2021 Ford Escape

The 2021 Ford Escape comes in four trims: S, SE, SEL, and Titanium. With its redesign, the SUV now has a more aerodynamic appearance, which helps with fuel economy. Even its roof racks have a lower profile to reduce wind resistance. It comes standard with 16-inch wheels, but available upgrades include 17-inch ones.

The 2021 Escape comes with two available turbocharged EcoBoost engine options. The standard 1.5-liter three-cylinder engine produces 181 horsepower and 190 pound-feet of torque. Standard on the Titanium but available on the SEL trim is a 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine that gets 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. Both engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. All trims come standard with front-wheel drive, except the Titanium trim which comes standard with all-wheel drive. You can add this feature on the other three trims.

If you're looking for a vehicle that achieves excellent gas mileage, consider the Escape. With the base engine, it gets an EPA-estimated 28 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. Moving up to the turbo-four engine, mileage drops slightly to 23 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Also, when properly outfitted with the larger engine and all-wheel drive, the SUV can tow a maximum of 3,500 pounds.

Seating five people comfortably, the 2021 Escape isn't the most spacious vehicle in its class, but it does give you a comfortable ride. You can easily maneuver both rows of seats for added legroom or more cargo space. When it comes to cargo capacity, the Escape has one of the largest in its class. Depending on how the rear seats are configured, the SUV has between 33.5 and 37.5 cubic feet of space behind the second-row seats. The total amount of space behind the first row of seats is 65.4 cubic feet of space.

To keep everyone connected, every Escape comes with an easy-to-use SYNC 3 infotainment system. It comes standard with a 4.2-inch display, but you can upgrade to an 8-inch touch-screen display. Other standard features include a USB port and Bluetooth, while upgrades include Apple CarPlay and Android Auto connectivity, satellite radio, and a Wi-Fi hot spot.

All Escape trims come standard with more than a half dozen safety features, some of which include blind-spot monitoring, automatic emergency braking, forward-collision warning, and lane-keep assist. Upper trims include other features such as a head-up display, traffic jam assist, and rear parking sensors.

Because of these impressive safety features, the Escape achieved stellar safety ratings from national publications. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration gave the SUV a perfect overall safety rating, while the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety gave it the highest rating in all six crash safety tests.