Ford Escape vs Lincoln Corsair

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair replaced the outdated MKC, which had been around since 2015. The MKC, built on the same platform as the Ford Escape, never quite captured the athletic essence of the Escape, even after a 2019 facelift that left its interior looking tired. The Corsair, however, rode on the newer C2 platform also found under the 2021 Escape, marking a significant leap in design and feel.

Unlike its predecessor, the Corsair successfully differentiated itself from its Ford counterpart. Lincoln's effort to make the Corsair distinct from the Escape was reminiscent of how they separated the Aviator from the Explorer and the Navigator from the Expedition. This degree of differentiation was something that General Motors hadn't yet achieved with their Cadillac XT4 and XT5 crossovers, partly due to their confusing naming conventions. The Corsair moved away from Lincoln's former lettered naming system, which was a refreshing change.

In a market crowded with aggressive-looking SUVs, the Corsair stood out with its refined design. It featured slab-sided construction, blacked-out rear pillars, and uninterrupted belt and rooflines that made it appear larger than its actual size. These design elements were shared with the larger Aviator and Navigator, giving the Corsair a more substantial presence.

Inside, the Corsair carried the same design language as its more expensive Lincoln siblings, featuring a flowing dash, a floating center touchscreen, and the unique “Piano Key” shifter buttons. However, the fit and finish didn't quite match the luxury levels of the Aviator and Navigator, with more hard-touch materials evident in the cabin. The test model's black leather with dark wood accents seemed tailored towards older buyers, while younger customers would likely prefer lighter interiors with tan leather.

The 2021 Corsair came in three trims: Standard, Reserve, and the new Grand Touring plug-in hybrid. The Standard trim offered 18-inch alloy wheels, a power rear liftgate, a 10-speaker stereo, dual-zone climate control, 10-way power-adjustable front seats, heated front seats, synthetic leather upholstery, and an 8-inch touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The Standard I sub-trim added ambient lighting, power-folding rear seats, and voice-activated navigation.

Our test model was the Reserve trim, which upgraded to 19-inch aluminum-alloy wheels, a 12.3-inch digital instrument panel, a 14-speaker Revel audio system, genuine leather upholstery, a hands-free power liftgate, and a panoramic moonroof. It also had the Elements package, which included heated and ventilated front seats, heated rear seats, rain-sensing wipers, a 360-degree camera, and active park assist. The optional 24-way multi-contour seats with a massaging function were particularly noteworthy.

The Grand Touring trim combined most of the Reserve’s features with a plug-in hybrid powertrain.

Comparatively, the 2021 Ford Escape, a fourth-generation model, straddled the line between SUV and hatchback. Its curved front and sleek roofline made it resemble an enlarged Ford Focus, yet it retained the high ride height characteristic of an SUV. This design gave the Escape a less truck-like appearance than the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, or Toyota RAV4, but made it look more generic compared to the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage.

The 2021 Escape introduced new appearance packages for its SE, SEL, and Titanium trims. These upgrades included 19-inch alloy wheels, ActiveX upholstery with Miko Suede seat inserts, a leather-wrapped steering wheel, and leather trim. Despite its cohesive exterior, the interior design felt disconnected. The angular instrument cluster seemed out of place, and the materials felt low-cost, even in the top Titanium trim, which lacked standard leather upholstery but did include ambient lighting. Dual-zone automatic climate control was only available from the SEL trim level upwards.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered two gasoline engines. The base engine was a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder, delivering 250 horsepower and 295 pound-feet of torque. While this engine was adequate, the more powerful optional 2.3-liter EcoBoost turbocharged four-cylinder was more impressive, generating 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. Both engines paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 2.0-liter engine could be had with either FWD or AWD, whereas the 2.3-liter came exclusively with AWD.

Lincoln eschewed typical "Sport" mode names for their drive modes in favor of “Conserve” and “Excite.” The Corsair’s Excite mode was akin to a sport mode, allowing the 2.3-liter engine to showcase its strong acceleration. While there was some body roll in turns and the steering felt light, the Corsair remained confident in cornering and provided robust braking. Its suspension, tuned for comfort, absorbed road imperfections well, though a noticeable amount of road noise permeated the cabin when hitting potholes.

For 2021, Lincoln added the Grand Touring trim, featuring a plug-in hybrid powertrain with a turbocharged 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine, a CVT, battery power, and dual electric motors. This configuration produced a combined 266 horsepower, 28 miles of pure electric driving range, and an efficiency rating of 78 MPGe in electric mode, plus 33 mpg combined in hybrid mode.

On the performance front, the 2021 Ford Escape offered a variety of powertrains, including two gasoline engines, a hybrid, and a plug-in hybrid. The base engine was a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder from Ford’s EcoBoost lineup, producing 181 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission and available in FWD or AWD.

The optional 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine upped the power to 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque and came exclusively with AWD and an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Escape’s hybrid and plug-in hybrid variants both utilized a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine assisted by an electric motor, generating a total of 200 hp. The plug-in hybrid’s larger battery allowed for extended electric driving. The hybrid could be FWD or AWD, while the plug-in hybrid was FWD only.

Ford’s smaller three-cylinder engine exceeded expectations, providing adequate power for the Escape. Smooth transitions between electric and gasoline power were a highlight of the hybrid variant. However, lackluster chassis tuning, carried over from the 2020 model, resulted in uninspiring suspension and steering responses, making them less engaging to drive. For 2021, Ford also included a Class 2 Trailer Tow Package for the 2.0-liter, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models. The maximum towing capacity was 3,500 pounds with the 2.0-liter engine.

Inside, the 2021 Lincoln Corsair offered a spacious cabin with comfortable seating and ample storage space. However, the unusual design of the floor, sinking below the doorframe, created a pronounced lip that passengers had to step over. This design quirk required some adjustment and caution.

Reclining and sliding rear seats made the second row particularly comfortable, with impressive legroom for a compact SUV. Headroom and legroom were ample in both rows, making the Corsair suitable for long road trips.

The Corsair provided 27.6 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, expanding to 57.6 cubic feet when the seats were folded down. These figures were average for the compact luxury SUV segment. The Corsair came standard with a power liftgate and offered a hands-free power liftgate as well.

In comparison, the 2021 Ford Escape, despite its car-like design, offered commendable interior space for the SUV segment. The Escape's first and second rows provided class-leading headroom and legroom. The sliding rear seat could be moved to adjust for more legroom or cargo space, offering up to 40.7 inches of rear legroom in non-hybrid models. However, the placement of the battery pack in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models reduced rear legroom.

The Escape boasted 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat up in gasoline models, expandable to 37.5 cubic feet with the rear seat slid forward. Hybrid and plug-in hybrid models offered slightly less space due to the battery pack, with 30.7 cubic feet expandable to 34.4 cubic feet. When the rear seat was folded, gasoline models reached 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had 60.8 cubic feet. This was less than competitors like the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester, which exceeded 70 cubic feet of cargo space.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came standard with an 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, running SYNC 3. This system featured a logical menu layout and docked buttons, paired with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The steering wheel design was intuitive, moving the voice control button to the wheel itself for easy access.

Our Reserve trim test model included optional wireless device charging, a 14-speaker Revel premium audio system, and a head-up display (HUD), which provided clear and easy-to-read graphics.

The 2021 Ford Escape used the older Sync 3 infotainment system rather than the newer Sync 4. Base Escape S models received a small 4.2-inch touchscreen but included Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot. Upgrading to the SE trim added an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio.

The Titanium trim level offered a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen audio system. While Sync 3 was easy to use, the Escape lacked some advanced tech features compared to competitors, including wireless versions of Apple CarPlay and Android Auto available in Sync 4-equipped models.

The 2021 Lincoln Corsair came with an extensive list of standard safety features, including forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, pedestrian detection, lane-departure warning, lane-keep assist, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and rear parking sensors. Additional features included traction control, a tire-pressure monitoring system, and a complete set of airbags.

Our Corsair test model featured the Lincoln CoPilot360 Plus suite, which added a head-up display, rain-sensing wipers, adaptive LED headlights, front and surround-view parking sensors, speed limit sign recognition, stop-and-go adaptive cruise control, reverse automatic braking, and automatic parking assist. The 360-degree parking camera and subtle dashboard alerts from the forward-collision and lane-departure systems were particularly helpful.

The Corsair earned the Top Safety Pick Plus designation from the IIHS when equipped with upgraded headlights available in the Reserve II package.

The 2021 Ford Escape also garnered high safety marks. The IIHS awarded the Escape a Top Safety Pick rating, with top scores in crash tests and LATCH anchor ease of use. It also received high marks for front-crash prevention technology, though headlight ratings varied from “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

The NHTSA gave the Escape a five-star overall safety rating, with perfect scores in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover tests.

Standard safety features under Ford’s Co-Pilot360 banner included 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 with stop-and-go and lane centering, traffic-sign recognition, park assist, and Evasive Steering Assist.