2020 Ford Escape vs 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee

The 2020 Ford Escape was a striking compact crossover, sharing its large grille with the outgoing Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks, and featuring headlights inspired by the Ford GT supercar. The new Escape's curvaceous design, while attractive, came at the cost of some practicality. Despite this, it remained one of the best-looking small SUVs on the market, trailing only behind the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee. Inside, the Escape boasted a modern cabin with a fully digital instrument panel, floating infotainment screen, and a smooth, forward-looking design that kept basic controls easily accessible.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, despite its decade-old design, still looked right at home both on rugged trails and at upscale venues. Traditional Jeep styling cues like the 7-slot grille and trapezoidal fenders gave it a balanced appearance that appealed to a wide range of buyers. The Limited X trim, priced at $53,275, featured a ventilated hood design, sport-themed front bumper, and 20-inch aluminum wheels, giving it a mild-custom look. However, the interior materials, especially in higher-priced models, were a letdown, with hard plastics detracting from the overall feel.

The 2020 Ford Escape offered a variety of engine options, starting with a new 3-cylinder engine producing 180 horsepower and 177 pound-feet of torque, standard in the S, SE, and SEL trims. The 2.0-liter turbocharged 4-cylinder engine, available on the SEL and standard on the Titanium, delivered 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration. The hybrid drivetrain, combining a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine with electric power, produced 198 horsepower and was standard on the SE Sport and available on the Titanium. A plug-in hybrid variant was also offered. The Escape's steering was direct and taut, with strong, responsive brakes, giving it an athletic feel. Fuel economy varied, with the non-Sport hybrid returning 44 mpg city, 37 highway, and 41 combined, while the 2.0-liter turbo with AWD returned 23/31/26.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee came standard with a 295-horsepower, 3.6-liter V6 engine paired with an 8-speed automatic transmission, offering satisfying acceleration and an EPA-rated 21 mpg combined. For those seeking more power, three V8 engines were available, including a 5.7-liter Hemi V8 with 360 horsepower and 390 pound-feet of torque, a 6.4-liter Hemi V8 in the SRT with 475 horsepower, and a supercharged 6.2-liter V8 in the Trackhawk with 707 horsepower. The Grand Cherokee's off-road capabilities were highlighted by the Trailhawk trim, equipped with all-terrain tires, skid plates, and a robust 4WD system. However, its on-road driving dynamics were mixed, with excessive suspension movements and average steering and brakes.

The 2020 Ford Escape's sleeker design resulted in reduced cargo space compared to its predecessor. It offered 37.5 cubic feet of cargo space behind the second row, dropping to 34.4 cubic feet in hybrid models. With the backseat folded, it provided 65.4 cubic feet, or 60.8 cubic feet in upper-level trims. Despite the reduction, the Escape emphasized passenger space, with ample headroom and legroom for second-row passengers and commanding seating positions for the driver and front passenger. Real-world storage solutions included deep water-bottle holders and multiple trays and compartments.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee, with seating for five, offered 36.3 cubic feet of cargo space behind the backseat and 68.3 cubic feet with the backseat folded down. Heated and 8-way power-adjustable front seats ensured comfort, though the Limited X trim lacked ventilated seats. Rear passengers enjoyed adequate legroom, rear air conditioning vents, and USB ports. Interior storage was decent, with a handy tray in the center console and sizable door-panel bins, though the glovebox and center armrest bin were small. Thoughtful touches included grocery bag hooks on the front seatbacks.

The base 2020 Ford Escape came with a small 4.2-inch audio control screen, which stood out as an eyesore due to the floating screen design. The SE trim upgraded to an 8-inch Sync 3 screen with Android Auto and Apple CarPlay. The Titanium trim featured a head-up display (HUD) on a small flip-up screen, which was less effective for taller drivers. The latest version of Sync allowed for multi-tasking, enhancing the user experience.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee's Uconnect infotainment system, long praised for its speed and ease of use, included an 8.4-inch touchscreen display, navigation, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Amazon Alexa, SiriusXM satellite radio, and SiriusXM Guardian connected services in the Limited X trim. A 4G LTE WiFi data plan supported up to eight devices. The test vehicle had a 9-speaker Alpine premium sound system, though higher trims offered a 19-speaker Harman Kardon system. Unique to Jeep, the Off-Road Pages app provided valuable off-roading information.

The 2020 Ford Escape came with a full array of front- and side-impact airbags, a reversing camera, traction control, and a tire-pressure-monitoring system (TPMS). It earned the best overall score of Good from the Insurance Institute of Highway Safety (IIHS) in all phases of testing. Standard Ford Co-Pilot360 included advanced safety systems like forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring, rear cross-traffic alert, and a driver drowsiness monitor.

The 2020 Jeep Grand Cherokee offered three collections of advanced driving assistance systems (ADAS). ProTech I, standard on all trims, included a reversing camera, parking sensors, blind-spot monitoring, and rear cross-traffic alert. ProTech II added low-speed forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, lane-departure warning, lane-keeping assist, and automatic high-beam headlights. Advanced ProTech II featured full-speed forward collision warning, adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, semi-autonomous parking assist, and rain-sensing wipers. The Grand Cherokee received a 4-star overall rating from the NHTSA and had mixed ratings from the IIHS, with Marginal and Poor ratings in some tests.