2023 Ford Escape Hybrid – DM Review | Test Drive

I leased a pretty loaded 2022 Escape SEL PHEV last fall and am very happy with it. My dealer did not mark it up and I was able to negotiate a great deal. I really have been impressed with the adaptive cruise control and speed limit tracking. Of course, the mileage has been awesome since I have access to a class 2 charger 24/7 (rent adder). Unfortunately, like the Rav4 the PHEV model was hard to find on dealer lots til recently.

Drop the Elite from ST Select and you are down to $35,000 after rebates and it looks the same. My 2020 Escape hybrid has the panoramic sunroof and other goodies and stickered for under $35,000.

Would you recommend the car at a steep discount? lol

Very much agree! Ford Escape is a good car, but there's no reason it should cost $5k-$7k more for a similarly equippd Hyundai Tucson. I think MSRP should be reduced by about $5k on every trim. lol... I also think they should have, at least, included a normal moonroof on all the top trims, and perhaps provide option to upgrade to the full pano roof.

The Lexus NX, for example, could be had at $45k with a moonroof. It's just overpriced.

Hey Chalie, I really like your recent reviews having very clear and thoughtful points about vehicle's advantages and disadvantages throughout the entire video. Having some subjective feelings about the car is more important than reading out numbers and going through the functionalities one by one. We can get those numbers and specs from internet, but we can't get the feeling and thats what we need. Thank you!

Ironic that everyone hates the Escape hybrid, but everyone loves the Maverick Hybrid that is based on the Escape.

If the cost is the thing you're against, how is a Honda or Toyota the solution? Do you really get more on those? Toyota maybe I could be OK with, but with Honda's infotainment they are a definite "no."

The ST-Line Select through Platinum hybrid trims from $33-38k seem like the best choices in the Escape lineup. 44k for this one seems too high considering its basically a sport appearance pack + suspension tune on a platinum.

I agreed. Recently I bought mazda 3, for those size car over 40K price tag without special character is really disagreeable. Still need destination fee, tax, it's will reach 50k for final payment. No.

This specific unit is overpriced for what it is but for those Ford-loyal people, the Escape Hybrids start at around 34k… it’s really all about what added goodies you want in your vehicle.

Ford are using Chinese batteries, not good!

Savagegeese loves dumping on products. It is actually refreshing hearing honest negativity in a review.

I'd say one big thing it's missing is ventilated seats. I love Ford but especially for this price it needs to have ventilated seats.

Under 40 the Escape is a good buy but over 40 its a no go

These new escapes are even cheaper than before. I work at enterprise we have one of these only 5k miles and the drls don't work on one side. Ford says 3 months to order new parts.

This is so true, I was building and pricing an escape an getting no quilted leather seats, panoramic sunroof and B&O sound system on the top of the line Platinum abd ST line elite is some serious price gouging on Ford's part. Everything should be standard on the top of the line platinum and st line elite, so unless Ford gives you all those things standard like the Kia sportage, Hyundai Tucson or Nissan Rogue, it's a no for me. The interior is also the worst in the class. I was only looking at the escape because I like the exterior looks.

They have to pay for the new union agreements.

Good review! I think you are right about the pricing reasoning. Hopefully the car market improves overtime, pricing is too high for every car. At least where I live I have seen cars 3-4 yrs old selling for their original msrp despite a decent amount of mileage on them.

Ford dealerships in New England are already giving out discounts on these. Out here the RAV-4s and CR-Vs hybrids go for 3k-5k over MSRP, and you’re lucky if you find a new RAV-4 in the lot. The only advantage of going with the Escape is that it will be easier to buy.

Charlie, I am confident the friendly folks at Ford would call this a $44,000 bargain. 😉 On the subject of inflated hybrid pricing, a general ramp up in hybrid production across the industry should eventually return things to the saner level we saw in 2019.