Ford Escape ST-Line 2021 Review

As with the newly-launched Fiesta-based Ford Puma light SUV, the new Ford Escape is oriented towards the premium end of its segment.

Although bidding for the entry-level Escape begins at $35,990 plus on-road costs – as much as $6000 more than some of its main rivals – in terms of substance there’s not much left wanting.

Unlike the smaller Ford Puma, which lists some safety gear as pack-optional, the base Escape’s complete list of safety equipment replicates that of the more expensive ST-Line and Vignale versions.

For another $2000, what you pick up by ordering the mid-range ST-Line Escape – our review car – is a boy-racer enhanced body, lower-set sports suspension, selective use of black detailing inside and out, darker roof lining, a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster ahead of the driver, a flat-bottom steering wheel, metal-look floor pedals and a mix of red and white stitching throughout.

The overall effect, other than the characteristically-Ford door trims which are somewhat basic by comparison with the rest of the interior, is pretty swish.

At $37,990 plus ORCs, the front-wheel drive Ford Escape ST0Line tested here is exactly $3000 less than the AWD version and finds its front-drive equivalents in the Toyota RAV4 GXL ($37,290), Mazda CX-5 Maxx Sport ($36,290), Hyundai Tucson Elite ($38,200) and Nissan X-TRAIL ST-L ($37,850).

On that basis you’d barely say the Ford Escape, when compared apples for apples with its main rivals, is ripping customers off. Like its Puma sibling, but not to quite the same extent, the Ford Escape range is only lacking an entry-level price tempter.

It’s not so much that the new Ford Escape is right on the ball in terms of safety: It’s more that the technology is simply part of a well thought-out, nicely cohesive package.

Yep, while the Ford Escape is brim-full of safety aids to achieve a five-star ANCAP rating, it also presents with the style, performance, quality and comfort that’s needed to muscle-up against the mid-size SUV segment leaders.

Low-speed autonomous emergency braking (AEB) with pedestrian detection, evasive steering assist (which steers the car away from the vehicle ahead if there’s insufficient braking space to avoid it), forward collision warning, traffic sign recognition, blind-spot monitoring, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist and lane centring, plus Stop & Go-capable adaptive cruise control are standard in all Escape variants.

In-cabin tech is pretty complete: Wireless phone charging, push-button starting, digital radio, Ford’s SYNC 3 infotainment system with Apple CarPlay/Android Auto and auto up/down power windows operable via the key fob are all standard.

Ford has separated the three-grade Escape line-up into base, sports and luxury configurations: The ST-Line reviewed here is the lower-slung, tighter-riding, driver-oriented variant that gets its own 18-inch alloy wheels with 225/60R18 tyres, a bigger spoiler above the rear window, different side skirts and its own front and rear bumper assemblies.

The Spanish-built Escape builds off Ford’s new C2 platform, which is also used by the current-generation Focus and succeeds the C1 platform of the previous Escape. It employs the familiar mix of MacPherson struts up front and an independent multi-link system at the rear.

Like the premium Escape Vignale, the ST-Line can be had with either front-drive, or Ford’s on-demand AWD system. The base Escape is front-drive only but, like its stablemates, comes as standard with an eight-speed auto gearbox.

When it comes to sheer grunt, there’s no question who rules in the volume-selling mid-size SUV class.

Powered by the previous 2.0-litre turbo-petrol four-cylinder but with outputs raised from 178kW/345Nm to 183kW/387Nm at reasonably relaxed rpm (5700rpm and 3100rpm respectively), the Ford Escape towers over its class competitors with 0-100km/h acceleration hovering around the even six-second mark.

The punchy EcoBoost turbo four might not reach the lofty heights of a Mercedes-AMG 2.0-litre, but it’s well on the way there. It certainly leaves room, somewhere down the track after the PHEV hybrid Escape is eventually launched, for the 134kW/240Nm 1.5-litre three-cylinder already doing sterling service in the Ford Focus and available in the new Escape overseas.

The engine mates well with the intuitive eight-speed auto gearbox. Controlled by a centre console-located, sometimes-indecisive rotating shift knob that is also used in the Focus, it contributes to the delivery of powerful, smooth on-road performance.

This is despite the ST-Line Escape’s slightly porky 1586kg quoted tare weight. Thank goodness for the new C2 platform, which Ford claims saves as much as 90kg when compared to the previous-generation Escape.

While it’s somewhat superfluous to say the Ford Escape is responsive on the road, the four-pot 2.0-litre is also notable for its quietness and the lack of holes in its power delivery.

And as for fuel consumption, we actually managed to better Ford’s somewhat unimpressive official 8.6L/100km claim by recording a decent 8.4L/100km over more than a week of mixed-use testing. The new Ford Escape asks for 95 RON premium unleaded petrol, or an E10 ethanol mix.

The new-generation Ford Escape is said to be around 90kg lighter and 10 per cent tighter than before and, in most dimensions, bigger.

While the height has dropped by 20mm, it’s quoted as being 89mm longer, 44mm wider and 20mm longer in the wheelbase. Generally, it settles comfortably into the mid-size SUV pack.

The ST-Line’s cloth-trimmed seats, manually-adjusted in the front with a hard-to-reach backrest-adjustment wheel, initially feel high-set, flat and shapeless. However, there’s a suggestion some effective orthopaedic design work has been at play because they continue to be comfortable and supportive after a few hours on the road.

A stadium-style front-rear seat configuration makes those in the back feel part of what’s going on, while a high-ish hip point helps easy entry/exit.

The 556-litre boot is among the biggest in its class, its contents protected by a loose cover that moves up as the tailgate is opened but is activated by a clumsy confusion of cables and clips that feel flimsy and cheap.

With the rear seats folded down, luggage capacity rises to 1478 litres – equal to the Hyundai Tucson.

The extra space in the soft-touch rich cabin can certainly be felt. Ford says the new Escape brings better shoulder and hip room, and better headroom throughout, while a sliding rear seat allows useful incremental adjustment of the passenger/luggage space areas. For back-seat travellers there’s a centre air-vent, but no centre armrest.

And the view from the driver’s seat, though a bit impeded towards the rearmost corners, is generally clear and informative and well-served by a large, high-res image from the reversing camera.

Although the ergonomics are generally well sorted, the steering wheel buttons for the active cruise control, phone and infotainment adjustments are a mixture of touch-intuitive (good) and visual scanning (not good), while the indicator stalk is located on the left side of the steering wheel.

Like practically all Fords, the Escape steers well too: The ST-Line’s flat-bottomed wheel spins the electric steering from lock to lock in just 2.5 turns and the weighting, for most people, is close to perfect – not over-assisted on the open road but nicely wieldy and quick when parking.

On the road, the lane-keeping/centring system is noticeably assertive – in a good way.

Like most front-drivers, our ST-Line exhibited some tugging at the wheel when executing tight, lowish-speed  turns with power applied, occasionally breaking into a brief squeal that was quickly attended to by the traction control.

Otherwise most drivers, most of the time, would barely know whether they were driving a front-drive or AWD Escape. The dynamically-inclined ST-Line always feels nimble and secure.

It’s quiet, composed and, despite the tighter suspension settings, rides with absorbency and minimum impact harshness. In a manner that’s consistent with the big power of the engine, the 225/60R18 rubber helps it grip well and steer like a budding sports SUV.

Perhaps one of the new Ford Escape’s chief attributes is its subtlety. There’s nothing showy, garish or overly modish here – just a pleasing-to-the-eye visual balance, inside and out, that grows on you the more time you spend with it. As in Goldilocks and the three bears, Ford got the formula ‘just right’.

The Ford Escape is the complete package. It’s a polished, mature mid-size SUV with a refined Euro-style edge that should stand it in good stead and reverse the nameplate’s fortunes in the segment.

That is, provided Ford puts real marketing muscle behind it and accepts that success in this closely-fought area of the SUV market is closely linked to perceived value.

A bit like the smaller Ford Puma – and mitigated by the fact that all three models offer feature-for-feature price equivalences with comparable market contenders – the all-new Ford Escape could still do with a more financially-appealing bottom line.

We await with interest the plug-in hybrid Escape PHEV when it follows in late 2021 and, maybe even moreso, the rumoured Australian introduction of the just-announced ‘conventional’ hybrid that could be a rival for Toyota’s extensive and popular range of petrol-electric RAV4s.

How much does the 2021 Ford Escape ST-Line cost?
Price: $37,990 (plus on-road costs)
Available: Now
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder turbo-petrol
Output: 183kW/387Nm
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Fuel: 8.6L/100km (ADR Combined)
CO2: 199g/km (ADR Combined)
Safety rating: Five-star (2019 ANCAP)