The crossover has become one of the most popular types of vehicles in America. Last year, eight of America’s 25 top-selling passenger vehicles were compact SUVs or crossovers. The reason for this is simple. Crossovers provide drivers with a safe, roomy, drivable, fuel-efficient, and affordable way to get around. This is important for a large percentage of drivers, whether they plan to use their vehicle for their daily commute, family purposes, or just weekend driving. The crossover’s versatility helps set it apart from other vehicles, filling the space that used to be served by the midsize sedan. One of the leading crossover SUVs is the 2024 Ford Escape.
One of the features that sets the Escape apart from so many competitors is its choice of powertrains. In fact, the Escape has four different options for engine and transmission, allowing you to choose the performance you want in your vehicle. This differs from most other crossover models with a standard powertrain across all trim levels. These other compact SUVs lock you into performance and fuel economy no matter how much extra you pay for your trim level. As a result, you are stuck with a one-size-fits-all vehicle. If you want to escape from the ordinary, your best bet is to choose a 2024 Ford Escape. This model lets you choose what is most important about your vehicle. All mileage ratings are for 2023 trims and powertrains.
1.5-Liter EcoBoost Turbo I-3 Gas Engine
The base engine on the 2024 Ford Escape is a 1.5L EcoBoost Turbo I-3 gas engine. It comes paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission, giving you solid control over engine performance. It comes standard on the Active and ST-Line trims. This engine features auto stop-start technology to help reduce fuel consumption and engine emissions when you are stopped in traffic or at a red light. When you depress the brake pedal, the engine will shut off. The engine will automatically restart as soon as you reduce the pressure on the brake pedal.
This is a good engine choice for drivers who want to get an Escape at an affordable price while capturing solid fuel economy numbers. A 1.5L Escape can reliably get up to 34 MPG on the highway and 27 MPG in city driving, as rated by the EPA, if you stick with standard front-wheel drive. If you opt for available all-wheel drive, these numbers will drop slightly. Nevertheless, this will provide serious savings to the commuter or daily driver.
This EcoBoost engine uses a combination of port and direct fuel injection to produce 181 hp at 6000 rpm and 190 lb-ft of torque at 3000 rpm. This is a testament to using a turbocharger on a smaller engine. The result is improved performance without compromising fuel economy. As for acceleration, the Escape with this engine won’t win many races, but it will get you from 0 to 60 mph in 8.7 seconds, which is fast enough to safely merge onto most highways.
2.0-Liter Ecoboost Turbo I-4 Gas Engine
The second available engine on the 2024 Ford Escape is the 2.0L EcoBoost Turbo I-4 gas engine. Like the smaller 1.5L engine, this comes with an eight-speed automatic transmission and the auto stop-start technology. This engine comes standard on the ST-Line Select, ST-Line Elite, and Platinum trim levels of the Escape. It is not available as an optional engine on any other trim levels.
This is the engine to choose if you are looking for premium-level acceleration. This powertrain can deliver up to 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque using a combination of port and direct fuel injection. The addition of an extra cylinder seems to make all the difference when it comes to engine output. As a result, you will get unparalleled acceleration in an Escape with this engine. You should be able to go from 0 to 60 mph in a much quicker 6.9 seconds.
However, this performance comes at a price in fuel economy. While you should get up to an EPA-rated 31 MPG in highway driving in an Escape with this engine and all-wheel drive, the city fuel economy drops to a respectable but not overly efficient 23 MPG. As a result, the Escape with this engine is a better choice for drivers looking for speed and acceleration and for whom fuel efficiency is a lower priority.
2.5-Liter iVCT Atkinson-Cycle I-4 HEV
One of two hybrid engine options on the 2024 Ford Escape, this conventional hybrid is available as an option on all trim levels except the Active and the Plug-In Hybrid trims. In other words, there is no stand-alone conventional hybrid trim for the Escape. This pairs a 2.5-liter I-4 gas engine with an electric motor powered by a lithium-ion battery located in the Escape’s frame. The transmission is an eCVT (electronic continuously variable transmission). It does not have separate gear speeds like a conventional automatic transmission.
One of the features of an eCVT is a blending of the performance of the electric motor and the gas engine, depending on driving conditions. At lower speeds, you will operate primarily on the electric motor, with the gas engine powering a generator to keep the battery pack charged. At higher speeds, the gas engine will do a more significant portion of the work. The battery pack also gets charged as a result of brake recapture. A portion of the kinetic energy released each time you use the Escape’s brakes is recycled into the battery pack.
The gas engine part of this hybrid uses sequential multipoint fuel injection. This combination of the electric motor and the gas engine produces 192 hp at 6250 rpm and 155 lb-ft of torque at 4500 rpm. This allows you to accelerate from 0 to 60 mph in 8.1 seconds, which is comparable to the Escape’s acceleration with the 1.5-liter I-3 gas engine. However, the hybrid Escape will give unparalleled fuel economy with an EPA rating of 42 MPG in the city and 36 MPG on the highway. That is not a mistake; the city driving uses less gas since this hybrid relies almost entirely on its electric motor at low speeds. This is why the hybrid engine is such a good choice for drivers who are concerned with using less gasoline and reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
2.5-Liter iVCT Atkinson Cycle I-4 Plug-in Hybrid
This engine is only available on the 2024 Escape Plug-in Hybrid trim. Unlike the other hybrid engine, this has a plug-in feature, which allows you to charge the battery during its downtime. This is a front-wheel drive-only SUV, combining a 2.5-liter I-4 gas engine with an electric motor powered by a 14.4-kWh lithium-ion battery. This provides a combined 210 hp, which will get you from 0 to 60 miles per second in a modest 7.7 seconds.
As a plug-in hybrid, you can charge the battery at home, in addition to charging it from the gas engine or brake recapture. The key to this version of the Escape is its exceptional fuel economy. Again, when you drive at slow speeds, the Escape will operate primarily on the electric motor. This will give you an EPA-rated range of 37 miles. The combined fuel economy for the gas and electric motors is 101 MPG, while it gets 40 MPG operating with the gas engine only. This is an excellent choice for a driver who wants to save on gasoline while having the convenience of being able to recharge the battery by plugging into a charger.
Four Great Engine Options to Escape To!
If you are looking for the flexibility to choose what features are important to you with your vehicle’s engine, then the 2024 Escape may be the crossover for you. Ford has given you four different engine options to choose from. You can decide which is the best way to make your escape in a 2024 Ford Escape.
