Compare the2023 Volvo XC40VS 2022 Ford Escape FHEV

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Recommendations

Safety

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The XC40’s pre-crash front seatbelts will tighten automatically in the event the vehicle detects an impending crash, improving protection against injury significantly. The Escape FHEV doesn’t offer pre-crash pretensioners.

Both the XC40 and Escape FHEV have child safety locks to prevent children from opening the rear doors. The XC40 has power child safety locks, allowing the driver to activate and deactivate them from the driver's seat and to know when they're engaged. The Escape FHEV’s child locks have to be individually engaged at each rear door with a manual switch. The driver can’t know the status of the locks without opening the doors and checking them.

The XC40 has a standard Whiplash Protection System (WHIPS), which use a specially designed seat to protect the driver and front passenger from whiplash. During a rear-end collision, the WHIPS allows the backrest to travel backwards to cushion the occupants and the headrests move forward to prevent neck and spine injuries. At the same time the pretensioning seatbelts fire, removing slack from the belts. The Escape FHEV doesn’t offer a whiplash protection system.

The XC40 offers an optional 360-Degree Surround View Camera to allow the driver to see objects all around the vehicle on a screen. The Escape FHEV 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 XC40 and the Escape FHEV have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front 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, 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 National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Volvo XC40 is safer than the Ford Escape FHEV:

	XC40	Escape FHEV
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.5 inches
Neck Injury Risk	31%	36.3%
Neck Stress	156 lbs.	181 lbs.

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 Volvo XC40 is safer than the Ford Escape FHEV:

	XC40	Escape FHEV
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	78	197
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	156 lbs.	191 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	755 lbs.	816 lbs.
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	237	344
Hip Force	411 lbs.	462 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 XC40 its highest rating: “Top Safety Pick Plus” for 2022, a rating granted to only 87 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Escape FHEV is only a standard “Top Safety Pick” for 2022.

Warranty

The XC40 comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck and includes 24-hour roadside assistance. The Escape FHEV’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The XC40’s corrosion warranty is 7 years longer than the Escape FHEV’s (12 vs. 5 years).

Volvo pays for scheduled maintenance on the XC40 for 3 years and 36,000 miles. Volvo will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Escape FHEV.

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 XC40’s reliability 34 points higher than the Escape FHEV.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2021 Auto Issue reports that Volvo vehicles are more reliable than Ford vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Volvo 4 places higher in reliability than Ford.

Engine

The XC40 B5’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder hybrid produces 47 more horsepower (247 vs. 200) than the Escape FHEV’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder hybrid.

Brakes and Stopping

For better stopping power the XC40 B5’s brake rotors are larger than those on the Escape FHEV:

	XC40 B5	Escape FHEV
Front Rotors	13.6 inches	13 inches
Rear Rotors	13.4 inches	11.9 inches

The XC40 stops much shorter than the Escape FHEV:

	XC40	Escape FHEV
60 to 0 MPH	111 feet	122 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the XC40 has larger standard tires than the Escape FHEV (235/55R18 vs. 225/65R17). The XC40’s optional tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escape FHEV (245/45R20 vs. 225/65R17).

The XC40’s standard tires provide better handling because they have a lower 55 series profile (height to width ratio) that provides a stiffer sidewall than the Escape FHEV’s standard 65 series tires. The XC40’s optional tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Escape FHEV’s optional 55 series tires.

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the XC40 has standard 18-inch wheels. Smaller 17-inch wheels are standard on the Escape FHEV. The XC40’s optional 20-inch wheels are larger than the 19-inch wheels optional on the Escape FHEV.

Suspension and Handling

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the XC40 is .6 inches wider in the front and 2.2 inches wider in the rear than on the Escape FHEV.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD handles at .86 G’s, while the Escape FHEV SE AWD pulls only .77 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The XC40 B5 Plus AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver quicker than the Escape FHEV SE AWD (27.4 seconds @ .62 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .6 average G’s).

Chassis

The XC40 is 5.7 inches shorter than the Escape FHEV, making the XC40 easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The XC40 has 1.3 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Escape FHEV.

Cargo Capacity

A control in the cargo area automatically lowers the XC40’s optional rear seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Escape FHEV doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

A standard locking glovebox (which can’t be accessed with the valet key) keeps your small valuables safer in the XC40. The Escape FHEV doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

The XC40’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Escape FHEV’s (3500 vs. 1500 pounds).

Servicing Ease

The XC40 uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Escape FHEV uses a prop rod to support its heavy hood. It takes two hands to open the hood and set the prop rod, the prop rod gets in the way during maintenance and service, and the prop rod could be knocked out, causing the heavy hood to fall on the person maintaining or servicing the car.

Ergonomics

The XC40’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 FHEV’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 XC40 the driver can close them all at the outside door handle or from a distance using the remote. On a hot day the driver can also lower the windows the same way. The driver of the Escape FHEV can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The XC40’s rain-sensitive wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically based on the amount of rainfall on the windshield. This allows the driver to concentrate on driving without constantly adjusting the wipers. The Escape FHEV’s standard intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

Consumer Reports rated the XC40’s headlight performance “Very Good,” a higher rating than the Escape FHEV’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 XC40’s headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Escape FHEV’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

To help drivers avoid possible obstacles, the XC40 offers optional cornering lights to illuminate around corners when the turn signals are activated. The Escape FHEV doesn’t offer cornering lights. The XC40 also has standard adaptive headlights to illuminate around corners automatically by reading vehicle speed and steering wheel angle.

The XC40’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Ford charges extra for heated mirrors on the Escape FHEV.

When the XC40 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 FHEV’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The XC40’s standard rear and side view mirrors have an automatic dimming feature. These mirrors can be set to automatically darken quickly when headlights shine on them, keeping following vehicles from blinding or distracting the driver. The Escape FHEV offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

The XC40 has standard heated front seats. Heated front seats cost extra on the Escape FHEV. The XC40 also offers optional heated rear seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Escape FHEV.

To quickly and conveniently keep personal devices charged without cables tangling and wearing out, the Volvo XC40 has a standard wireless phone charging system (Qi) in the center console. Only the Escape FHEV SEL/Titanium offers wireless charging and it costs extra.

Recommendations

Consumer Reports® recommends the Volvo XC40, based on reliability, safety and performance. The Ford Escape FHEV isn't recommended.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the XC40 second among small premium suvs in owner reported satisfaction. This includes how well the vehicle performs and satisfies its owner’s expectations. The Escape FHEV isn’t in the top three.

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