2023 Ford Escape Mid-Cycle Refresh

There’s quite a bit driving on—and alongside—the Ford Escape. Dearborn’s C2 automobile platform, in play for 4 years now, stands as a microcosm of Ford Motor Co.’s whole product portfolio—and is a crucial entry level for first-time patrons. The C2 structure underpins the Maverick pickup truck, Bronco Sport crossover, European Focus compact automotive, and the upscale Lincoln Corsair crossover.

The star of that present from a gross sales perspective, nonetheless, is the Escape, which launched in tandem with the Mazda Tribute in 2001 and was a part of the preliminary wave of crossover/utility automobiles that relied on unibody building (for higher car-like dealing with) whereas bigger SUVs and pickup vehicles used body-on-frame architectures.

The present-generation Escape has been out there for 2 years, which suggests it’s time for a refresh to maintain clients enthusiastic about a midsize crossover section that’s packed like a clown automotive with 28 entries—within the US alone. That is America’s hottest automobile sector, with gross sales topping 2 million models via September. That’s extra quantity than pickup vehicles—of all sizes.

The Escape does fairly nicely, however via the primary 9 months it trailed the Chevrolet Equinox, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5, and the best-selling Toyota RAV4. So the Escape product workforce set about to make incremental upgrades on this mid-cycle refresh.

For mannequin 12 months 2023, your complete entrance finish is new, from the bottom of the windshield ahead. The LED headlamps are much less rounded and extra aggressively styled, and a particular gentle bar now stretches the complete width, illuminating the entrance fringe of the hood. The brand new grille opening is bigger, extra three-dimensional, and now holds the blue oval within the heart, whereas on the ’22 mannequin it rested on the hood above the grille.

In broader phrases, the entrance finish of the ’22 Escape seemed like a pleasing face, however the reskinned ’23 Escape has the furrowed forehead and indignant eyes of somebody in a contentious enterprise assembly. It really works.

On the rear, a deal with on the ’22 mannequin protruded from the decrease liftgate for elevating it, however the brand new mannequin hides that button below the lip that extends above the license plate, making for a cleaner, streamlined liftgate design. The taillamps have additionally been restyled, and the rear spoiler is bigger now.

From the aspect, each mannequin years look equivalent when it comes to sheetmetal and total type, however there are new 19-inch machine-faced Ebony painted wheels on the ’23 Escape ST-Line Elite improve package deal that positive factors prominence within the new mannequin 12 months.

The ST-Line is a part of a large rejiggering of the Escape trim stroll. In ’22, Ford provided the Escape in S, SE, SEL, and Titanium trim. Clients complained that “S” monikers have been simply letters that didn’t convey the place they stood on the pricing sheet.

So the ’23 Escape now begins on the Base trim, then steps as much as Energetic trim, then the ST-Line (Choose and Elite), after which Platinum and Plug-In Hybrid.

Ford expects the sporty ST-Line to make up 50% of Escape gross sales quantity, partly as a consequence of a extra enticing pricing mannequin: An upgraded ST-Line mannequin (with black rims, pink stitching, and flat-bottom steering wheel) will value an additional $995, whereas an look package deal added to an SE or SEL mannequin in ’22 would have value about $1500.

This try and get rid of confusion about trim ranges matches into Ford’s advertising spiel of positioning the Escape as a peaceful house providing a respite from the surface world. Alongside these strains, the brand new instrument panel is way much less cluttered now that every one the laborious climate-control buttons are digital and have been moved to the bottom of the brand new bigger show display screen positioned atop the instrument panel. The general look is cleaner.

In ’22, the principle central screens have been 4 inches diagonal in base fashions, with an 8-inch improve. For ’23, the 8-inch display screen turns into customary, and an unlimited 13.2-incher is customary on Platinum and PHEV fashions and is non-compulsory on ST-Line choices.

The infotainment behind these screens was pushed by Ford’s Sync 3 platform in ’22, however the ’23 refresh strikes as much as Sync 4 with higher graphics, split-screen functionality, extra custom-made views, and improved voice controls.

Ebony will stay the preferred inside colour for the Escape, however Area Grey represents a brand new inside shade, instead of Sandstone. Leather-based is offered with prime trims. And there are two new exterior paint colours: Cinnabar Pink and Vapor Blue (pictured under).

The powertrains carry over from final 12 months to the ’23 Escape, with the preferred engine (about 50% of the combo) anticipated to stay the 180-hp 1.5-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost, adopted by the 250-hp 2.0-liter four-cylinder EcoBoost (anticipated to account for 25% of gross sales).

The remaining gross sales must be divided by the 210-hp 2.5-liter four-cylinder hybrid (about 27%) and a couple of.5-liter four-cylinder plug-in hybrid (about 8% of gross sales), in response to Ford. When absolutely charged, the PHEV can run for 37 miles in all-electric mode. The Escape comes from a front-wheel-drive structure, however all-wheel drive is obtainable in most trim ranges.

Accessible driver-assistance applied sciences embody stop-and-go cruise management, onboard navigation, rear cross-traffic braking, reverse brake help, and Ford Co-Pilot360 expertise with intersection help and blindspot help.

The ’23 Escape is offered to order now and can attain dealerships early subsequent 12 months. Ford will proceed constructing the crossover at its plant in Louisville, Kentucky. Pricing data will probably be obtainable nearer to launch.

For those who’ve been procuring the ocean of midsize crossovers, is the Ford Escape in your checklist? Please remark under.