The writing’s most likely on the wall for the Ford Escape. Reports have been circulating about the crossover’s demise for some time now, signaling that it’s on its way out as the Blue Oval focuses more on segments where it feels it can make a greater impact. In fact, the Escape could meet its production end by 2026 despite its popularity – and its affordability. Since it seems to be so popular among consumers, Ford Authority wants your input on the matter. Should the Escape be discontinued, or is there a case to be made for its continuation?
The fact of the matter is that the Ford Escape has seemingly been on the chopping block since 2022, when Ford CEO Jim Farley indicated that the crossover might soon be canceled. This was seemingly confirmed by Ford’s later announcement that it would be killing off all of its two-row internal combustion engine (ICE) powered crossovers, although the automaker’s trajectory has since changed in regard to ICE versus electric power.
The Escape has soldiered on since. It even underwent a significant midcycle refresh for the 2023 model year, breathing life into the crossover and making it a more formidable competitor in its segment. It was one of Ford’s best-selling models throughout the 2024 calendar year, to boot, moving 146,859 units last year as its sales increased four percent compared to the 2023 calendar year. It outsold even the Ford Bronco Sport and the Ford Maverick, both of which could be considered intra-brand competitors.
However, considering that the Bronco Sport shares the C2 platform with the Escape, it means the crossover could be considered redundant because of the overlap between the two, which are often cross-shopped by buyers in search of an affordable ride. Farley once again reiterated the fact that Ford is focused on discontinuing its “boring” models and clearing its slate for passion projects instead. Moreover, the Lincoln Corsair and Ford Escape – also platform mates – are seemingly set to be replaced by EVs in the near future, hammering yet another nail in the crossover’s coffin.
We’re turning to you, the reader, to find out where you stand on the Ford Escape. Should its plug be pulled, or is it a valuable addition to the Ford lineup? Let us know by voting in the poll below and join the discussion in the comments section.
Comments
I’d prefer a PHEV Maverick, but I still like my ’22 Escape PHEV despite the engine and battery service bulletins. Fingers crossed. Not putting the PHEV system its platform mates seems like a mistake now that an EV replacement for the Escape appears to be very delayed.
With no small PHEV or EV truck on the horizon, I’ve got a Telo reservation.
The empty suit in FoMoCo Tower are hell bent to kill their golden goose.
Make a PHEV Bronco sport and do away with the Escape.
Seeing that the Bronco Sport is 4X4 only, yes, the Escape should, and does, appeal to more people. BUT, that being said, Ford also needs something smaller than either and less pricey. This would also relieve downward pricing pressure on both.
Bronco Sport is smaller in the back seat making it tight for families with car seats, has less cargo space, and not everyone needs 4WD. Since the Edge is gone and that sold over 100K a year, that leaves a big whole in sales. Not everyone can step up to an Explorer.
Amen! Bring back the Edge. The best car Ford ever made! Quality built in Canada NOT thrown together in Mexico.
Mine is the 3.5 twin turbo and would buy another if they were still being made. I’m thinking about buying the mid size Lincoln suv which is about the same as my Edge.
Keep the Escape and bring Back the Edge!
The Edge was a great sized two row SUV. I’m on my third lease and not sure where boring owners are to go?
AMEN!
The Ford Escape is truly in a class of its own-It is the only SUV that is not AWD-and the only SUV that has an actual PHEV-it truly needs to stay! Remember tyhe Ford c max compact SUV–What a car! It is in high demand still as a used vehicle!The Ford Escape PHEV will continue to gain market share-it has it all–Price-Features_options and loads of safety features-I personnally see the Escape to continue to carve it own nitch in the industry!
The Escape offers AWD, I have a 2023 Escape Platinum-hybrid AWD, gets 41 mpg after 12,000 miles. Only drawback is all hybrids go into starter mode after few months, the Ford pass will then not work, no interior light go on at night and no remote start. Same on our 21 Eacape hybrid, and also the 2025 that replaced it. Ford has no fix for it , will drop in a larger battery after 24 months, per the ford forum as the fix
Farley is an idiot. Ford should do what Mazda is doing and give their customers more hybrids. Better yet, don’t let the government shove EV’s down the consumers throats.
The hybrid escape should stay in production. It gets great gas mileage and goes longer distances on a fill-up.
Hybrids are more popular than ever. Ford should keep the Escape and concentrate on making the Hybrid even better.
Pulling the plug on the Escape is pure stupidity! The vehicle is the perfect and only American car that can compete with all the Asian crap that’s out there ! My 2020 Escape hybrid is perfect for commuting and running around town.
Save the Corsair/Escape! For so many reasons…
Ford could make it a little bit bigger but keep it Ford has no actual cars in production and taking this away would be a disaster. Bring back the Edge also. Ford is killing them self with all of the recalls no wonder people are going to their competition for other vehicles.
I’m sure Ford would rather sell the $93k F-150 EV. Who can afford this?
I’d rather have an Escape and a Dark Horse Mustang.
Keep the Escape and bring back the Edge and Fusion.
Originally I was going to buy an Edge, but Ford discontinued them, and I wanted a vehicle I could order exactly the way I wanted it – no more and no less. That led me to an Escape, and my 2024 Platinum is what I ordered, with the 2.0L Eco-Boost. I’m thoroughly satisfied with the vehicle, and the 2.0L is a screamer, especially in “Sport” mode.
Jim Farley, President of Ford, says “no more boring vehicles” and is therefore, in his exalted position, killing the Escape. Well Jim, you’re also driving us away from Ford. We will not be told by any manufacturer what we can buy. I personally don’t want to go grocery shopping in a $80k F-150; it’s too damn big. And there’s nothing that says an Escape has to be boring. I know your little ego is hurt because we didn’t all line up to buy EVs like you wanted, but it’s not your decision to make – it’s ours.
So kill off the Escape like you did with the Edge and Fusion, and we will buy someone else’s hardware. It’s that simple. The Escape is a practical around-town vehicle and a highway tiger with the 2.0L. It goes fast and fits nicely in the supermarket parking lot. It’s fun. If you think it’s boring, upgrade the vehicle with options – make it more exciting. Don’t continue to cut and run every time a competitor shows up.
Amen.
NO WAY. WITH NO CARS IN THE LINEUP FORD NEEDS THIS VEHICLE TO KEEP IN THE LINEUP!
The Escape Hybrid was the first hybrid SUV, and the second commercial hybrid, just one year after the first Prius. If it goes away, then bring the PHEV Puma to the US.
Keep the Escape and also bring back the Edge.
My wife has a 2024 Edge ST, that she ordered when she heard the Edge was going away and wanted another Edge when her 2018 Edge Titanium had about 100,000 miles on it, so we ordered it while we still could get an Edge.
Look in Ford dealer lots. They are full of Broncos, because nobody wants them. The lots are empty of Escapes as they all get sold.
cut, and more customers will continue to leave the dealership. I would like to buy an Escape but the interior is as cheap as I—-the interior is something no one can believe or accept.
My 2022 PHEV Escape is the perfect vehicle for my wife and I, both retired. We drive on electric for most days of the year, which is a very quiet, yet powerful driving experience. When we go on longer trips, the gas engine comes on seamlessly and gives us 32-38 MPG. We plug it in at night in a standard AC plug in the garage and it is fully charged in the AM. Some may consider it “small,” but it has plenty of room for my wife and I on trips and room for my “projects” when I fold down the back seats. It is a very functional, low-priced vehicle and Ford should keep it in the line-up and let people know how much they can save by buying electricity and not gas to fuel the vehicle.
As a forever Ford fan having owned dozens of Ford, Lincoln and Mercury cars and currently owning 4 Mustangs I have only one noteworthy comment. Messers. Farley and Ford should focus on building quality into all the powertrains. Having told my sister it was fine to buy a Lincoln Corsair only to have both the engine and trans fail is simply unacceptable. As far as I am concerned I would not consider any Ford vehicle unless it has their V8 engine family (the only reliable engines they currently build).
I’m a life-long Ford buyer, currently owning 5, including a 2017 Escape Titanium, loaded. I absolutely love the Escape! It’s the perfect size for a family of 4, has tremendous performance and handling (NOT boring at all), gets decent gas mileage and features great amenities and safety features. Since Ford no longer offers any sedans in the USA, it’s the best sedan alternative Ford has to offer. Keep the darn thing or lose a ton of customers!
I almost bought an Escape but it had a 3 pot w/turbo. Next car will have no tailpipe. So I guess no Ford in my future.
I don’t understand boring. Most cars are boring… They really all look alike. Farley… you made a mistake cancelling the Fusion. What a wonderful car… a head-turner… Now you want to kill the Escape… another good looking SVU… a good price and a building consumer base. What Ford is missing is a cheap car… $25,000. Like the Maverick… it will sell…. a lot of people shop price not brand or high quality finishes.
I agree, when I couldn’t buy a Fusion, I bought an Escape! When the Escape is too old I actually would like to get a Corsair!! Keep your boxy Bronco sport!!! If I can’t get a Edge, Escape, or a Corsair, then I’ll have to leave Ford (after owning a Ford since 2009!!!).
Stretch it a little, make the cargo area a little bigger, give the phev a little higher capacity battery, make some engine efficiency improvements if you can.
When Farley says something has become a commodity product, that’s code for “We cannot compete in that segment.” Dropping the Escape would be a continuation of a strategy of retreat. If the current management team is not up to the task, let’s address that before there’s no company left to save.
Double amen
I like the direction Farley is headed with the motorsports side of Ford but, between he and Biden , the domestic car/truck side of things is completely screwed up. EVs, too fast too soon. Notice how Toyota laidback and waited and didn’t jump all in? They aren’t licking their financial wounds because of all the hoopla. Yes, save the escape and ditch all the bells and whistles that take the driving experience out of our hands!
In 2023 I traded in a 2014 Buick Lacrosse and it paid for half of my new Escape Active with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine. My girlfriends all bought SUVs that were more expensive, but I am completely satisfied with my Escape Active. This is the first Ford I have purchased in a very long time, but I don’t regret it. My second reason was buying it local since I live in a very small town in the South. I am really amazed with all the technology and safety features it has on it.
Definitely keep the Escape!!!
I bought mine in 2017 and still love it!!!! I named it Scooter – never have cramped parking in ever shrinking parking lot slots and it’s still roomy for my 6 foot 2 husband and myself!
Just bought a 24 Bronco Sport Badlands loaded…… Definitely not a boring vehicle. That 2.0 Turbo goes like stink. And it is packed with tech. Only real negative is that it has an extreme amount of road noise entering the cabin that makes it sound like a cheap vehicle….. It’s a real shame for the price I paid……
But let the sales figures decide if Ford should discontinue a vehicle.
Farley is the problem. All he does is cancel great vehicles like the Fusion, Edge and now probably the Escape. When are these supposedly exciting new vehicles going to show up in actual Ford showrooms. This company can’t continue to cut their way to prosperity.
I actually wanted my next vehicle to be electric and thought ford would transform the Escape/Fusion replacement to be the one. However, not to be within the next few years so I looked at alternatives . I then researched the alternatives and came up with the Mustang Mach e which in my mine is the best one on the market. I am so surprised that Ford does not advertise this vehicle within the current market as much as others in their stable. I ordered it in Nov 2024 and was produced this past week and looking forward to receiving it early March.
It was Ford’s third most popular vehicle in 2024 behind only F-Series and Explorer. It has both a hybrid and a PHEV, which I think would be desirable in the current marketplace. There is a huge size gap between a Bronco Sport (173″ length) and an Explorer (198″ length). Cancelling the Escape (181″ length) doesn’t make much sense to me, except the real driving factor is probably that Ford can’t figure out how to make enough profit on them.
Ridiculous Ford would rather discontinue models than compete.
They sell. Plain and simple. It would be moronic to kill another great seller for Ford. Remember Fusion, anyone?
No Escape will redirect buyers to the Chevy Trax/ Buick Encore or Toyotas, Hondas or Subarus.
Ford loses current and future customers.
That is not a good business plan, Farley!
The only business plan Failure Farley understands is his racing enterprise. Failure Farley does not care about the customer.
The escape out sells the bronco sport so why kill the escape? I might be forced to go back to GM
The escape out sells the bronco sport so why kill it? Kill the sport instead.
how about we keep making escapes and get rid of Farley! you killed the sporty T bird and brought back and imposter, you killed the escort that we could afford. not everyone wants an suv or truck. bring back a car for 25k, like Henry intended, the everyman car
I worked on the C520 previous generation, and the CX482 current generation at Ford. These are good vehicles, millions are on the road, and if they are boring then you simply need to get the Studio people to design some more exciting models! You don’t need to discontinue the entire brand name. Ford did this with the Taurus for the same dumb reason, and then when Alan Mullaly was hired, the first thing he did was rename the Ford 500 back to the Taurus, and then demanded a new exciting Taurus program, which I also worked on.
I found Ford cars to be ugly and boring looking. So I understand why there discontinued. The Taurus was a very ugly boring and cheap looking car. The Tempo Topaz, the passenger van back in the day. The other issue with Ford is poor engineering, for instance water pumps inside the engine, a water passage in the deck of the block that caused head gasket failures. The use of wet belts that fail and destroy the engine. Power transfer units placed beside the catalytic converter that overheats and destroys the oil inside that causes the unit to fail. Diesel engine disasters with the 3.0 liter and the 6.0 along with others. Engines dropping valves into the combustion chamber. It goes on and on with Ford. Ford has more recalls than any other company.
The use of the cheapest parts possible is destroying the company. To much use of German engineering is making designs to unreliable and difficult to repair. Keep it simple is not in the German vocabulary.
One of Ford’s MANY marketing problems seems to be NIBM (Not Invented By Me). Toyota and Honda keep their nameplates but improve the products, building customer loyalty, brand strength, and saving marketing launch megabucks by NOT changing nameplates all the time. Ford reinvents vehicles for the same segment with new nameplates each time, with little to show for it. Bronco Sport might be the golden child of the current Ford regime, but let’s face it–how different in concept is it from the ORIGINAL Escape? Ford now has TWO sub-optimised small SUVs–one with odd styling and a marginal interior package (Bronco Sport) and the other with wimpy styling (Escape). And they compete for similar customers. What Ford should do is consolidate its small SUVs into one small SUV (Escape), with a roomier rear seat package and two distinct trim personas–one being the daily driver cute ute, and the second having the Bronco Sport’s off road chops. Wheels/tires, cladding/fascias, and drivetrain hardware can differentiate them effectively, with the same body structure.
The reason the Ford Escape is going away is because Failure Farley wants to replace it with a vehicle that costs at least $12,000 – $16,000 more than the Ford Escape. Sales of this replacement vehicle will be very low because most if not all of Ford Escape owners will not be able to afford It.
Honestly, Fors screwed up when they canceled the Edge and is about to do it again if they cancel the Escape. They killed themselves when they canceled the Taurus the first time. If you have a great selling product, why kill it off? “Boring”?? Well, my family has enjoyed 8 of the “boring” Edges and 2 Escapes. Not all of us need to keep up with the Jones’s. We like our affordable reliable vehicles. We’re not all made of money to go buy the latest overpriced exciting vehicle. Listen to the working class, they are the ones who support and build your wealth, not the rich crowd.
Just purchased my 5th Escape since 2002. The Bronco Sport won’t interest me until there is a PHEV variant with a much nicer and luxurious interior.
Keep them both.
First the Edge, and now the Escape? And the Bronco is fugly. Now I have to move up to the Explorer price if I want to stay with Ford. Hmmm.
I have a 2024 Escape PHEV and a 2024 Maverick Hybrid. Love them. I have had three Edges in my history, and wish they had kept the Edge and gave it a hybrid engine. But without the edge, I do love my Escape. And I’ve been a Ford guy for decades. But when I’m ready to get rid of the Escape, and Ford has no Comparative SUVs, I will move onto a Honda Hybrid. Don’t shoot yourselves in the foot.
I’m on my second Ford Escape. I love them. They handle great, comfortable, and a reasonable size!!! It would be a big mistake to get rid of them.
No! I love the Escape. It’s a “luxury” car with a small footprint.
Hell yah, it’s ugly, Ford has barely any choice in SUV’s compared to gm.
Hands down best vehicle I have ever owned. I have the 21 Escape 1.5 liter fwd S, 3 years with zero problems, great fuel economy, great space, and comfort. This has gone through snow that is up to the lower engine cover height with ease. The Bronco Sport does not have the same interior space, and is not a suitable replacement. Crazy to kill it off.
I have a 21 Escape Hybrid & a 22 Escape plug-in. Love them both. So reliable and a pleasure to drive.
Don’t eliminate the Escape great vehicle I bought a 2016 and still have it and only minimum about of work done now have 350k plus on it bought a 2023 and loving it also keep the Escape in production
I have a 2015 Escape Titaimum with 78000 miles on the clock and it runs great love it. I”ve done all the routine maint and repairs, but i no some day I”ll need a new one.. So FORD .. don’t let the Escape die keep it rolling…
My wife and I love our 2001 Escape XLT. We sold it, at the time it had over 3 hundred miles on it. We are looking for a new one.
If Ford is hellbent on making a EV at Louisville, why don’t they move the MachE to Louisville and have it share a line with a future 2 row EV. Then move Escape production south of the border to make it more profitable. (Granted, one of the reasons I buy escapes is because they are assembled in the USA.)
Love my 2024 Escape PHEV, but I keep hoping they’ll do a BEV version. If not, hoping they have something great under development. Range is still an issue with me, especially having experienced the enormous variation in range over four seasons, and wanting a vehicle that can handle long winter road trips without frequent charging stops.
Ford Escape hybrid Platinum should stay.
So they want to basically not compete in the small crossover market, and only offer the bronco sport? That’s a boneheaded move, not everyone wants a fake off-road vehicle.
The Escape should stay in the Ford line-up. The Escape and potentially the Explorer are the only only Foed vehicle currently produced that we will and are considering to purchase. With the discontinuation of the Focus we are either looking at used a Focus or Honda Civic or Toyota for our daughters. Ford options have thinned to much to meet our daily needs and we would likely have to look elsewhere if the Escape is no longer an option.