The 2021 Ford Escape is a great SUV to consider. There is only one potential drawback to consider with this Ford Bronco Sport sibling. Check out the pros and one potential con of choosing the Ford Escape as your crossover. 

The 2021 Ford Escape lacks a quality interior 

First of all, we aren’t bashing the 2021 Ford Escape. We know that it’s an excellent option thanks to its versatility and fuel efficiency. But Auto Blog found one issue that we can’t easily dismiss. 

According to their Ford Escape review, this vehicle has a weak interior. They mentioned how the layout isn’t the best because the position of the air vents blow cold air on your knuckles. Your hands may get painfully chilly. 

Then they go into detail about how the quality of the interior has gone done hill. You’ll notice that the doors have plastic and cheap rubbery materials instead of cloth or pleather. The cargo area is lined with plastic that seems brittle and is easy to scratch. 

Even with higher trims such as Titanium, the materials still seem iffy. For example, they mention that the wood trim isn’t convincing at all. With an MSRP of about $24,885, you shouldn’t expect the highest quality materials, but it could be a little nicer. 

What’s new for the 2021 Escape? 

If you can get past the subpar interior, the 2021 Ford Escape is a great economical option. The plug-in hybrid Ford Escape was just released, and it gets an EPA estimated 37 miles of electric range. It gets about 44 mpg in the city and 34 mpg on the highway. It pumps out 200 hp. 

The standard engine is a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-three option with 180 hp and 177 lb-ft of torque. You can also upgrade to the 2.0-liter inline-four engine with 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, which is an incredible amount of power for a little crossover. 

Keep in mind that only the gas-powered models are available with all-wheel drive. It shares the same platform with the Ford Bronco Sport, too, so despite having a lower ground clearance, the Escape is still extremely capable. In fact, it can tow up to 3,500 lb when properly equipped! 

2021 Escape features 

Edmunds is very pleased with the size of the 2021 Ford Escape. It’s bigger than it looks with a spacious interior. The back seat has plenty of space for taller passengers to relax. The panoramic sunroof also adds more headspace. 

There is up to 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the rear seats, with up to 65.4 cubic feet total. This is average for the class. The interior features large cubbies, and the low cargo floor makes loading the Escape easy. 

While a 4.2-inch radio display comes standard on the base model, on higher trims, you can upgrade to the 8.0-inch infotainment system. It included Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. Also, a 12.3-inch digital gauge display is offered with the Titanium trim. 

Standard safety features include forward-collision warning with automated emergency braking, lane-departure warning with lane-keeping assistance, and blind-spot monitoring with rear-cross traffic alert.