Compare the2023 Ford EscapeVS 2023 Hyundai Tucson

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Ergonomics

Safety

© 1999 - 2024Advanta-STAR Automotive Research, all rights reserved. This vehicle comparison and all of the content in it are provided only by license from Advanta-STAR Automotive Research Corporation of America (“Advanta-STAR”). If you are not a legally licensed user of this vehicle comparison, it is against federal law to access it, copy it, forward it, or use it in any manner whatsoever. Any unauthorized use of this vehicle comparison is a violation of U.S. and international law and is punishable criminally and civilly. Removal of this watermark/notification without prior written license and approval received from Advanta-STAR is an agreement, understanding, and/or stipulation by the person(s), entities, agents, attorneys, and any other persons involved in the removal of this watermark/notification (including but not limited to Search Optics, LLC and any and all parent entities, sister entities, and subsidiary entities of Search Optics, LLC and/or any other entity, agent, attorney, and persons related in any manner to Search Optics, LLC) to: 1) an agreed upon amount of liquidated monetary damages of a minimum of $1,250,000.00 US Dollars in favor of Advanta-STAR; 2) the jurisdiction and enforcement of any legal claims associated with this matter asserted by Advanta-STAR in the United States Federal District Court in Portand, Oregon; and 3) service of process of any legal claims asserted by Advanta-STAR associated with this matter may be accomplished by First-Class Postage by the United States Postal Service or comparable service. XPYNN-M34HG 2a06:98c0:3600::103 2024/11/21

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 Hyundai Tucson doesn’t offer pretensioners for its 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 Tucson doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Tucson 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 Tucson have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, 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, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

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 Hyundai Tucson:

	Escape	Tucson
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	143	364
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	24%
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	102	325
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	59 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 Ford Escape is safer than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Escape	Tucson
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	1 inches
Abdominal Force	191 lbs.	223 lbs.
Hip Force	240 lbs.	440 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	59 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	46 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	614 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are almost 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Hyundai dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape’s warranty.

Reliability

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 Tucson 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 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Hyundai vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 18 more problems per 100 vehicles, Hyundai is rated below average.

Engine

The Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 12 lbs.-ft. more torque (190 vs. 178) than the Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder. The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 63 more horsepower (250 vs. 187) and 102 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 178) than the Tucson’s 2.5 DOHC 4-cylinder.

As tested in Motor Trend the Ford Escape is faster than the Hyundai Tucson:

	Escape turbo 3 cyl.	Escape turbo 4 cyl.	Tucson
Zero to 60 MPH	8.4 sec	6.9 sec	9.3 sec
Quarter Mile	16.6 sec	15.3 sec	17 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	84.5 MPH	89.3 MPH	83.6 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			MPG
Escape
	FWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	27 city/34 hwy
	AWD	1.5 turbo 3-cyl.	26 city/32 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/31 hwy
Tucson
	FWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	25 city/32 hwy
	AWD	2.5 DOHC 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

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

The Escape AWD’s standard fuel tank has 1.4 gallons more fuel capacity than the Tucson (15.7 vs. 14.3 gallons).

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 Tucson doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Escape	Tucson
Front Rotors	13 inches	12.8 inches

The Escape stops shorter than the Tucson:

	Escape	Tucson
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	130 feet	Consumer Reports

Tires and Wheels

The Escape has a standard space-saver spare tire so you can replace a flat tire and drive to have the flat repaired or replaced. A spare tire isn’t available on the Tucson; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

Suspension and Handling

The Escape has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The Tucson doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For better maneuverability, the Escape’s turning circle is 1.4 feet tighter than the Tucson’s (37.2 feet vs. 38.6 feet).

Passenger Space

The Escape has 1 inch more front legroom and .7 inches more front hip room than the Tucson.

Cargo Capacity

An optional locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Escape. The Tucson doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Hyundai Tucson is limited to 2000 pounds. The Escape offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Ergonomics

The Escape Elite/Platinum 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 Tucson doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escape Select/Elite/Platinum’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 Tucson SEL/XRT/N Line/Limited’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open or close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape’s available exterior PIN entry system (not available on Escape Base). The Tucson doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Blue Link can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

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 Tucson’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

Both the Escape and the Tucson 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 Tucson doesn’t offer rear air conditioning vents, only heat vents.