I'm not sure how flattered Porsche will be at the inevitable comparisons between Ford's all-new 2020 Escape compact crossover SUV and its own sporty Macan crossover SUV, but it'd better get ready, as based on looks alone, comparisons are bound to be made. Frankly, this is a good thing — the redesigned 2020 Escape is strikingly good-looking, with a carlike front end that instantly recalls the Macan, while much of the bodyside shape and rear end bring to mind Mazda and Volkswagen styling. We got an up-close look at the interior and exterior of the redesigned Escape before its debut for further investigation.
Ford says the shape of the latest Escape tested very strongly in consumer clinics, and I believe it — the stylists did a great job with the new crossover. It almost makes up for the fact that crossovers like this will replace all cars in the Ford showroom of 2020 except the Mustang.
Inside, the front seats are roomier than before, with more head- and hip room, although a fairly high dashboard and side sills does tend to give the interior something of a bunker feel to it. It's a very nice bunker, however, with shapes and materials that look as good on the Titanium model I sat in as they do in the latest top Ford Explorer we saw at the 2019 North American International Auto Show in Detroit. There are no hidden switches located on hard-to-see lower panels (a la Subaru and Toyota), and everything feels slick and well-made. While we tend not to be big fans of automatic transmission gear selectors that are anything but levers, Ford's rotary-style selectors aren't bad — and they're definitely better than the push-button types Honda keeps trying to sell us on.
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The 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster is slick, but the animations take a little longer than when we first saw this in the Explorer a few months ago. Not that people often switch between drive modes, and perhaps this is just preproduction level software, but it is perceptible. The large central 8-inch touchscreen is big and easy to use as well, and the latest version of Sync 3 looks slick.
The backseat is also surprisingly spacious, with plenty of legroom when the sliding second-row seats are in their fully rearward position. If you need more cargo room, just slide them forward for the ability to put more junk in your trunk. A few interesting observations, however: The seats do not fold completely flat unless you adjust the two-position cargo floor cover. This gives you a few inches more height for big objects when you need it or a completely flat floor from bumper to front seats when you'd rather have that. But more unusual is the complete omission of any way to fold those rear seats from the cargo area — there are no seatback levers and no buttons or handles in the cargo area, either. If you want the second-row seatbacks down, you have to do it from the sides of the car at each rear passenger door. This seems like an unusual cost-saving move that cuts a big convenience feature out of the picture.
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I guess Ford had to pay for all that standard safety equipment somehow, as the Escape has a long list of standard electronic systems that are optional on many competitors if they're available at all. Ford Co-Pilot360 comes with every Escape, bringing automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection and lane departure warning with steering intervention, just to name a few features. They'll come with every base Escape S model at a price around $25,000, according to Escape Brand Marketing Manager Chris Mosco.
With two gas engines and two hybrid options, the Escape also promises some interesting driving experiences. Ford promises an experience that's much more entertaining and carlike than ever before, delivering on the Escape's newly sporty and swoopy good looks. We look forward to putting that to the test closer to when the 2020 Ford Escape goes on sale in the fall.
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