Compare the2022 Ford EscapeVS 2022 Jeep Wrangler

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Cargo Capacity
Ergonomics
Model Availability
Economic Advantages

Safety

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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 Jeep Wrangler doesn’t offer pretensioners for the rear seat belts.

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

The Escape has standard head airbag curtains for front and rear seats which act as a forgiving barrier between the driver and outboard passenger's upper bodies and the window and pillars. Combined with high-strength steel door beams and lower side airbags this system increases head protection in broadside collisions. The Wrangler doesn't offer side airbag protection for the head and are only available for the front seats.

The Escape has standard Automatic Emergency Braking, which use forward mounted sensors to warn the driver of a possible collision ahead. If the driver doesn’t react and the system determines a collision is imminent, it automatically applies the brakes at full-force in order to reduce the force of the crash or avoid it altogether. The Wrangler offers an available collision warning system without the automated brake feature that would prevent or reduce the collision if the driver fails to react.

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 Wrangler 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escape Titanium has a standard backup collision prevention system that uses rear sensors to monitor and automatically apply the brakes to prevent a rear collision. The Wrangler doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

The Escape’s lane departure warning system alerts a temporarily inattentive driver when the vehicle begins to leave its lane and gently nudges the vehicle back towards its lane. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a lane departure warning system.

The Escape SEL/Titanium has standard Parking Sensors to help warn the driver about vehicles, pedestrians or other obstacles behind or, for the Escape Titanium in front of the vehicle. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a front parking aid.

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 Wrangler’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. Only the Wrangler Sport S/Sahara/Rubicon offers a rear cross-path warning system and it costs extra.

The Escape’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

For better protection of the passenger compartment, the Escape uses safety cell construction with a three-dimensional high-strength frame that surrounds the passenger compartment. It provides extra impact protection and a sturdy mounting location for door hardware and side impact beams. The Wrangler uses a body-on-frame design, which has no frame members above the floor of the vehicle.

Both the Escape and the Wrangler have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, rearview cameras and available all wheel drive.

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 Jeep Wrangler:

	Escape	Wrangler
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	143	187
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	31%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	299 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	72 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	926/731 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	202
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	188 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	81 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	220/169 lbs.	380/742 lbs.

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

A significantly tougher test than their original offset frontal crash test, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety does 40 MPH small overlap frontal offset crash tests. In this test, where only 25% of the total width of the vehicle is struck, results indicate that the Ford Escape is safer than the Wrangler 4-door:

	Escape	Wrangler
Overall Evaluation	GOOD	MARGINAL
Restraints	GOOD	GOOD
Head Neck Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Head injury index	80	101
Peak Head Forces	0 G’s	0 G’s
Steering Column Movement Rearward	0 cm	2 cm
Chest Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Hip & Thigh Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Femur Force R/L	.1/0 kN	.5/.1 kN
Hip & Thigh Injury Risk R/L	0%/0%	0%/0%
Lower Leg Evaluation	GOOD	GOOD
Tibia index R/L	.42/.33	.51/.38
Tibia forces R/L	1.1/.1 kN	2.1/1 kN

Instrumented handling tests conducted by the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and analysis of its dimensions indicate that the Escape, with its four-star roll-over rating, is 9.3% to 11% less likely to roll over than the Wrangler, which received a three-star rating.

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 available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Escape the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 137 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Wrangler is not a “Top Safety Pick.”

Warranty

There are over 25 percent more Ford dealers than there are Jeep dealers, which makes it easier should you ever need service under the Escape’s warranty.

Reliability

For smoother operation, better efficiency and fewer moving parts, the engines in the Escape have an overhead cam design, rather than the old pushrod design of the 6.4 V8 in the Wrangler.

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 Wrangler 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’ 2022 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Jeep vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, Jeep is rated below average.

Engine

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Escape turbo 4 cyl. is faster than the Jeep Wrangler turbo 4 cyl. (automatics tested):

	Escape	Wrangler
Zero to 60 MPH	6.9 sec	8.1 sec
Quarter Mile	15.3 sec	16.3 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	89.3 MPH	82.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the Wrangler 4-door running its gasoline engine:

			MPG
Escape
FWD	Auto	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	28 city/34 hwy
AWD	Auto	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/31 hwy
Wrangler 4-door
AWD	Manual	3.6 DOHC V6	17 city/23 hwy
AWD	Auto	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	21 city/24 hwy
		3.6 V6 Hybrid	19 city/24 hwy
		6.4 OHV V8	13 city/17 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl. Hybrid	20 city/20 hwy
		3.0 turbo V6 Diesel	22 city/29 hwy
		Rubicon 3.0 turbo V6 Diesel	21 city/26 hwy

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 Wrangler Rubicon 392 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 Wrangler doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Environmental Friendliness

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 Jeep Wrangler (1 to 7). This means the Escape produces up to 47 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Wrangler every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

The Ford Escape comes standard with an automatic transmission, for driver comfort, especially in the city. Automatic costs extra on the Wrangler.

Brakes and Stopping

The Escape stops much shorter than the Wrangler:

	Escape	Wrangler
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	198 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	123 feet	150 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	163 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Escape’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 65 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Wrangler Sport’s standard 75 series tires.

Suspension and Handling

The Ford Escape’s independent front suspension is much lighter than the Jeep Wrangler’s solid front axle, which allows the Escape’s wheels to react more quickly and accurately to the road’s surface, improving both ride and handling.

For superior ride and handling, the Ford Escape has fully independent front and rear suspensions. An independent suspension allows the wheels to follow the road at the best angle for gripping the pavement, without compromising ride comfort. The Jeep Wrangler has a solid rear axle, with a non-independent rear suspension.

For much better steering response and tighter handling the Escape has rack and pinion steering, like Formula racecars, instead of the recirculating-ball type steering of the Wrangler.

The Escape SE AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Wrangler Sahara 4-door pulls only .64 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Escape Titanium AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 2.2 seconds quicker than the Wrangler Rubicon 4-door (27.7 seconds @ .64 average G’s vs. 29.9 seconds @ .56 average G’s).

Chassis

The Ford Escape may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 600 to 1550 pounds less than the Jeep Wrangler.

The Escape is 7.9 inches shorter than the Wrangler 4-door, making the Escape easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Escape is 7.4 inches shorter in height than the Wrangler, making the Escape much easier to wash and garage and drive (lower center of gravity).

Unibody construction lowers the Escape’s center of gravity significantly without reducing ground clearance. This contributes to better on the road handling and better off-road performance and stability. In addition, unibody construction makes the chassis stiffer, improving handling and reducing squeaks and rattles. The Wrangler uses body-on-frame design instead.

For excellent aerodynamics, the Escape has standard flush composite headlights. The Wrangler has recessed headlights that spoil its aerodynamic shape and create extra drag.

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while at idle, the interior of the Escape SE AWD is quieter than the Wrangler Sport 4-door (37 vs. 41 dB).

Cargo Capacity

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume than the Wrangler 4-door with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 31.7 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 Wrangler’s liftover is 29.7 inches.

The Escape’s cargo area is larger than the Wrangler’s in every dimension:

	Escape	Wrangler
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	37.8”/68.5”	37”/65.8”
Max Width	57.3”	42”
Min Width	41.4”	39.5”
Height	34.8”	30”

The Escape’s standard folding rear seats are split to accommodate bulky cargo. The Wrangler 2-door’s standard single piece folding rear seat is not as flexible; long cargo and a passenger can’t share the rear seat.

The Escape’s liftgate lifts up in one piece, completely out of the way of loading and unloading, while sheltering the cargo loading area. The Wrangler’s swing out door blocks loading from the driver’s side.

To make loading and unloading groceries and cargo easier, especially for short adults, the Escape offers an optional power liftgate, which opens and closes automatically by pressing a button, or optionally by just kicking your foot under the back bumper, completely leaving your hands free. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a power cargo door.

Ergonomics

When three different drivers share the Escape (except S/SE), the optional memory seats and mirrors make it convenient for all three. Each setting activates different, customized memories for the driver’s seat position and outside mirror angle. The Wrangler doesn’t offer a memory system.

The Escape (except S/SE)’s optional easy entry system glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Wrangler doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escape’s power parking brake sets with one touch and releases with one touch or automatically. The Wrangler has a lever-type parking brake that has to be strenuously raised to engage properly. It has to be lifted up more and a button depressed to release it.

The Escape’s standard power windows allow the driver or passenger to lower and raise the windows without leaning over or being distracted. Power windows are only available on the Wrangler Sport S/Sahara/Rubicon.

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 Wrangler Sport S/Sahara/Rubicon’s power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its front windows open automatically.

The Escape’s standard power window controls are mounted on the armrest for easy access. The Wrangler’s available power window controls are down in the center of the dashboard, away from the windows and mixed with controls for unrelated features.

The Escape’s standard power locks allow the driver or passenger to lock or unlock all the doors at a touch without leaning over, or reaching to the back seat. Power locks are only available on the Wrangler Sport S/Sahara/Rubicon.

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 Wrangler doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its extra cost SiriusXM Guardian can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Escape Titanium’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Wrangler’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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 Escape’s available headlights were rated “Acceptable” by the IIHS, while the Wrangler’s headlights are rated “Poor.”

The Escape has a standard automatic headlight on/off feature. When the ignition is on, the headlights automatically turn on at dusk and off after dawn. When the ignition turns off, the headlights turn off after a delay timed to allow you to securely get to your front door. The Wrangler has an automatic headlight on/off feature standard only on the Sport S/Sahara/Rubicon.

The Escape has standard power remote mirrors. The Wrangler Sport doesn’t offer either a remote driver side or passenger side mirror. The driver will have to roll down the windows and reach across the car to adjust the mirrors.

Both the Escape and the Wrangler offer rear vents. For greater rear passenger comfort, the Escape offers optional rear air conditioning vents to keep rear occupants cool in summer or warm in winter. The Wrangler doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.

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 Wrangler 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 Wrangler doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Model Availability

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

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the Wrangler because typical repairs cost less on the Escape than the Wrangler, including $79 less for a water pump, $45 less for front brake pads, $104 less for fuel injection and $199 less for a fuel pump.