Fully redesigned in 2020, the 2021 Ford Escape sees little changes for this model year. It is stylish, with some impressive features and powertrain options, as well as offering a solid performance. The Nissan Rogue is fully redesigned for 2021, with a comfortable and spacious interior. Let’s look at both.
Design/Price
Ford’s sporty Escape features sleek lines on its exterior, adding style and sophistication; while offering buyers seating for five with a roomy interior and enough head- and legroom for most adults to sit comfortably. A sliding 60/40 split-fold down seat capability in the rear seats gives you more options for space in seating and cargo. A Sport Appearance package adds 19-inch painted wheels and black exterior styling elements, and a Convenience package adds upgraded headlights, power liftgate, power driver’s seats, and rear armrest. These packages are available on the SE and above trims. Cloth upholstery is standard, and synthetic or genuine leathers upholstery, heated and power adjustable front seats, and a heated steering wheel are available. The Escape has between 33.5 and 37.5 cubic feet of space behind the second row, depending on how the sliding rear seats are positioned. A total of 65.4 cubic feet of space behind the first row meets its maximum cargo capacity. The Escape is available in four trims: S, SE, SEL, and Titanium, with pricing starting at $26,550 for the S trim and ranging to $36,695 for the Titanium.
The 2021 Nissan Rogue offers two rows of comfortable seating for five, rear-reclining seats, and plenty of cargo room. Both front and rear occupants enjoy plenty of head- and legroom; and it is easy to get in and out of the vehicle with the rear doors opening to almost 90 degrees. There is up to 74.1 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats folded flat, and 31.6 cubic feet when the rear seats are up. The SL and Platinum models come with the Divide-N-Hide configurable cargo floor, which increases space behind the second row to 36.5 cubic feet. Cloth upholstery, a six-way manually adjustable driver’s seat, and a four-way manually adjustable passenger seat are standard; and synthetic leather upholstery, genuine leather upholstery, quilted leather upholstery, heated front and rear seats, a heated and leather-wrapped steering wheel, second-row sunshades, an eight-way power-adjustable driver’s seat, and a four-way power adjustable passenger are available. The Rogue comes in four trims: S, SV, SL, and Platinum, with a starting price of $25,750 for the S trim and ranges to $35,530 for the Platinum trim.
Safety and Technology
There are plenty of standard advanced driver’s aids that are included with Ford’s CoPilot360 to keep you safe on the road. Standard features include forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, rearview camera, and lane keep assist. Available options include adaptive cruise control, lane centering assist, traffic jam assist, parallel and perpendicular park assist, remote start, head-up display, and traffic sign recognition. The technology list is relatively short on the base Escape, but the Titanium trim adds some nice touches. It features a 4.2-inch display, Bluetooth, six-speaker stereo, and a USB port. An 8-inch touch screen, Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, Wi-Fi hotspot, navigation, 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo, and satellite radio are available options. A 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and wireless device charging is standard on the Titanium trim; as well as some of the available options.
The Rogue also features plenty of standard advanced safety features including, forward collision warning, pedestrian and cyclist detection, lane departure warning, forward and reverse automatic emergency braking, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, driver attention monitoring, rearview camera, rear parking sensors, and automatic high-beam headlights. Available safety features included surround-view parking camera system, adaptive cruise control, lane keep assist, head-up display, front parking sensors, navigation-linked ProPilot Assist, and traffic sign recognition. Its 8-inch touch-screen infotainment system is straightforward and easy-to-use, with Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, a four-speaker stereo, two USB ports, Bluetooth, and satellite radio. Available features include a 9-inch touch screen, wireless Apple Carplay, navigation, a six-speaker stereo, a 10-speaker Bose Premium stereo, two rear USB ports, a Wi-Fi hot spot, wireless device charging, and a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster.
Power
The Escape is powered by two different powertrain options, with improved power and acceleration to move your vehicle well. Its sporty performance and handling make it drive more like a smaller car. A 180-horsepower three-cylinder EcoBoost turbocharged engine is standard on all trims except the Titanium trim. A 250-horsepower turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder engine with 280 pound-feet is standard on the Titanium and available on the SEL trim. Both engines are paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. When properly equipped with the turbocharged four-cylinder engine, the Escape can tow up to 3,500 pounds. It earns a respectable rating of 28/34 mpg in the city and on the highway.
The Rogue’s only engine offered in its redesign is a 181-horsepower four-cylinder, paired to a continuously automatic transmission (CVT). It delivers good handling and impressive fuel economy, but it's only powertrain feels weak with mediocre acceleration from a stop; and it is even harder to get up to highway speeds. It comes with standard front-wheel drive and available all-wheel drive. Its maximum towing capacity is 1,350; and it gets an estimated 27/35 mpg in the city and on the highway with front-wheel drive, and 26/33 mpg city/highway with all-wheel drive.
Conclusion
The 2021 Ford Escape and Nissan Rogue are sporty with style, comfort, and fun, as well as, an impressive list of standard safety features, but the Escape offers a punch for its size with its power and acceleration and the Rogue offers more overall cargo room.