Compare the2023 Volkswagen TaosVS 2023 Ford Escape

Using vehicle speed sensors and seat sensors, smart airbags in the Taos deploy with different levels of force or don’t deploy at all to help better protect passengers of all sizes in different collisions. The Taos’ side airbags will shut off if a child is leaning against the door. The Escape’s side airbags don’t have smart features and will always deploy full force.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Taos’ standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Escape doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Taos and the Escape have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front 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, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive, lane departure warning systems and rear parking sensors.

The Taos comes with a full 4-year/50,000-mile basic warranty, which covers the entire truck. The Escape’s 3-year/36,000-mile basic warranty expires 1 year or 14,000 miles sooner.

The Taos’ corrosion warranty is 2 years longer than the Escape’s (7 vs. 5 years).

Volkswagen pays for scheduled maintenance on the Taos for 2 years and 20,000 miles. Volkswagen will pay for oil changes, lubrication and any other required maintenance. Ford doesn’t pay scheduled maintenance for the Escape.

As tested in Car and Driver the Volkswagen Taos is faster than the Ford Escape turbo 3 cyl.:

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

To lower fuel costs and make buying fuel easier, the Volkswagen Taos uses regular unleaded gasoline. The Escape with the 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder engine requires premium for maximum efficiency, which can cost 20 to 55 cents more per gallon.

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Volkswagen Taos higher (7 out of 10) than the Ford Escape (5 to 7). This means the Taos produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Escape every 15,000 miles.

The Taos offers a standard sequential manual gearbox (SMG). With no clutch pedal to worry about and a fully automatic mode, an SMG is much more efficient than a conventional automatic but just as easy to drive. The Escape doesn’t offer an SMG or a conventional manual transmission.

The Taos stops shorter than the Escape:

The Taos 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’s standard 65 series tires. The Taos SEL 4Motion’s tires have a lower 45 series profile than the Escape’s optional 55 series tires.

The Taos SEL handles at .80 G’s, while the Escape AWD pulls only .76 G’s of cornering force in a Motor Trend skidpad test.

The Taos is 4.3 inches shorter than the Escape, making the Taos easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Taos has .7 inches more front headroom and .5 inches more rear headroom than the Escape.

The Taos has a larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Escape with its rear seat folded (65.9 vs. 65.4 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Taos easier. The Taos’ cargo hatch lift-over height is 27 inches, while the Escape’s liftover is 28.1 inches.

The Taos’ 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’s standard power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

On a hot day the Taos’ driver can lower all the windows from a distance using the keyless remote. The driver of the Escape can only operate the windows from inside the vehicle, with the ignition on.

The Taos has a standard locking fuel door with a remote release located convenient to the driver. A locking fuel door helps prevent fuel theft and vandalism, such as sugar in the tank. The Escape doesn’t offer a locking fuel door.

Heated windshield washer nozzles are optional on the Taos to prevent washer fluid and nozzles from freezing and help continue to keep the windshield clear in sub-freezing temperatures. The Escape doesn’t offer heated windshield washer nozzles.

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 Taos’ available headlights were rated “Good” by the IIHS, while the Escape’s headlights are rated “Acceptable” to “Marginal.”

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

Standard air-conditioned seats in the Taos SEL keep the driver and front passenger comfortable and take the sting out of hot seats in Summer. The Escape doesn’t offer air-conditioned seats.

The Taos has a standard center folding armrest for the rear passengers. A center armrest helps make rear passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Escape S doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Taos has available rear heat vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Escape S doesn’t offer rear vents.