Titanium Hybrid 4dr All-Wheel Drive
2022 Ford Escape

You won't see the 2022 Ford Escape on our list of the best small SUVs. Quite simply, it's outdone by competitors that are more spacious, better to drive and have higher-quality interiors. "Mid-pack" would be the best description. "Close but no cigar" would be another. There are some caveats to this lukewarm response, however. The Escape is one of only four compact SUVs that offer a hybrid powertrain, and one of only three available as a plug-in hybrid. At the same time, it also offers a powerful turbocharged four-cylinder that those same hybrid-offering competitors do not. As such, if you're looking for a hybrid (and we definitely suggest that) or a burlier engine option, the Escape suddenly finds itself higher in that pack and therefore more worthy of your consideration. There's also something to be said for the Escape's attractive, sporty styling and fun-to-drive dynamics that stand out in a segment that increasingly skews toward the quasi-rugged. If you want that, Ford offers the mechanically related Bronco Sport. You'll be sacrificing a fair bit of passenger space with that, however.  Interior & Technology   |   Passenger & Cargo Space   |   Performance & Fuel Economy What it's like to drive   |   Pricing & Features   |   Crash Ratings & Safety Features What's new for 2022? The Escape gets minor options updates and some new colors for 2022. What are the Escape interior and in-car technology like? We take a deep dive into the Escape interior's quality, technology, storage and space in this Escape Interior Driveway Test, so we'll only touch on the high and low points here. Interior storage is plentiful and thoughtful, especially the area devoted to smartphones. The sliding back seat also adds versatility, though we'll touch on that more below and in our Escape Luggage Test. In terms of technology, all but the most basic Escape (pictured in the first slide above) comes with a large touchscreen that's easily seen and reached. It runs Ford's Sync 3 interface, which is technically previous-generation tech, but only the newest, fanciest Fords like the Mach-E, Bronco and F-150 are running Sync 4. In general, we like its clean, easily read graphics featuring large icons on a clean background. It does the basics well, and although we have nits to pick with its Apple CarPlay integration, there's far more good than bad. We're also fans of the configurable digital instrument panel standard on the hybrids and gas-only Titanium. On the other hand, we wouldn't call the design particularly eye-catching, and its air vent placement can result in awfully chilly knuckles. Worse, the Escape's interior quality has gone downhill for this generation. The doors are lined in rubbery plastic rather than cloth or pleather, the cargo area is lined in brittle, scratch-prone plastic, and we found evidence of iffy fit-and-finish. The Titanium has some of the least convincing wood trim you'll find in a car. While other Fords, like the Bronco Sport and Maverick, have similarly mediocre materials quality, they at least are more characterful and interesting to look …
Hide Full Review