Ford Escape vs Lexus NX Hybrid

The 2021 Lexus NX Hybrid presented a unique blend of sharp edges and a streamlined profile, distinguishing itself from traditional SUVs. Despite its aggressive F Sport styling, the NX Hybrid retained a familiar look due to its unchanged design over the years. The exterior featured a larger mesh grille, dark-finish 18-inch wheels, and a striking Grecian Water blue paint, which contrasted nicely with the darker trim elements. Inside, the NX Hybrid's design, once radical, had become familiar, with a stepped center console and a lack of traditional luxury wood trim. The F Sport Black Line treatment added a heated steering wheel, aluminum pedals, and NuLuxe upholstery with blue contrast stitching, but the material quality felt more akin to a mainstream brand than a luxury one.

In contrast, the 2021 Ford Escape straddled the line between SUV and hatchback, with a curved snout and sleek roofline that gave it a less truck-like appearance compared to competitors like the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4. The Escape's design was more generic than the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage, but it offered new appearance packages for 2021, including the SE Sport Appearance Package, SEL Stealth AWD Package, and Titanium Elite Package. These packages added features like 19-inch alloy wheels and leather-wrapped steering wheels. Inside, the Escape's design choices, such as an angular instrument cluster, didn't quite match the exterior's cohesive theme, and the interior materials felt low-rent, even in the top Titanium model.

The 2021 Lexus NX Hybrid featured a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine paired with an electric motor, delivering a total system output of 194 horsepower. It came standard with all-wheel drive, but its performance was more focused on fuel efficiency than excitement. The NX Hybrid accelerated from zero to 60 mph in 9.1 seconds, with a top speed of 112 mph. The sport-tuned suspension in the Black Line package improved handling, but the steering felt numb, and the drivetrain struggled with a heavy right foot. The NX Hybrid offered Normal, Eco, and Sport drive modes, but they didn't significantly impact the driving experience.

The 2021 Ford Escape offered a range of powertrains, including a base 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine producing 181 horsepower and a 2.0-liter turbo-four with 250 horsepower. Both engines were paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, with the latter available only with all-wheel drive. The Escape also had hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, both using a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, delivering 200 horsepower. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery allowed for significant electric-only driving. While the three-cylinder engine was adequate, the Escape's chassis tuning left much to be desired, with sloppy suspension and steering. The 2.0-liter models could tow up to 3,500 pounds, but towing figures for the hybrid models weren't specified.

The 2021 Lexus NX Hybrid had the least front headroom in its segment, with rear headroom also near the bottom. Front-seat legroom was generous, but rear legroom was the worst among its competitors, making the rear seats feel cramped. The front seats offered excellent support, with standard 10-way power adjustment and optional heated and ventilated seats. The sloping roofline and thick rear pillars hindered rear visibility, but large exterior mirrors helped compensate. The NX Hybrid had 16.8 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 53.7 cubic feet with them folded, less than the gasoline NX 300 model and the worst in its segment.

The 2021 Ford Escape compared well against more traditionally-styled compact SUVs in terms of interior space. It offered near-top segment headroom and legroom, with a standard sliding rear seat that could expand legroom or cargo space. Non-hybrid models had 40.7 inches of rear legroom, second only to the Hyundai Tucson. The gasoline Escape had 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat up, expandable to 37.5 cubic feet by sliding the seat forward. Folding the rear seat yielded 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had slightly less space due to the battery pack, but the Escape still offered competitive interior space.

The 2021 Lexus NX Hybrid's infotainment system was a weak point, featuring an 8-inch display screen with Bluetooth, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and Amazon Alexa compatibility. However, it lacked a touchscreen, relying on the awkward Remote Touch Interface touchpad. The system felt dated, with graphics reminiscent of the 1990s and text-heavy menus. An eight-speaker audio system was standard, with a 14-speaker Mark Levinson system available on higher trims. The base system sounded tinny and unbalanced, highlighting the need for an upgrade.

The 2021 Ford Escape used Ford's older Sync 3 infotainment system, with base models 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 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 Lexus NX Hybrid received a "Top Safety Pick+" award from the IIHS, with top "Good" scores in all crash tests and a "Good" headlight rating. It also earned a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features included the Lexus Safety System+ 2.0 bundle, with forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, adaptive cruise control, lane-departure warning, and more. Blind-spot monitoring and rear cross-traffic alert were newly standard for 2021, but a 360-degree camera system was missing.

The 2021 Ford Escape earned a "Top Safety Pick" rating from the IIHS, with top "Good" scores in crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. It received a five-star overall safety rating from the NHTSA. Standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, lane-keep assist, 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.