Compare the2022 Ford EscapeVS 2021 Lexus NX Series

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Lexus NX Series doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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 NX Series 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.

Both the Escape and the NX Series have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, 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 Lexus NX Series:

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 Lexus NX Series:

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

There are over 12 times as many Ford dealers as there are Lexus 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 NX Series doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (250 vs. 235) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 258) than the NX 300’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Escape turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the NX 300 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder:

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the NX Series:

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 NX Series doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

Regardless of its engine, the Escape’s engine automatically turns off when the vehicle is stopped, saving fuel and reducing pollution. If the conditions warrant or the driver wishes, the system can be manually disabled at any time for the duration of a trip. Lexus only offers an automatic engine start/stop system on the NX Series 300h.

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Ford Escape uses regular unleaded gasoline (premium recommended with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine for maximum performance). The NX 300 requires premium, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

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 NX Series doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape higher (5 to 7 out of 10) than the Lexus NX Series (3 to 7). This means the Escape produces up to 24.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the NX Series every 15,000 miles.

An eight-speed automatic is standard on the Ford Escape, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only a six-speed automatic is available for the NX Series.

The Escape stops much shorter than the NX Series:

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

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escape’s wheelbase is 2 inches longer than on the NX Series (106.7 inches vs. 104.7 inches).

The Escape SE AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the NX 300 F Sport AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Escape has a greater minimum ground clearance than the NX 300h (7.3 vs. 6.7 inches), allowing the Escape to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Escape’s minimum ground clearance is .4 inch higher than on the NX 300 (7.3 vs. 6.9 inches).

The Ford Escape may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 650 pounds less than the Lexus NX Series.

The front grille of the Escape uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The NX Series doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

The Escape has 32.4 cubic feet more passenger volume than the NX Series (104 vs. 71.6).

The Escape has 1.8 inches more front headroom, .1 inches more front hip room, .3 inches more front shoulder room, 1.2 inches more rear headroom, 4.6 inches more rear legroom and .7 inches more rear shoulder room than the NX Series.

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the NX Series with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 17.7 cubic feet). The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the NX Series with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 54.6 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Escape easier. The Escape’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.1 inches, while the NX Series’ liftover is 31.2 inches.

The Escape’s cargo area is larger than the NX Series’ in almost every dimension:

The Escape’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the NX Series’ (2000 vs. 0 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Lexus NX 300h AWD is only 2000 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 NX Series doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape SEL/Titanium’s exterior PIN entry system. The NX Series doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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 NX Series’ standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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 NX Series 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 NX Series doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the NX Series because it costs $681 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Escape than the NX Series, including $229 less for a water pump, $169 less for a starter, $404 less for fuel injection, $126 less for a fuel pump, $30 less for front struts and $247 less for a timing belt/chain.

The Ford Escape outsold the Lexus NX Series by over two to one during the 2021 model year.