2023 Ford Escape Gets a Glow-Up with Handsome Design Updates.
New tech features and a sporty-looking ST-Line trim also contribute to the Escape’s refresh.
After just three model years on the market, the Ford Escape is getting an attractive front-end redesign that removes its smiley fascia in favor of a more upscale-looking one. The compact SUV’s front fascia has been reworked with new lighting elements, a revised hood, and an updated front bumper design.
The 2023 Escape’s grille stretches wider across the front end than the one on the 2022 model and now wears the Ford oval emblem that used to be placed on the SUV’s hood. Higher-end models come with a light bar that connects the headlamps by running across the top of the grille.
To accompany its handsome new look, the Escape lineup has been tweaked to include base, Active, Platinum, PHEV, and new ST-Line trim levels. The ST-Line is a sporty-looking offering that swaps the Escape’s black plastic lower-body cladding for body-colored alternatives, giving it a more hunkered-down appearance. The ST-Line also wears unique 18- or 19-inch wheels and can be had with black faux-leather upholstery with red contrast stitching.
The Escape’s four powertrain options carry over from before, starting with the 180-hp turbocharged 1.5-liter three-cylinder. An optional turbocharged 2.0-liter four-cylinder brings the heat with 250 ponies and two different hybrids are available if you’re looking to preserve fuel. The first hybrid is a traditional setup that uses a 2.5-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder and an electric motor; a plug-in-hybrid option adds an 11.2-kWh battery pack that is said to hold enough juice to power the Escape for up to 37 miles on electric power. Both hybrids make 210 horsepower, an 11-hp drop from last year’s PHEV model.
Ford’s Sync 4 infotainment system makes its way to the Escape this year too. The system, which is capable of over-the-air updates, features wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto capability, displayed on a large 13.2-inch infotainment display on all but the base model. The screen is 8.0 inches on the base trim, which also comes with an 8.0-inch digital gauge display; a larger 12.3-inch gauge display is optional starting on the Active trim.
A host of new features are now available on the Escape, including more advanced driver-assistance tech such as an evasive-steering assist system, a wireless smartphone charging pad, and a 360-degree exterior camera.
Pricing for the Escape is up over the 2022 model as a result, but not by much. The base Escape will retail for $28,995, an increase of just $335 over last year, while the Active starts at $30,340, the ST-Line at $31,335, the Platinum at $37,460, and the PHEV at $39,995. Order books have opened for the 2023 Escape already, and Ford says the updated SUV should arrive in dealers in early 2023.