Chances are you’ve driven an Escape before, even if you’ve never owned one. And I bet, unlike this 2024 Ford Escape ST-Line, it was white.
You see, prior to sampling this particular Escape finished in what Ford calls Rapid Red Metallic, I too had driven a white Escape before — despite having never owned one — as a rental car. And like many rental cars, it was white. Escapes are a common sight among most rental car fleet lots in North America; that’s not necessarily a bad thing, but it generally means they tend to blend in and become background characters to whatever journey you happen to be on.
Yet the Escape ST-Line is trying to be anything but, instead looking to shed that rental car reputation. Starting with that striking red paint complemented by black accents throughout, the Escape has been refreshed for 2023 and the new ST-Line trim even gives off an athletic vibe, no doubt aided by the compact proportions. The 19-inch wheels contrast nicely against the bright red paint, although they do little to hide the miniscule (and not to mention, boring and unpainted) brake calipers behind.
With the tinted headlights, LED lightbar, ST-Line badges all around, and twin tailpipes out back, this sporty-looking Escape is certainly more distinctive than the Titanium PHEV trim we tested earlier this year — which ironically enough, was also white. I do prefer the Escape’s front end, as even post-refresh, the rear end still looks a bit too ho-hum for my liking. But overall, the ST-Line is sporty and hansome yet restrained, so you’ll never look like you’re trying too hard in this thing.
The inside follows a similar sporty-without-overdoing-it theme. The seats are done up in a quilted and perforated black leather with some judicious red stitching throughout. I liked the look, although the leather itself felt anything but supple. The steering wheel is compact and trimmed in the same black-and-red motif. Behind it sits a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster, sharing a similar layout and graphics with the Escape-based Lincoln Corsair. It’s a clean look overall, although just like the Corsair, a personal pet peeve of mine is seeing it idle at “0.8” in giant numbers, but that’s just me. And just like the Corsair, the Escape’s cluster has a “simple” mode that eliminates all the unnecessary graphics.
The 13.2-inch touchscreen display for the infotainment is also seemingly pulled right out of the Corsair, but that’s OK because Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment is wonderful overall. Graphics are sharp, the interface is intuitive, and surprisingly, it’s more responsive than the Corsair’s display. I usually hate when climate controls are all-digital, but with the Escape, they stay on-screen all the time. The Escape’s 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system isn’t perfect — base is boomy and it lacks midrange — but at the Escape’s price point, it’s passable.
The rest of the interior is standard fare, with Ford’s rotary shift dial on the centre console, some generously sized cupholders, and faux carbon fibre trim exclusive to the ST-Line trim. The heads-up display still uses an old-school, flip-up plastic screen instead of projecting onto the windshield itself, the teal-coloured backlighting looks rather outdated, and the lack of any ambient lighting is hard to ignore at night, especially against the very dark interior. Still, interior space front and rear is plentiful, with absolutely no issues getting a rear-facing child seat to fit. The trunk offers up just over 1,000 litres of space with the seats up, making it easy to fit a stroller and other goods. I’m surprised at how well the Escape and Corsair distance themselves between each other, but I don’t know whether to credit Ford or Lincoln. Regardless, it’s nice to see a manufacturer not lazily gluing different badges to the exact same vehicle.
This is especially apparent in the way the Escape drives. Like the Corsair, it’s powered by a 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine making 250 horsepower at 5,500 rpm and a healthy 275 pound-feet of torque at 3,000 rpm, and power goes to all four wheels through an eight-speed automatic transmission. The engine is a strong point, with plenty of gusto around town or on the highway. The transmission is good enough, but won’t do much for enthusiasts, as the paddle shifters are slow to respond. Ford offers multiple drive modes on the Escape as well as the Corsair, and like the Corsair, the best part is the graphics displayed on the instrument panel when you switch between them. But outside of shift logic, they don’t seem to make much of a difference.
Where the Escape deviates the most from the Corsair is ride quality. It’s noticeably stiffer and handles better than the Corsair, but you do miss out on the Lincoln’s cushy ride. Large bumps and potholes are certainly felt in the Escape, but at least it’s a sacrifice made with a bit of a sporty purpose. Those bumps and crashes are heard through the cabin more prominently as well, as the Escape receives less sound deadening. Still, it’s a good balance of comfort and sport overall, one that I could see appealing to everyone except Corsair owners.
At $51,224 as-tested including options, such as a panoramic sunroof and the aforementioned red paint, the 2023 Ford Escape ST-Line is a good value in the compact crossover segment. The next time you find yourself with a Ford Escape in a rental lot, take the time to actually appreciate it — but chances are it won’t be an ST-Line.
