2023 Ford Escape AWD First Drive: Finding Focus

Dodge Neon, Caliber, and Dart. Chevrolet Cavalier, Cobalt, and Cruze. The Ford Escort and Focus. Over the past few decades all three of America's mainline automakers attempted to build a compact sedan or hatchback with broad appeal only to eventually give up. When Ford, followed by Stellantis and GM, announced it was giving up on cars to focus on crossovers, SUVs, and trucks, many bemoaned the death of the American car. Yet our drive of the updated-for-2023 Ford Escape proves that the car is alive and has been thriving right under our noses this entire time.

The demise of the Focus in 2018 left Ford the wiggle room it needed to broaden its compact SUV offerings. The new-for-2020 Escape was slightly more carlike than the version it replaced. Designed primarily for city slickers and suburbanites, the Escape looked a bit less rugged and a touch more premium than the older model, leaning into a slew of powertrain options and tech features to win over buyers. The Ford Bronco Sport picked up the slack on the rugged end of the spectrum, catering to the compact buyers who might like more traditional SUVs, or who like to go off-roading.

With the Escape's 2023 midcycle update, the SUV has gotten even more carlike, picking up where the Focus hatch left off. Although it's dimensionally identical to the pre-refresh model, the new Escape leans into the car aesthetic while simultaneously looking a bit tougher, offering a distinctive new "coast-to-coast" LED light across its snout, as well as revised taillamps. In addition to revamping the trim structure, Ford's also added a new ST-Line option, which gives the Escape a sportier flair—chiefly in the form of a blacked-out grille, body-color trim, red interior trim, and a revised suspension tune. All Escapes also get a mild interior refresh.

Our range-topping 2023 Escape ST-Line Elite AWD sports the optional redesigned 2.0-liter turbocharged I-4, which puts out the same 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque and nets the same 23/31/26 mpg city/highway/combined as the previous version of this engine did. The base engine—also redesigned—remains a 1.5-liter turbocharged I-3 with 180 hp; a 192-hp Escape Hybrid and 210-hp Escape Plug-In Hybrid are also available. The non-hybrid models share an eight-speed auto, and the hybrids get a CVT.

It isn't immediately apparent in the parking lot, but once you slip into the Escape's short but comfortable driver's seat and into traffic, its size begins to stand out. Despite the Ford's commanding, upright driving position, Toyota RAV4 and Honda CR-V drivers tower above you, while Camry and Accord owners sit just below. With 8.0 inches of ground clearance (versus upwards of 8.2 inches for the Honda SUV and 8.6 inches for the Toyota SUV) and a tidy, hatchback-esque roofline, the Escape cleverly fills the no man's land between compact cars and SUVs.

While the Escape visually splits the difference between car and SUV, its driving experience refreshingly lands more on the car side of the spectrum. Unlike many of its segment competitors, the Ford can be rather enjoyable to drive. Its 2.0-liter engine is a bit laggy off the line, but it features a broad torque curve that lives up to the American ideal of "get up and go." The hot-hatch-like engine is smooth-revving and powerful, and the Ford's eight-speed does a great job of helping you put slower traffic in your rearview mirror.

The Ford's ride and steering are generally great, too. The Escape ST Line's ride sits on the firmer end of the spectrum, but the suspension minimizes body roll and dispatches bumps without upsetting the cabin, avoiding a trait found in many vehicles in the segment. The steering is overly boosted and somewhat vague, but the quick, carlike ratio makes up for it, allowing you to easily place the Ford on the road, whether it be on the highway or on a twisting back road.

Although the 2023 Escape's driving dynamics lean toward carlike, the crossover boasts far more passenger and cargo volume than the old Focus hatch, and it features one of the roomiest cabins in the segment. Up front, occupants have a commanding view of the road and plenty of storage for phones, keys, and drinks. The adult-friendly rear area features stadium seating, placing the seat bottoms above those up front, with expansive views out of both the side windows and the windshield. If any of your brood deals with bouts of carsickness, the Escape's rear seat will likely prove to be a welcome respite.

Like the pre-refresh Escape, the 2023 model's interior is a bit of a mixed bag. The new-for-2023 software suite is a welcome addition. Despite the fact that hard buttons are preferred over digital ones due to the increased risk for distraction with the latter, the Ford mitigates this with intuitively laid-out menus, a responsive screen, and crisp graphics. We also like the faux-carbon-fiber ledge beneath the screen, which allows you to steady your hand as you operate the infotainment system.

We would, however, like to see quality step up to match what rivals like the Nissan Rogue and Kia Sportage offer at our Escape's $43,650 as-tested price. That big, new 13.2-inch screen, for instance, regularly flexed and creaked during normal operation, while some of the grain and glosses on the Ford's leather seats, trim, and plastics aren't as nice to touch or look at as materials in some rivals in this price bracket.

Ultimately, for the buyer left high and dry with few car choices and who must now consider an SUV, the new 2023 Escape is worth considering. It's likely not as enthusiast-friendly as sporty alternatives like the Mazda CX-5, but the Ford nevertheless picks up where the old Focus hatchback left off. The new 2023 Escape offers carlike performance in a genuinely spacious, contemporary compact SUV package. Small cars aren't so hard to find, after all.