2024 Ford Escape vs 2023 Toyota Sienna

The 2023 Toyota Sienna aimed to shed its minivan image, which many shoppers found unappealing due to childhood memories of family travels in similar vehicles. Toyota worked hard to make the Sienna look more fashionable and modern. The front-end design drew inspiration from Japanese bullet trains, lending it a sleek and futuristic appearance. Equipped with up to 20-inch wheels on certain trims, the Sienna offered various options, including the LE, XLE, XSE, Limited, and Platinum. A special 25th Anniversary edition was also introduced, slotting just below the Limited trim. The XLE trim struck a balance between affordability and features, such as power sliding doors and a power liftgate.

Inside, the Sienna proved to be quite luxurious, especially in the Platinum trim, which featured high-quality brown leather upholstery and wood-grain accents. The vehicle could seat seven or eight passengers, depending on the trim, and even supported three-across car seats in the eight-seat configuration. The interior was designed for functionality, providing ample room and easy access for families.

Ford's approach with the 2024 Escape was different but equally focused on updating its image. The front end of the compact crossover was restyled to look more aggressive, shedding the wide-eyed, toothless grin of its predecessor. Available in trims like Active, ST-Line, ST-Line Select, ST-Line Elite, Platinum, and a Plug-in Hybrid, the Escape offered plenty of options, though the base trim was dropped for 2024.

Our test vehicle, the ST-Line Elite, came with black 19-inch wheels, the Premium Technology Package, and a Panoramic Vista Roof. Despite these upgrades, the interior felt somewhat lacking. The diamond-stitched leather looked upscale but felt overly stiff and dry. Additionally, excessively glossy surfaces detracted from the overall aesthetic.

The 2023 Toyota Sienna abandoned the traditional gasoline engine for a hybrid powertrain that combined a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with two electric motors in the front and an optional third electric motor for all-wheel drive (AWD) models. This setup provided a combined 245 horsepower. While the power might not seem impressive compared to competitors like the Honda Odyssey, the Sienna's chassis and steering were noteworthy. It felt nimble for its size and offered a smooth cruising experience on highways. However, the continuously variable transmission (CVT) made the engine noise intrusively loud at higher revs. The Sienna offered multiple drive modes but generally performed best in Normal mode.

The 2024 Ford Escape ST-Line Elite came with a choice between a 192-horsepower hybrid powertrain and a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine producing 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Our test model featured the turbo engine paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and AWD, boasting impressive acceleration and a towing capacity of up to 3,500 pounds. However, the driving dynamics fell short of expectations for a sporty model. The suspension allowed too much body motion, and the steering felt numb and sluggish, even though the brake pedal was responsive. Different driving modes were available, but the turbo engine's capabilities felt underutilized in this application.

Minivans are typically praised for their myriad of storage options, and the 2023 Toyota Sienna lived up to that reputation. It offered clever storage solutions like a large open cubby below the center console and a long shelf running across the dashboard. The Sienna was over 200 inches long with a 120.5-inch wheelbase, which provided generous interior space. It offered 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the third row, 75.2 cubic feet with the third row folded, and a total of 101 cubic feet. Despite these figures falling short of other minivans, the Sienna’s middle-row seats were incredibly functional, capable of sliding and featuring extending ottomans for added comfort.

The 2024 Ford Escape, by contrast, was a compact crossover that offered a good, but not exceptional, amount of space. The ST-Line's interior was predominantly black with cloth inserts and artificial leather bolsters. Ambient lighting, dual-zone climate control, and power-adjustable front seats added a touch of luxury. However, the rear passengers didn’t enjoy as much thoughtful storage as the Sienna. The Escape offered 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seat (34.4 cubic feet in the hybrid) and up to 65.4 cubic feet with the rear seat folded (60.8 cubic feet in the hybrid). Despite some deep storage wells in the cargo area, it simply couldn’t compete with the Sienna’s massive cargo capacity.

Toyota chose to equip the 2023 Sienna with its older infotainment system, which, while functional, showed its age. Core features like SiriusXM, Bluetooth connectivity, and both Apple CarPlay and Android Auto were present, but only with a wired connection. The 9-inch touchscreen was adequate but not standout. Physical buttons, however, were a useful feature that’s becoming rare in modern vehicles. Yet, the interface felt clunky, and there were issues with accessing Android Auto. The 12-speaker JBL audio system performed well, offering good sound quality.

In contrast, the 2024 Ford Escape featured cutting-edge technology, including a 13.2-inch Sync 4 infotainment system in an easy-to-use landscape format. Though well-organized, the display looked washed out, and the font was hard to read at a glance. The climate controls integrated into the screen added to the distraction. The vehicle included wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, SiriusXM, and a Wi-Fi hotspot. Additional features included Amazon Alexa and, in upper trims, a Bang & Olufsen sound system, although the audio quality of our test vehicle was compromised due to damaged speakers. Despite some quirks, the Sync 4 system provided a more modern experience compared to Toyota’s older interface.

The 2023 Toyota Sienna excelled in safety technology, providing a comprehensive suite of standard advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS) such as automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning with steering assist, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, automatic high beams, and adaptive cruise control. These features were particularly valuable for a family vehicle. The Sienna earned a 5-star rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) and a Top Safety Pick+ designation from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) for the 2022 model, which was mechanically identical to the 2023 model.

The 2024 Ford Escape included a post-collision automatic braking system and the standard Ford Co-Pilot360 suite, which offered forward-collision warning with pedestrian detection, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and automatic high beams. The ST-Line Elite added adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go capability, predictive speed assist, evasive steering assist, lane-centering assist, and a 360-degree camera system. However, during testing, the lane-keeping systems were inconsistent, and the predictive speed assist slowed the SUV excessively in curves. The adaptive cruise control and lane-centering systems also shut down unexpectedly. On freeways, the Co-Pilot360 technology was more effective. The Escape received five-star ratings from NHTSA, except for a four-star rollover resistance rating. The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) had not rated the 2024 model at the time of writing, but the 2023 model earned Good ratings except for a Marginal score in a new side-impact test.