2020 Ford Escape vs 2019 BMW X5

The BMW X5 redefined SUVs 20 years ago, leaning into the idea that you could have truck form and car function all in one package. In fact, BMW branded the original X5 as an SAV—a Sports Activity Vehicle—to help emphasize the fact that it drove as well as the company's famous sport sedans. And while that claim was a bit of an overreach, the original X5 did outperform its luxury SUV competitors on the road.

Now in its fourth generation, BMW’s midsize crossover continues to deliver on that two-decade-old promise: The X5 delivers car-like handling in an SUV form. And while the 2019 X5 stretches 2.5 centimetres longer, 7.5 centimetres wider, and 2.5 centimetres taller than last year's model, you’d have to look closely to notice the differences. Most obvious is a new and bigger kidney grille with active shutters. It has already received flak for being “comically large,” though in our opinion, it seems proportional to the rest of the vehicle—enough to make us wonder if the grilles on previous iterations of the X5 were too small. Inside, you’ll find a redesigned interior with an updated version of the iDrive system and a suite of Level 2 autonomous technology that unfortunately leaves a lot to be desired. But that shouldn’t dissuade you from BMW’s revolutionary recreational vehicle, because there’s still a lot to love.

In case you didn’t hear, Ford came out with an electric crossover, calling it the Mustang Mach-E. Ford could have called it something else, but the marketing department decided to leverage the famous Mustang name to capture headlines and, hopefully, shoppers. What should not be overlooked is the fact Ford chose to make its first-ever standalone electric vehicle a crossover.

This choice is a testament to how far the sport utility vehicle has come. Paired with Ford's decision to phase out sedans and hatchbacks, it's clear the company is putting all of its eggs into its trucks, SUVs, and crossovers. Suffice it to say, there is just a bit of pressure on the redesigned 2020 Ford Escape.

While the Escape has been around since 2000, it came into its own in 2013 when the “One Ford” philosophy was adopted, meaning that vehicles would be sold in multiple markets around the globe. As a result, the U.S. got Europe’s Ford Kuga, rebranded as the Escape—a high-tech, handsome, and surprisingly athletic small SUV.

So, with all this mind, the new Escape needs to not only be an improvement over the previous generation to compete against the rest of the compact crossover segment, it also needs to win over would-be sedan and hatchback customers. Can the 2020 Escape rise to the occasion?