2020 Ford Escape - Review & Road Test 

Seems to be a lot of negativity in the comment section. My wife and I have had our 2020 Ford Escape Titanium for ten months now and we absolutely love it. Everything works well on it. The copilot 360 has saved us from two potential accidents. Their was a car in front of us making a left turn and slammed on their brakes, our car stopped immediately. We are seniors so we needed a vehicle that has a comfortable ride and handles well. I like the performance and economy it provides.

I did a 2500 mile round trip in my 2020 2.0 last year. Drove the entire trip by myself. It's great for long trips. The adaptive cruise control is like auto pilot. That engine really does have some nice power.

i had the original 2001 model escape (my dad's car) , the 2013 model (my moms) and now the 2020 one (mine) and let me just say the escape line has never let me down! i love my escape, and for a learning driver its really easy and simple to drive.

Tim deserves a beer for the beep beep segment.

My first car is Ford Escape 2002, even in it’s last leg it let me Move here in Illinois from Wyoming. I miss Ford Escape.

Our 2015 Escape Titanium has been a stellar vehicle. I especially like the display in the middle. The screen is much larger and easier to see. I love my 2015 but I'm glad to see some of the updates for 2020. It's off the dealership next week.

We have owned 4 Escapes now since its introduction on 2001. All 4 performed flawlessly. We presently own a 2015 Titanium 2.0 AWD and it is a great vehicle. over 60,000 miles, not one issue. We plan on looking at the Hybrid next year.

*This looks like an oversize 2019 Ford Focus* 😍👍

In LA, 180hp is way more than enough for any car, ,most of the time you drive below 35 on 405 anyway.......LOL

Bring back the Small SUV Look and capability. I owned a 2007 Ford Escape, It was a great Car !

6:22 you’re absolutely right about being gentle with those brakes. I had one as a rental for a week while my f150 was getting work done and the first time I come up the a red I damn near flew out the windshield with how sensitive this cars brakes were.

made a trip to utah for work, drove around to national parks in my time there, then drove to Illinois and back home on my escape. the fuel economy on this car is INSANELY great. it’s a fantastic car for first time buyers, travelers, and people who just need a comfy car to drive in.

I mean, if they're getting rid of their sedans, wouldn't you think they would make their CUVs better?

I’ve had my 2008 Ford Escape for about 4 years now and the only problem I ever had was needing to bleed the breaks, pretty good for a 13 year old vehicle with 201K miles. I don’t understand why the 2020-2021 Escape isn’t selling well.. it reminds me of a Porsche it looks so great and rides nice

Here's a hint for Ford. Make sure your "press" cars, i.e. vehicles provided to reviewers are trouble free.

The transmission shifting was an issue in the one I test drove and the issue with the stop start system along with the rear view mirror was bulky making a large blind spot when driving and for those reasons I chose the 2019 model instead.

I think Ford made this new Escape more aerodynamic, soft, and car-like because they discontinued their sedans and plan on re-introducing the Bronco and Bronco II for people who want a more rugged CUV

We just purchased a 2020 Escape Titanium Hybrid, and for the money, it had the most features, and was the best value in the class. When you can get a Titanium for under 28,000 it’s a no brainer. We found the Titanium Escape to be a jack of all trades, with the only master coming in the Hybrid power train. It checked all of our boxes, and in our opinion the easiest on the eyes in the entire class. When buying a domestic, never compare window stickers. Also, this whole review was very snarky, and seemed to have a negative Ford bias right out of the gate.

Goodness, this has some nice features but also seems to be a bit of a piece of crap. I'm not surprised.

So many automotive experts on RU-vid in the comments section. Everyone should have their own review channel.

I am not a fan of of styling of this car. It honestly looks like a cira 2013 Mazda CX5 inspired design that melted a little bit in the oven. :( It seems like every possible design cue or character line was smoothed out by "Committee" or "Customer focus groups".

I do have a 2020 Ford Escape SE in black a little bit over 2 years since mid March 2022. When I test drove the Escape and I really liked the smooth ride. I figured out on using Apple Car Play by myself. It took me a couple weeks on the controls. My last vehicle was a 2015 Ford Escape SE. I had it almost 5 years till it died on me with an oil leak. Even my sister had a 2002 Ford Escape for almost 16 years. That was the longest that she owned a vehicle. She inherited my mother’s 2013 Ford Edge in June 2018. I grew up on my parents having Ford vehicles mostly. My mother had a Volkswagen Beetle when I was little. She did had a 1989 Dodge Grand Caravan in silver grey, a 2006 Sebring convertible. My father had a 1983 CJ-7 Jeep and a 2002 Jeep TJ.

3 cylinder engine, rough shifting auto, numb steering, squealing tires.... The Escape used to be a fun cuv. Sounds like Ford dumbed it down and cheaped out. I don't see many reasons to get this over competing Honda, Toyota or Kia cuvs.

The Euro version of this (Kuga) looks worlds better. Why does Ford always dumb down the looks of it's vehicles sold in the states?

You would think that in shutting down their sedan lineup, Ford would aim all their time and energy into offering the best non-luxury SUVs but still they continue to get slapped by the just about everybody outside of the US. If all they have to offer is horsepower, they're not going to win more sales than the competition that's giving a healthy dose of everything for less money.

I drove the 3 banger, rental car, for about 15 minutes before a check engine light came on. I was also unimpressed by how choppy the car felt....idk if that's the right word to use, but it almost felt like the engine was unbalanced.

$34,000 for a compact crossover is ridiculous. Carmakers are pricing these things out of most family's budgets, particularly in higher trim. If it weren’t for discounts and incentives the industry would be dead.

I bought a 2017 Escape Titanium brand new and it's been the BEST SUV I've ever owned (and I've owned a bunch). 25mpg average with the 2.0 ecoboost, better traction in (Michigan) winter than the Jeeps I've had, and extremely comfortable front seating. When shopping, I went with this over the Cherokee and others because Ford had the option of dual power seats in front--something Cherokee didn't offer (at the time--apparently now they do, but only in the "Elite" trim which costs $1000s more than the other trims). Frankly, I wouldn't trade for this new version simply because of the rotary transmission selector, which I hate.

It looks OK, but the interior screams rental car

"During our testing, the front-drive (Equinox 1.6t diesel)model was put through Real MPG's evaluations, and the results were an impressive 33.1/46.7 mpg, making this oil-burning family car one of the most fuel-efficient crossovers we've tested." Motor Trend

I’m not a fan of its exterior design and don’t know about the durability of the drive train. Does Ford believe this can truly earn the #1 spot in its segment?

Looks better in person. It’s truly not bad if Ford can fix all recalls in a timely fashion.

Unfortunately these look like cars. Too bad they didn't keep the 2012 and under body style so you could at least fit stuff in the back.

Ford messed up when that got rid of Mazda. The older Fusions/Milan/MKZ and Edges/MKX were so much more reliable than the new ones. My 2011 MKZ has been rock solid with no issues

Yikes. I’m surprised Ford is getting out of the sedan business when their SUV’s look ugly and feel so cheap and rushed.

Oh Ford. You never learn! You’re just going to have more problems in “software” with your transmissions! If people are confused by this comment feel free to look up the Ford Focus and Fiesta transmission fiasco.

I'm a Canadian currently in Europe. I was looking forward to the release of this escape to replace my 2011 escape. Technically this new model has many new technical advances. Unfortunately many of its body style cues come from other brands i see in Europe which are 3 and 4 years old and being replaced by newer body styles. Consequently my opinion of this new model is it has passed its sell by date before it's release in North America.

I had the opportunity to drive one this last weekend as a rental from Hertz in Vegas. They had just put it out as a choice. Only 23 miles on the odometer. I got in and the front driver side speakers didn’t work. Fiddled with the fade and balance for a bit to confirm. Gotta love Ford quality control. I switched to an Altima instead.

The most entertaining and memorable car review on u tube, for m,e at least. Provided there is such a category as reviews on the review channel, you qualify for a nomination for the Academy award. Well written car review!

I wouldn’t call the exterior inoffensive

Actually @2:00 the circular flat spot in the upper interior trim is for an optiona factory onlyl cargo cover which would have a pin to hook the corded end of a privacy shade.

Ford all the way :)

Everything sounded pretty good until they mentioned the wonky transmission. Has Ford learned nothing?

Thank you for the review, very informative.

I will never buy a car with an automatic start stop mechanism, If Scotty Kilmer has thought me anything is that these systems are good in case of Hybrids but for a normal vehicle it just reduces the life of the engine, idling an engine is much better than restarting it at every red light although these systems save you on gas but if you are looking to use your vehicle for a long time I will just avoid it.

Props for having Soundgarden’s Rusty Cage on the stereo. 🤘

7:50 Anyone who thinks the “trolley problem” is something AI will deal with is really not understanding self driving cars at all. They work by mapping the world ahead of them and reacting to it. If they predict an object will be in front of them in the future, the correct response would always be to avoid impact. If someone is hit it’s not because the AI saw them, identified them as a living person, and calculated the safety of the driver over the pedestrian. It would be because the car lacked the ability to avoid them completely for whatever reason.

The Escape in that Mazda-esque Soul Red... looks just like a MAZDA. And thanks for the LBC travelogue, Micah and Tim. 🥰😍

What do you mean the new escape styling doesn't move you ? It is the best feature your going to tell me the CR-V or Rav 4 look better? I think not only the CX-5 is comparible

This is at the top of my compact crossover list. Not overstyled, excellent tech, hybrid option

4:40 “alarming inconsistency in acceleration” Ford has had that same issue with other model cars like the Fiesta.

3 cylinders?!

The Koreans are eating Ford's and others lunch every day. Have you driven a Hyundai/Kia lately, Ford? Lol

That interior quality is way beyond par. A potential driver will see it from the inside 90% of the time and with that amount of plastic it just does not say "daily" pleasure. Especially at this Price!

We will test drive the new Escape hybrid soon . If we dont like will go Edge or new Explorer!

Oh Ford makes the best vehicle EVER! So good that in 5-7 yrs it turns into a convertible whether you want it to or not. I own a 2011 Ford Escape and leaks water in front windshield, sunroof and rear hatch window. Honestly tried to do my part and buy American. After 3 Chevys and 2 Fords sorry but I went Honda. Japanese seem to care about quality and reliability not quantity and profit.

Oh man. The face Micah makes when realizing it doesn't have the parking feature... made my day 😂

I'm going back to a Ford, it's the only cars that lasted me years without major issues! My brand new Nissan just lost power in the middle of the road and I am here shopping for something non-Nissan!

Nicest looking gen, especially the interior while also an elegant exterior redesign.

"Digitally spelunk"....that's awesome haha.

Is it just me or does this look like a tamer (aka more boring) version of the Kia Sportage?

Lol I own a 2010 Ford Taurus with 150k miles on it and I’ve never had a problem with it. The interior is excellent and I love my Taurus. But Fords today are a complete joke, please fire who is in charge. This car reminds me when Ford was going through it in the early 2000’s

Oh it looks good, almost DBX looking

Start stop is the dumbest trend in new cars. It doesn’t save you fuel and just wears out your engine

aren't 3 cylinder engines notoriously known to be unreliable?

*Looks at thumbnail. The new Kia Sportage looks nice.

I saw one on the road yesterday and it didn't look terrible. Looks good from all angles except the front, I think. That grille has a goofy "smiling" expression. And now Ford has no design consistency with the grilles across their SUV lineup. They all look totally different. Weird.

I would have to get the 4 cylinder

Am I insane or did this review spend quite a while on the hybrid without ever even mentioning the fuel economy?

This isn’t even in the same league as the Rav or CX5. The 3 cylinder and interior are embarrassing.

Comparing this rental fleet attempt of SUV with a CR-V is an insult for the great CR-V... It is actually an insult to even the cheap Sportage! How is that car even in the market?? It looks like they wanted to make a sedan and had to make it a SUV, because the new Ford CEO decided to ditch sedan production in the middle of the car development....

I remember when they said American cars are catching up to the imports. Then they said they were as good or better! Now the domestic manufacturers have mostly given up on cars. After seeing this latest example of a mainstream SUV I think maybe they should stick with light-duty pickup trucks and commercial vehicles.

I have had my 2020 Escape for a little over a year and it has less than 1700 miles on it. It has gone back to the garage several times on the back of a flat bed. When I first got it the first week I went to the store only a mile away and the doors weren't going to open. I tried several things and gave it a rest. Then on one try they opened. The dash board remained dark some of the Icons started to light. It started so I drove it home and called AAA to come and take it back to the dealer. When I got it back I was told there was oil on 3 spark plugs?? After that it seemed to run rough so I returned it to the dealer. They couldn't find anything and assured me it was OK now. Then a short while later I went to a restaurant and as I was a short distance from my destination the dash started flashing and it quit running. Fortunately it coasted into the parking lot. Once again I called AAA. The dealer said they couldn't find anything again. Recently on a drive when I got on the highway, there was a loud banging noise so loud that other cars were looking at me. The dealer was near by so I pulled in. A mechanic took it for a ride and said you had your windows down and that was what made the noise. Seriously?? Frankly living in a area that cell service is sketchy at best I am afraid to drive it far from home. I have had a drivers license on 3 continents and never had a a car that I was afraid to drive.

I think auto stop/start is one of the dumbest features in vehicles right now. I’m glad my Kona doesn’t have it like the Santa Fe and Palisade.

I tried this suv today it runs great I would buy one if the rebates are good

Get Jim Hackett out and hire someone who actually treasures Ford and knows what it is capable of like Mullally!

Awesome video!😸😸

Micah, even as a lifelong vehicle enthusiast, after watching literally hundreds of reviews on RU-vid, I must admit that I'm starting to get bored. Keeping it interesting must be that much more difficult for you, even for the money. You're a guy who likes adventure, and honestly, having you here even five more years would be a criminal waste of talent and potential. Until that day, though, our shared love of the language and inability to take ourselves (or almost anything else) too seriously keeps me coming back to see how you will humor me with the rabbit-out-of-the-hat trick a𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯. And with turns like "digital spelunking" and a half a dozen other examples from this video alone, you keep me coming back. One thing you do take seriously is production. Although your basic form is very familiar by now, you've also mastered it. Quality is consistently high, and the editing is tight. I've seen KBB reviews before you took the helm. What you've built here, with a great team, is quite an accomplishment, Micah, and one beauty of a résumé. I'm nobody in the field, but somebody is, and they have to be noticing. Anyway, thanks for sharing the ride! My elbows are quite comfy, thank you.

Please do an indebted show on the hybrid version and how it compares to RAV4s hybrid.

So it seems like everything about this new escape is worse than last generation. Horrible styling, bad transmission and dull steering. Got it avoid this junk.

Wow did they mess this one up. What an ugly duckling, both inside and out. The only thing it has going for it is the towing capacity for the class (3500lbs). Ford also came out with a ho-hum Explorer, and the recently (Leaked) new 2021 F-150 interior photos are not promising. Take into account what Kia is (amazingly) doing with the Telluride and soon to be released Palisade, FORD is in trouble!!! They need to make some changes, and quick. It's not like they can't make a good interior or exterior design, just look at the recent Lincoln offerings. They should have went that direction. This is a middle of the road vehicle at best, and sorry to say Ford, this one is going to hurt. (the pocketbook).

It doesn’t even look like an SUV anymore...

I like your music choice 😎👍

The juddering you describe sounds like the Focus I drive for work. Drives me nuts, I always feel as if I'll get into a car accident with that juddering.

Are there any diesel version of escape like fiesta and focus ? The funny thing that i dont see much other brands make diesel engine for Sedan like Ford, they do that for Crossover and Suv, Ford should do that too

I only like this car because of Journey’s X9 platinum album Escape. Their best album. I bet one of Journey’s members have or had this.

I’d consider the Ecosport or the edge first. The only advantage I can see with the escape is it’s fuel mileage.

2:27 oh hello there Mr happy robot 🤖

Age well, didn’t this body style come out on a Porsche in 2002 or something like that?

Is there a fungus outbreak in Michigan? The alternator still under the passenger floorboard?

I absolutely love you & your great reviews but I absolutely hate the new Escape, that is all

Love me some Soundgarden, Rusty Cage!

Where does the need for sliding second row seats arise in a two row crossover...? For when your rear seat passengers decide they have far too much legroom?

Why did you not mention the Subaru Forester? That's a comparable model as well

God the exterior is just the worst. "It won't age poorly" is a nice way of saying it already looks like an updated concept from the mid 00's, christ.

Isn’t the upcoming Ford Puma replacing this already?

Not so sure about the interior design, exterior design is really good though

So you took the gentleman way of saying that this crossover is 💩. Not finishing the video and it’s nothing to do with you but it’s the vehicle

Ummm can software fix everything? I don't know about transmission.. Please please not another DCT issue with focus and Fiesta..

Naaah, thanks, I'll stay with my 2016, it looks extremely better than the new one.