Compare the2023 Ford Escape FHEVVS 2023 Hyundai Tucson Hybrid

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

The Ford Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer knee airbags.

The Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid 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 FHEV and the Tucson Hybrid have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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 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 FHEV is safer than the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid:

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

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 FHEV’s warranty.

The Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid 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.

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

The Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape FHEV higher (8 out of 10) than the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid (7). This means the Escape FHEV produces up to 5.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Tucson Hybrid every 15,000 miles.

The Escape FHEV has a standard continuously variable transmission (CVT). With no “steps” between gears, it can keep the engine at the most efficient speed for fuel economy, or keep it at its peak horsepower indefinitely for maximum acceleration. The Tucson Hybrid doesn’t offer a CVT.

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

The Escape FHEV stops shorter than the Tucson Hybrid:

The Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid; it requires you to depend on roadside assistance and your vehicle will have to be towed.

The Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

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

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

The Escape FHEV can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escape FHEV can be unhitched and driven around locally. The Tucson Hybrid can’t be towed flat on the ground.

The Escape FHEV 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 Hybrid doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escape FHEV 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 Tucson Hybrid’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 FHEV’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Tucson Hybrid 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 FHEV’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 Hybrid’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

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

Insurance will cost less for the Escape FHEV owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escape FHEV will cost $155 less than the Tucson Hybrid over a five-year period.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Escape FHEV will be $49 to $2501 less than for the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Escape FHEV and the Hyundai Tucson Hybrid, based on reliability, safety and performance.