Compare the2022 Toyota Highlander HybridVS 2021 Ford Escape PHEV

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Highlander Hybrid are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Highlander Hybrid has standard Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats, which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the Whiplash Injury Lessening Seats system allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The Highlander Hybrid offers all-wheel drive to maximize traction under poor conditions, especially in ice and snow. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer all-wheel drive.

The Highlander Hybrid (except LE/XLE/Bronze) offers an optional Bird’s Eye View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Escape PHEV only offers a rear monitor and front and rear parking sensors that beep or flash a light. That doesn’t help with obstacles to the sides.

Both the Highlander Hybrid and the Escape PHEV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning and driver alert monitors.

The Toyota Highlander Hybrid weighs 460 to 725 pounds more than the Ford Escape PHEV. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH, results indicate that the Toyota Highlander Hybrid is safer than the Ford Escape PHEV:

	Highlander Hybrid	Escape PHEV
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	55	197
Chest Movement	.3 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	79 G’s	191 G’s
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	37 G’s	43 G’s
Hip Force	152 lbs.	816 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its standard headlight’s “Good” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Highlander Hybrid its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 73 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escape PHEV is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

Warranty

Toyota pays for scheduled maintenance on the Highlander Hybrid for 2 years and 25000 miles. Toyota will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Escape PHEV.

Reliability

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Highlander Hybrid’s reliability 59 points higher than the Escape PHEV.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Highlander Hybrid third among upper midsize suvs in their 2021 Initial Quality Study. The Escape PHEV isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota 13th in initial quality, above the industry average. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 14th.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Toyota fourth in reliability, above the industry average. With 32 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 22nd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Toyota vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Toyota second in reliability. Ford is ranked 22nd.

Engine

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid produces 43 more horsepower (243 vs. 200) than the Escape PHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Fuel Economy and Range

The Highlander Hybrid has 5.9 gallons more fuel capacity than the Escape PHEV (17.1 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the Highlander Hybrid’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Escape PHEV:

	Highlander Hybrid	Escape PHEV
Front Rotors	13.3 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13.3 inches	11.9 inches

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Escape PHEV are solid, not vented.

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Highlander Hybrid has larger tires than the Escape PHEV (235/65R18 vs. 225/60R18).

The Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum’s tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escape PHEV’s 60 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum has standard 20-inch wheels. The Escape PHEV’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

Suspension and Handling

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Highlander Hybrid’s wheelbase is 5.5 inches longer than on the Escape PHEV (112.2 inches vs. 106.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Highlander Hybrid is 2.9 inches wider in the front and 3.6 inches wider in the rear than on the Escape PHEV.

Passenger Space

The Highlander Hybrid has standard seating for 8 passengers; the Escape PHEV can only carry 5.

The Highlander Hybrid has 37.3 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Escape PHEV (141.3 vs. 104).

The Highlander Hybrid has 1.2 inches more front headroom, 2 inches more front hip room, 1.4 inches more front shoulder room, .1 inches more rear headroom, 2.1 inches more rear legroom, 3.7 inches more rear hip room and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Escape PHEV.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Highlander Hybrid’s middle and third row seats recline. The Escape PHEV’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Highlander Hybrid’s cargo area provides more volume than the Escape PHEV.

	Highlander Hybrid	Escape PHEV
Third Seat Folded	48.4 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	34.4 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	84.3 cubic feet	60.8 cubic feet

The Highlander Hybrid’s cargo area is larger than the Escape PHEV’s in almost every dimension:

	Highlander Hybrid	Escape PHEV
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	17.8”/48”/80.7”	n.a./36.7”/68.3”
Max Width	50”	57.3”
Min Width	45.8”	41.4”
Height	31”	32.8”

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the Highlander Hybrid. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Escape PHEV’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Ergonomics

The Highlander Hybrid’s front and rear power windows all open or close fully with one touch of the switches, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths, or when talking with someone outside the car. The Escape PHEV’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

If the windows are left open on the Highlander Hybrid the driver can close them all at the outside door handle. On a hot day the driver can lower the windows at the outside door handle or from a distance using the keyless remote. (This window function must be activated by your Toyota service department.) The driver of the Escape PHEV can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS) conducts detailed tests on headlights for their range both straight ahead and in curves and to be certain they don’t exceed acceptable amounts of glare to oncoming drivers. The Highlander Hybrid’s headlights were rated “Good” to “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Escape PHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

To help drivers see further while navigating curves, the Highlander Hybrid Platinum has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer cornering lights.

Manual rear side window sunshades are available in the Highlander Hybrid to help block heat and glare for the rear passengers. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer rear side window sunshades.

The Highlander Hybrid’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford charges extra for heated mirrors on the Escape PHEV.

When the Highlander Hybrid Bronze/Limited/Platinum is put in reverse, both rearview mirrors tilt from their original position. This gives the driver a better view of the curb during parallel parking maneuvers. Shifting out of reverse puts the mirrors into their original positions. The Escape PHEV’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

Both the Highlander Hybrid and the Escape PHEV offer available heated front seats. The Highlander Hybrid Platinum also has standard heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Escape PHEV.

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Highlander Hybrid Limited/Platinum keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Highlander Hybrid Bronze/Limited/Platinum has a 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Escape PHEV doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Toyota Highlander Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Toyota Highlander outsold the Ford Escape by 76% during the 2021 model year.