Compare the2022 Nissan RogueVS 2021 Ford Escape

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 Rogue are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Escape doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Nissan Rogue has standard driver and front passenger side knee airbags mounted low on the dashboard. These airbags helps prevent the driver and front passenger from sliding under their seatbelts or the main frontal airbags; this keeps them better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. Knee airbags also help keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Escape doesn’t offer a front passenger side knee airbag.

The Rogue Platinum has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Escape doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

The Rogue SL/Platinum has a standard Around View® Monitor to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Escape 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 Rogue and the Escape have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front and rear side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors and available all wheel drive.

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 and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Nissan Rogue is safer than the Ford Escape:

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 Rogue its highest rating: “Top Pick Plus” for 2021, a rating granted to only 74 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escape is only a standard “Top Pick” for 2021.

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 Rogue’s reliability 40 points higher than the Escape.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Nissan vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan fifth in initial quality, above the industry average. With 16 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 Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Nissan 21st in reliability. With 2 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is ranked 22nd.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Nissan vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Nissan 9 places higher in reliability than Ford.

The Rogue’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 20 more horsepower (201 vs. 181) and 35 lbs.-ft. more torque (225 vs. 190) than the Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder.

On the EPA test cycle the Rogue gets better mileage than the Escape:

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Nissan Rogue uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Escape with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Nissan Rogue higher (7 out of 10) than the Ford Escape (5 to 7). This means the Rogue produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Escape every 15,000 miles.

The Rogue has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Escape doesn’t offer a CVT.

The Rogue’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 are solid, not vented.

The Rogue stops much shorter than the Escape:

For better traction, the Rogue has larger tires than the Escape (235/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

The Rogue has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Escape doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

The Rogue Platinum AWD handles at .84 G’s, while the Escape Titanium AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Rogue’s turning circle is 1.8 feet tighter than the Escape’s (35.4 feet vs. 37.2 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Rogue has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Escape (8.2 vs. 7.3 inches), allowing the Rogue to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Rogue has 1.1 inches more front headroom and .1 inches more rear hip room than the Escape.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Rogue’s rear seats recline. The Escape’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Rogue has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Escape with its rear seat folded (74.1 vs. 65.4 cubic feet).

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the Rogue SL/Platinum’s rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Escape doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

The Rogue’s driver’s power window opens or closes with one touch of the window control, making it more convenient at drive-up windows and toll booths. The Escape’s standard driver’s power window switch has to be held the entire time to close it fully.

Consumer Reports rated the Rogue’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Escape’s headlights, which were rated “Good.”

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 Rogue’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Escape’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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

When the Rogue SL/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’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

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

The Rogue has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Escape S doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Rogue has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Escape S doesn’t offer rear vents.

The Nissan Rogue outsold the Ford Escape by 86% during the 2021 model year.