2020 Ford Escape: A Little More Money, a Lot More Hybrid
Today, Ford unveiled an online configurator for the redesigned Escape and Escape Hybrid, with pricing slightly different than what was widely reported months ago from apparent order guides for the new SUV. When the 2020 Escape hits dealers in the fall, it will start at $26,080 (all prices include a $1,195 destination charge), up $880 over its predecessor. Load up the factory options and the SUV tops out around $41,000. That’s about $1,000 north of the 2019 model, and it overlaps pricing more than a little bit with the related Lincoln Corsair from Ford’s own luxury division.
Related: Can Revamped 2020 Ford Escape Take on the Compact SUV Competition?
The 2020 Escape Hybrid, which returns for the first time since the 2012 model year, slots between those extremes, with prices ranging from $29,450 to just under $40,000.
How do those prices compare? The non-hybrid Escape starts in the thick of other popular compact SUVs, but its ceiling is steep — a few thousand dollars more than most major competitors, save for the Chevrolet Equinox, the factory-loaded price of which can spiral toward $50,000. The Escape Hybrid, meanwhile, really has just one major competitor: the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid, of which the price spread is commensurate. (The Nissan Rogue Hybrid is a little cheaper than both SUVs, but good luck finding one.)
The 2020 Escape comes in four non-hybrid trim levels — S, SE, SEL and Titanium — while the Escape Hybrid comes in SE Sport and Titanium variants. Both powertrains offer front- or all-wheel drive.
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Importantly, all trims get a lot more safety equipment than the 2019 Escape offered as standard, or even in some cases optionally. Among them are forward collision warning with automatic emergency braking, a blind spot warning system, automatic high-beam headlights and lane departure warning with steering assist.
Other standard features include sliding second-row seats, a turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder (180 horsepower) and an eight-speed automatic transmission.
Similar to other base-grade compact SUVs, the Escape S has manual seats and steel wheels with plastic covers, but its no-frills multimedia system — a 4.2-inch screen and no Apple CarPlay or Android Auto — seems stingy when many rivals have the smartphone integration and a bigger display as standard features.
Move up to the SE to get the full-fledged multimedia system, including an 8-inch Sync 3 touchscreen with Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Climb the trim levels through SE Sport Hybrid, SEL or Titanium, and you get items like power-adjustable front seats, a choice of vinyl-like ActiveX upholstery or real leather, 12.3-inch virtual gauges, dual-zone automatic climate control, a panoramic moonroof, Bang & Olufsen premium audio, a head-up display and stop-and-go adaptive cruise control with lane centering.
The hybrid engine (a 2.5-liter four-cylinder with an electric motor and 198 hp combined) comes on the SE Sport Hybrid and Titanium, and it’s the standard engine in the Titanium. To get a non-hybrid Escape Titanium, you have to upgrade to AWD and the Escape’s top available engine, a turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder. That engine, which pairs only with AWD, is standard on the non-hybrid Titanium and optional on the SEL. It makes 250 hp but recommends premium fuel.
More From Cars.com:
- 2020 Ford Escape Video: What America Wants to Buy These Days
- 2020 Ford Escape: Ford Made You a Porsche Macan
- 2020 Lincoln Corsair: Ya Know the Aviator? Behold, the Baby-ator
- 2020 Lincoln Corsair Pricing Starts in High 30s, Can Speed Past $60K
- What’s the Best Compact SUV of 2019?
Editor’s note: This story was updated Sept. 13, 2019, to correct the size of the base Escape S multimedia display.
Editor’s note: This post was updated Sept. 9, 2019, to correct the number of cylinders for the 1.5-liter engine.
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