2020 Ford Escape vs 2021 Chrysler Pacifica

The 2020 Ford Escape was a striking compact crossover, sharing its large grille with the outgoing Fiesta and Focus hatchbacks. Its headlights were inspired by the Ford GT supercar, and while the previous Escape had a more upright rear end, the new curvaceous design came at a cost. Despite this, the Escape remained one of the best-looking small SUVs on the market, trailing perhaps only the Mazda CX-5 and Jeep Cherokee. Inside, the Escape featured a modern cabin with a fully digital instrument panel, floating infotainment screen, and a smooth, forward-looking design that kept basic controls where they belonged.

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica, as part of its mid-generation refresh, had a revised exterior with new standard LED headlights and a hexagonal grille, giving it a more muscular aesthetic. The rear featured a new all-LED taillamp running the width of the model with the Chrysler wing badge at its center. Inside, the Pacifica balanced sophistication and practicality, especially in the Pinnacle trim, which offered premium materials like quilted leather seats, suede center row pillows, and Beber floor mats. The flat dashboard housed a largest-in-class 10.1-inch touchscreen, and the cabin was designed to be both practical and luxurious.

The 2020 Ford Escape offered four engine options, including a new 3-cylinder engine making 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, produced 250 horsepower and 275 pound-feet of torque, providing brisk acceleration. The 2.5-liter 4-cylinder engine, part of the hybrid drivetrain, made 198 horsepower, and there was also a plug-in hybrid variant. The conventional engines used an 8-speed automatic transmission, while the hybrids used a CVT. The most efficient version was the non-Sport hybrid, returning 44 mpg city, 37 highway, and 41 combined.

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica came with either a traditional 3.6-liter V6 engine, producing 287 horsepower and 262 pound-feet of torque, or a V6 hybrid engine paired with a dual-motor electrically variable transmission and a 16-kilowatt-hour battery, achieving 260 horsepower. The base Touring and Touring L trims came standard with the V6, with AWD as an option. The Limited and Pinnacle trims offered either AWD or the hybrid powertrain. The hybrid had an all-electric range of over 30 miles and a total range of over 500 miles, delivering 82 MPGe and 30 mpg combined. The traditional V6 Pacifica achieved 19 mpg city, 28 highway, and 22 combined, with AWD reducing these figures slightly.

The 2020 Ford Escape had a sleeker design than its predecessor, resulting in reduced cargo space. 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 down, it provided 65.4 cubic feet or 60.8 cubic feet in upper-level trims. Despite the reduced cargo space, the Escape emphasized passenger space, offering plenty of headroom and legroom for second-row passengers and a commanding seating position for the driver and front passenger.

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica was designed with family life in mind, featuring spacious seating and practical storage solutions. The front seats allowed for a feeling of togetherness, with ample storage space, including an under-stack area with a rubberized bin. Standard features included power-sliding rear doors, three-zone climate control, Stow ’n Go bucket seats with in-floor storage bins, and a Stow ’n Go third-row bench seat. The second- and third-row seats provided plenty of legroom, and the Pacifica offered best-in-class total storage of 227.6 liters, making family travel a breeze.

The 2020 Ford Escape's base trim 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 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 2021 Chrysler Pacifica featured Uconnect 5, a modern and customizable infotainment system. It was graphically appealing, responsive, and easy to use, with standard Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The second row's in-seat entertainment system remained an option, with new games added. The Pinnacle model included FamCam, an interior monitoring camera with a rear-facing child seat view, split-view display, and zoom-to-seat feature. The sound system options ranged from a standard six-speaker system to a 20-speaker Harman Kardon system, providing a high-quality listening experience.

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. The Escape also came standard with Ford Co-Pilot360, a suite of advanced safety systems including forward-collision warning, lane-keeping assist, adaptive cruise control, and automatic high beams.

The 2021 Chrysler Pacifica came standard with 97 safety features, increasing to 100 in the Pinnacle trim. Key safety technologies included forward-collision warning, adaptive cruise control with stop and go, lane-departure warning with lane-keep assist, rain-sensing wipers, automatic high beams, advanced brake assist, third-row lock out, and automatic emergency braking with pedestrian detection. The Pacifica received a five-star overall rating from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA).