2022 Ford Escape Review

The 2022 Ford Escape is a small SUV that sits right in the middle of Dearborn's lineup, above the smaller Ford EcoSport and below the Ford Edge and three-row Explorer. It competes in one of the most hotly contested segments around, with rivals from about every mainstream automaker. They include the Toyota RAV4, Honda CR-V, Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee. The Escape was fully redesigned just a couple of years ago, and we don't expect any major changes for 2022.

Despite being one of the newest vehicles in its class, the Escape hasn't exactly captured our hearts. While we like its available hybrid powertrain, the Escape's transmission paired with the conventional gasoline engines — either a 1.5-liter turbocharged inline-three or a 2.0-liter turbocharged inline-four — needs a bit more polish. And while not every car needs to feel athletic, the Escape exhibits more body roll and generally feels less buttoned-down than we'd prefer. If it was better to drive, it would sit much higher in our rankings.

The Escape does a lot of other things right, though. Its cabin is comfortable and spacious, and it's available with lots of in-car tech and driver aids. And though the cargo area isn't class-leading, we found the Escape to be right on the mark for what we expect from small SUVs.

The Ford Escape does most of what we expect from a small crossover SUV quite well. If the Escape was just a bit more enjoyable to drive, it would be near the top of the field.