Estimated read time: 5-6 minutes
If I were in my 20s or early 30s, the Ford Escape would be my dream vehicle. It's peppy, it looks great and is well equipped for most excursions except serious off roading.
It would be great for an active young single who wants something that gets great gas mileage but can also handle gravel roads in the mountains or a cross country road trip. It would also be excellent for a young married couple with plenty of space for child seats in back.
In my 60s, it's still a fun car to drive and it has lots of appealing features, many of which I'll enumerate below. Today I prefer a vehicle that's bigger and roomier, which is more of a knock on me than on the Escape.
My test drive model was the 2024 Ford Escape ST version with all-wheel drive and a sticker price of $36,755. I drove it for several days on the interstate, around town for errands and I even took it on some washboard gravel roads where it gave me a much smoother ride than I expected.
MotorTrend gives the 2024 Escape a 8/10 rating and states: "The Escape is a big deal for Ford. Of course, the Mustangs and Broncos will steal the headlines, but the Escape competes in the ultra-popular and competitive compact SUV space. Folks at the Blue Oval took major steps to keep the Escape competitive with 2023's face-lift, which could be enough to steal buyers from the segment's sales leaders, the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, and Nissan Rogue."
Here are some of the features that appealed to me when I drove the 2024 Escape.
Driving and handling
I thought the Escape was fun to drive. It had plenty of zip when accelerating to merge into freeway traffic. Lane changing, braking and acceleration was less jerky than some of the smaller SUVs I've driven. I didn't get the chance to see how the Escape handles any of Utah's curvy mountain roads.
One feature I consider essential on any vehicle today is adaptive speed control so you don't need to constantly brake and then reset the cruise control if you are driving in traffic. This optional feature was included on the test vehicle and it worked flawlessly in heavy rush hour traffic on I-15 between Bountiful and Utah County.
The lane centering assist also worked well. You can feel the car pulling back toward where you need to be without jerking.
Interior and infotainment
I'm a bigger guy and I prefer the more spacious cockpits of full-size SUVs to those of compacts or even mid-size. The driver's seat in the Ford Escape was surprisingly comfortable. It was supportive and didn't leave me feeling pinched or cramped.
I also like the look of the interior. The black seats were stitched with red, giving the car a sportier look and feel.
Edmunds.com gave the Escape and 8/10 rating on comfort and interior. "The Escape's cabin is functional and pleasantly laid out. The primary controls are easy to reach, and the steering wheel buttons take no time to decipher," the review states.
The Edmunds review also had positive comments for the Escape's technology. "The Sync 3 touchscreen interface is snappy and simple to operate as well but also grows to integrate more functions into the touchscreen. Tech-savvy buyers might appreciate the giant tablet display, while others might miss physical climate controls."
Although I'm old, I appreciate the technology of today's vehicles and I like having a large display with great smartphone integration along with wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. Integration with the Escape was simple and intuitive and I had my smartphone connected in just a couple minutes.
The cargo area in the Escape feels spacious. There is plenty of room for the full complement of five passengers to take a road trip with a significant amount of gear. And if you need even more cargo, the Escape is rated to tow up to 3,500 pounds with the turbocharged 2.0 liter engine.
Safety and more
Earlier I mentioned the Escape would be perfect for a young family with young children. It gets five stars for overall safety from The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Safety features like forward collision warning, blind-spot monitoring and lane-keep assist come standard.
For parents with young children, USNews reports, "For installing child safety seats, there are two complete sets of LATCH connectors for the rear outboard seats. There's also a tether anchor for the rear middle seat, and you can borrow lower anchors from either of the rear outboard seats when they're not in use. This system is among the easiest and most versatile to use."
As a grandparent who regularly struggles to securely connect car seats in various vehicles, I can testify that a system's ease of use is important.
Final thoughts
If you are considering a small SUV, the Ford Escape certainly deserves attention. I can't say it any better than Eric Brandt in his review for Kelley Blue Book:
"The Ford Escape has a long history as a trusted SUV. The Escape has the virtues you'd expect from a modern compact SUV, like a roomy interior and good fuel economy. Still, it has a few unique characteristics setting it apart, like sliding second-row seats and four powertrain options. With two turbo engines, two hybrid options, and various trim levels, there's a Ford Escape for almost anyone who needs a practical, small SUV.
See below for more photos.
