, highlighted the vehicle’s aerodynamic efficiency despite its boxy appearance. Its sophisticated exterior palette, including matte options and new anodized-finish badging, added to its upscale look. Depending on the trim, the Santa Fe featured either 18, 20, or 21-inch wheels. Inside, the Santa Fe promised premium styling, with each tested trim (XRT and Calligraphy) showcasing different materials. The XRT had rugged elements, while the Calligraphy trim stunned with plush, cocooning fabrics reminiscent of luxurious apparel. The interior was thoughtfully designed with plenty of soft-touch surfaces and a cocooning fabric headliner.

The 2023 Ford Escape stood out with its diverse powertrain options. It offered a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 180 horsepower and 199 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission available in both FWD and AWD configurations. More powerful trims like the ST-Line Select, Platinum, and ST-Line Elite housed a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine with 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. This engine, also mated to an eight-speed transmission, provided better acceleration and merging comfort, albeit not sufficient to classify the Escape as a performance SUV. The soft suspension and linear braking suited everyday driving, but the lack of paddle shifters and imprecise shifts in Sport mode held back the driving experience.

In contrast, the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe was equipped with a robust 2.5-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine delivering 277 horsepower and 311 pound-feet of torque via an eight-speed dual-clutch automatic transmission. This setup offered standard FWD with optional AWD, except the off-road-focused XRT trim which came with AWD as standard. The Santa Fe had driving modes like Normal, Sport, and Snow, adding off-road modes for the XRT trim. A 1.6-liter turbocharged four-cylinder hybrid was also expected, producing 231 horsepower and 271 pound-feet of torque, enhancing fuel economy further. Santa Fe’s driving dynamics were characterized by smooth accelerations, responsive throttle, and minimal shifting errors. The XRT trim demonstrated off-road capabilities comparable to rugged competitors, showcasing its substantial ground clearance and all-terrain capabilities, perfect for remote adventures.

The 2023 Ford Escape impressed with its comfort-oriented and supportive seats, well-placed armrests, and notably organized front-seat cupholders. A standout feature was its adjustable head-up display, making it driver-friendly. However, the Escape lagged behind segment leaders in cargo space, offering only 37.5 cubic feet behind the second row and 65.4 cubic feet with seats folded, smaller than rivals like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. Rear-seat legroom was also less than some competitors, though headroom was ample and second-row seatbacks were designed thoughtfully to maximize space.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe capitalized on its extended dimensions to enhance cargo and passenger space. With a longer wheelbase and body, it allocated most extra space to a sizable cargo area designed to be a "terrace" for car camping and tailgating. The expanded cargo area provided 14.6 cubic feet of space with all seats up, expanding to 40.5 and 79.6 cubic feet with the third and second rows folded, respectively, surpassing the Escape's capacity. Passengers in the first and second rows enjoyed spacious accommodations, though the third row was snug and better suited for short trips. The Santa Fe offered varied upholstery options across trims, from stain-resistant cloth to plush quilted Nappa leather, and also included handy storage pockets, bottle holders, and a novel UV sanitization compartment for added convenience.

The 2023 Ford Escape’s Sync 4 infotainment system brought a modern tech experience. While lower trims had an 8-inch touchscreen, the ST-Line Elite and Platinum trims featured a substantial 13.2-inch screen. This system featured easy navigation through tiles for various applications. Despite some sluggish responses and an awkwardly placed volume knob, Sync 4's layout, intuitive interface, and attractive display elements impressed overall.

The 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe upped the ante with its curved panoramic display, which encompassed a wide and sleek touchscreen and digital instrument cluster. Standard on higher trims like the XRT, Limited, and Calligraphy, this 12.3-inch touchscreen offered exceptional user experience with crisp graphics and easy access to various controls. The system integrated wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, a 12-speaker Bose stereo, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. The Calligraphy trim also included a pair of wireless chargers. Hyundai’s BlueLink system, available on SEL trims and above, replaced the need for a traditional key fob, allowing access via a smartphone app. The advanced Hyundai Pay service and biometric fingerprint scanner provided added security and convenience.

The 2023 Ford Escape garnered a five-star overall rating from the NHTSA, performing well in frontal and side crashes, though scoring lower in rollover tests. The IIHS did not award it a Top Safety Pick, citing Marginal scores in side impact tests despite top scores in other areas. The standard Co-Pilot360 suite included essential ADAS features, with optional upgrades to Co-Pilot360 2.0 offering semi-autonomous driving aids and a surround-view camera system.

While the 2024 Hyundai Santa Fe had yet to be crash-tested officially as of this evaluation, it was packed with advanced safety features typical of Hyundai. The SE trim boasted an array of ADAS tech, including forward-collision avoidance, blind-spot monitoring, and adaptive cruise control. Higher trims added features like a 360-degree camera, remote parking, improved collision avoidance, and a head-up display. New to the Santa Fe was a driver monitoring system designed to detect and address driver inattention or incapacitation, enhancing overall safety.