2020 Ford Escape vs 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe

The 2020 Ford Escape was a striking compact crossover, boasting a large grille reminiscent of the outgoing Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks, with headlights inspired by the Ford GT supercar. Its design was more curvaceous than its predecessor, which came at the cost of some practicality, yet it remained one of the most attractive small SUVs, trailing only behind the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee. Inside, the Escape featured a modern cabin with a fully digital instrument panel and a floating infotainment screen, maintaining a balance between futuristic design and user-friendly controls. The Escape was available in four trims: S, SE, SEL, and Titanium, each offering a range of features from basic to luxurious, with the SE trim recommended for its value.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe, on the other hand, was known for its bold and experimental design, which was not to everyone's taste. Its grille shape, stacked lighting elements, and asymmetrical fender stampings were points of contention. Inside, the Santa Fe offered a dramatic dual-cowl dashboard design with diamond-textured speaker grilles, providing a high-contrast visual experience. While the materials used in the interior did not match the high-style design, the build quality was exceptional. The Santa Fe was available in Essential, Preferred, Luxury, and Ultimate trims, with the latter two offering a turbocharged engine for enhanced performance.

The 2020 Ford Escape offered a diverse range of engine options, including a new three-cylinder engine with 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, standard in the S, SE, and SEL trims. The 2.0-litre turbocharged four-cylinder engine, available on the SEL and standard on the Titanium, delivered 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration. The Escape also offered hybrid and plug-in hybrid options, with the hybrid setup producing 198 horsepower. The conventional engines used an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the hybrids employed a CVT. The Escape's steering was direct and taut, offering an athletic feel, and its brakes were strong and responsive. The hybrid version was the most fuel-efficient, with consumption figures of 5.4 litres per 100 kilometres in the city and 6.3 on the highway.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe came with a standard 185-horsepower 2.4-litre four-cylinder engine, but the turbocharged 2.0-litre four-cylinder engine was the preferred choice, offering 235 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. This engine provided better performance, especially at altitude, and was paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The Santa Fe's towing capacity was 1,587 kilograms when properly equipped. Fuel efficiency for the turbocharged engine with AWD was 12.0 L/100 km in the city and 9.2 on the highway. The Santa Fe offered a smooth ride, decent handling, and light-effort steering, making it a good daily driver. However, its driving dynamics were more functional than engaging.

The 2020 Ford Escape's sleeker design resulted in reduced cargo space compared to its predecessor. It offered 974 litres of cargo space behind the second row and 1,852 litres with the rear seats folded, or 1,722 litres in upper-level trims. While this was less than competitors like the Honda CR-V and Subaru Forester, the Escape focused on passenger space, providing ample headroom and legroom for second-row passengers. The front seats offered commanding positions with good visibility, and the interior featured numerous storage solutions, including deep water-bottle holders and multiple compartments.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe was designed with thoughtful attention to detail, offering creative storage spaces and stain-resistant fabric in cloth-seat versions. The test vehicle featured eight-way power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats, with additional lumbar and thigh support for the driver. The Santa Fe's dual-zone automatic climate control system included a Clean Air ionizer, and the panoramic sunroof extended beyond the rear seat head restraints. The back seat was comfortable for adults, with air conditioning vents and heated bottom cushions in higher trims. The Santa Fe offered 1,017 litres of cargo space behind the rear seat and 2,019 litres with the rear seats folded, with additional storage compartments under the cargo floor. The hands-free "smart" liftgate was a convenient feature, opening automatically when the key fob was detected nearby.

The 2020 Ford Escape's base trim featured a small 4.2-inch audio control screen, while the SE trim upgraded to an 8-inch Sync touchscreen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Titanium trim included a head-up display, although it was a flip-up screen rather than a windshield projection, limiting its effectiveness for taller drivers. The Sync system was praised for its functionality, allowing multitasking with Apple CarPlay.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe's infotainment system was well-designed, with stereo control knobs, main menu shortcut buttons, and a programmable button for custom functions. All trims included Bluetooth connectivity and smartphone integration. The Preferred trim added SiriusXM satellite radio and Blue Link connected services with three free years of service. The Luxury trim featured a surround-view camera system, while the Ultimate trim offered a larger 8-inch display, navigation, wireless smartphone charging, and a 12-speaker Infinity surround sound system. The head-up display provided valuable information within the driver's line of sight, and the voice recognition system was sophisticated and responsive.

The 2020 Ford Escape came equipped with a comprehensive array of safety features, including front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, traction control, and a tire-pressure-monitoring system. It earned a Good rating from the IIHS in all phases of testing. The Escape also featured Ford Co-Pilot360, a suite of advanced safety systems, including forward-collision warning with automatic emergency braking, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert.

The 2020 Hyundai Santa Fe received a five-star overall crash-test rating from the NHTSA and a Top Safety Pick rating from the IIHS. It offered a range of safety features, including adaptive cruise control, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, and lane-keeping assistance. The Santa Fe also included a rear-seat reminder system and an ultrasonic occupant alert system, which alerted the driver if a child or pet was left in the vehicle. The Luxury trim added a Blind View Monitor, displaying a live video feed of the blind spots in the instrument cluster.