Compare the2022 Ford EscapeVS 2022 Subaru Forester

The Escape has standard Post Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Forester doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Escape has a standard blind spot warning system which uses sensors to alert the driver to objects in the vehicle’s blind spots where the side view mirrors don’t reveal them. A system to reveal vehicles in the Forester’s blind spot costs extra.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Escape has a standard rear cross-path warning system, which uses sensors in the rear bumper to alert the driver to vehicles approaching from the side, helping the driver avoid collisions. Rear cross-path warning costs extra on the Forester and isn't available on the not available.

Both the Escape and the Forester have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, 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, rearview cameras, available all wheel drive and front and rear parking sensors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Escape is safer than the Subaru Forester:

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

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 Ford Escape is safer than the Subaru Forester:

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

There are almost 5 times as many Ford dealers as there are Subaru dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape’s warranty.

The Escape has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The Forester doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2021 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Subaru vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford 14th in initial quality. With 20 more problems per 100 vehicles, Subaru is ranked 24th.

The Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 14 lbs.-ft. more torque (190 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 68 more horsepower (250 vs. 182) and 104 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 176) than the Forester’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Escape is faster than the Subaru Forester:

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

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escape 1.5 Turbo’s fuel efficiency. The Forester doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Both the Escape and the Forester have a standard automatic start/stop engine feature to stop unnecessary fuel waste and pollution at stop lights and heavy traffic. All Escapes have a standard disable switch for the system, so a driver can keep the engine from shutting off when the vehicle stops temporarily.

The Escape has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The Forester doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

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

The Escape stops shorter than the Forester:

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Escape offers optional 19-inch wheels. The Forester’s largest wheels are only 18-inches.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escape’s wheelbase is 1.6 inches longer than on the Forester (106.7 inches vs. 105.1 inches).

The Escape SE AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Forester Limited pulls only .78 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Escape Titanium AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Forester Touring (27.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 28.1 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Escape SE AWD is quieter than the Forester Limited (37 vs. 41 dB).

The Escape has 1.1 inches more front hip room and 1.3 inches more rear legroom than the Forester.

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume than the Forester with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 28.9 cubic feet).

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Escape’s available liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Forester doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

The Escape’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Forester’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Subaru Forester is only 3000 pounds. The Escape offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

The Escape Titanium offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Forester doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The power windows standard on both the Escape and the Forester have locks to prevent small children from operating them. When the lock on the Escape is engaged the driver can still operate all of the windows, for instance to close one opened by a child. The Forester prevents the driver from operating the other windows just as it does the other passengers.

The Escape SEL/Titanium’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 Forester Premium/Sport/Wilderness/Limited/Touring’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

The Escape’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The Forester’s manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted. The Escape Titanium’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Ford Escape SEL/Titanium offers an optional wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. The Forester doesn’t offer wireless personal charging.

The Escape Titanium’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The Forester doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Escape is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The Forester doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the Forester because it costs $272 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Escape than the Forester, including $157 less for a water pump, $190 less for a starter, $354 less for fuel injection, $80 less for a fuel pump and $129 less for front struts.

The Ford Escape outsold the Subaru Forester by 1500 units during 2020.