The 2023 Ford Escape has been spotted by Ford Authority spies numerous times over the past few months – in many cases, completely uncovered. However, the automaker hasn’t yet officially revealed the refreshed crossover, even though order banks opened up yesterday. Regardless, sources familiar with the matter have told Ford Authority that the 2023 Ford Escape will not offer the automaker’s BlueCruise hands-free driving assist feature in any capacity.
This news comes as a bit of a surprise since the Escape’s platform mate – the 2023 Lincoln Corsair – was recently revealed, and it is available with the luxury brand’s own version of BlueCruise, dubbed ActiveGlide. The 2023 Ford Escape was expected to at least offer BlueCruise as an option, but that isn’t the case – at least for now.
The 2023 Ford Escape does bring about a host of other changes to the long-running crossover, including revised exterior and interior styling, as well as a new, larger infotainment screen for the inside. The 2023 Escape is ditching its old trim levels completely in favor of entirely new ones, including the ST-Line, which features all of the exterior styling cues of the sportier ST models without the added performance, albeit at a lower price.
As Ford Authority reported in August, the 2023 Ford Escape PHEV will return for the new model year, but it won’t be available with all-wheel drive, and will instead soldier on in front-wheel drive configuration only. This is another interesting decision given the fact that the plug-in hybrid is the only powertrain that isn’t available with all-wheel drive – a configuration that is also the only one the Corsair Grand Touring is offered in.
We’ll have more on the 2023 Escape soon, so be sure and subscribe to Ford Authority for more Ford Escape news and continuous Ford news coverage.
Comments
Ford really knows how to half-a$$ this vehicle. The Escape was LONG overdue for an interior refresh and other key updates, even with the overhaul planned for 2025. It looks like MOST of the interior is refreshed, but they’re still missing simple features that should have found their way into most of their vehicles by now like ventilated seats.
Ford’s answer for that? Buy a $45k Lincoln Corsair! Their Escape PHEV is still lacking AWD? Ford: buy a $55k Lincoln Corsair Grand Touring! You want all the features that should be available in a $48k premium PHEV Escape (ventilated seats, AWD, BlueCruise)? Ford: buy a $65k Lincoln Corsair!
It is just disappointing and sad that they seem to purposefully kneecap their American/Canadian made vehicles and can’t follow through with production on their Mexican vehicles.
The Escape would likely have a hare time commanding the pricing needed to option Blue Cruise, unlike Lincoln. If anything, the updated Escape is a substantially de-contented vehicle compared to the outgoing model, except for the larger screen.
What features are being removed compared to 2022?
Orders opened yesterday? Where can you order one? I checked yesterday (September 19) and today and there is nothing about 2023 Escapes on Ford’s website or my local dealer’s website, only for 2022 Escapes. My dealer’s website has 2023 Bronco Sport, Edge, Expedition, Explorer, and Mustang Mach-E but not 2023 Escape.
I’ve been waiting for the order bank to open for the past month. I finally got a call from my dealer yesterday informing me that the order bank was open and we attempted to speak about trims and add-ons but the order bank site was down!!!! Not sure if it’s back up or not. However, the pricing for a 2023 PHEV Escape was around $39,000, which I don’t think is too far off the 2022 pricing.
Based on calling Ford directly they responded that the order banks are not open and no date as to when they will be. Not sure where your dealer is getting his info, but my dealer also confirmed that the order banks are not open.
Back to square 1. Bluecruise could have distinguished the Escape from the rest of the pack. Now, not so much. I really think people would have paid a premium for Bluecruise.
A 2023 $60,000 Explorer Platinum does not offer Blue Cruise Either what a joke
I talked to both my Dealer and the Ford Media Marketing Dept yesterday. The order bank is not open. No one has a clue as to when it will open.
Ford is such a mess. They post 9-19 for the Escape order bank, it never opens and they don’t even put out a statement. The 23 is still a clunky ugly vehicle. I have decide to order a 23 Kia Sportage, much nicer vehicle and the interior does not have one of those clunky screens stuck up by itself in the middle of your sight line, its integrated into the regular displays . Never going back to a Ford , which is number 1 for recalls 3 years running . Ford is great at driving away customers,. EVs and self driving vehicles are a niche product . How can you trust a self serving vehicle and why would anyone pay $10,000 extra for a PHEV that gets 28 miles electric . No common sense anymore out there
I’m all for dunking on Ford when they make mistakes (see my comment above), but your comment is just plain bad. EVs and self-driving vehicles are not niche: like it or not they are the future. PHEVs are a great option for many people, especially while the national charging infrastructure is still being developed. There wasn’t a nation of gas stations overnight, and it took 50 years from the beginnings of the automobile before the interstate system was even started. We’re about 5 solid years into the real beginning of EVs coming to prominence and no matter how many naysayers there are, they keep gaining more and more ground. I look forward to eventually getting my internal combustion engine EcoBoost Maverick, but – if Ford could have pulled their heads out of their rears on the Escape PHEV – I would have gladly cancelled my Maverick order for an Escape PHEV.
Funny how people are “going to Kia”. That right there says the American consumer is generally ignorant about motor vehicles.