Compare the2023 Ford Escape FHEVVS 2023 Toyota Venza

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 Toyota Venza doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

Both the Escape FHEV and the Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 Toyota Venza:

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 FHEV is safer than the Toyota Venza:

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

There are over 2 times as many Ford dealers as there are Toyota 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 Venza 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 Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

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

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 Venza 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 Toyota Venza (7). This means the Escape FHEV produces up to 5.5 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Venza every 15,000 miles.

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

The Escape FHEV stops shorter than the Venza:

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 Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Ford Escape FHEV may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Toyota Venza.

The Escape FHEV is 6.5 inches shorter than the Venza, making the Escape FHEV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Escape FHEV has 3.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Venza (102.2 vs. 98.3).

The Escape FHEV has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom and 8.1 inches more rear hip room than the Venza.

The Escape FHEV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Venza with its rear seat up (34.4 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The Escape FHEV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Venza with its rear seat folded (60.8 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

The Escape FHEV’s cargo area is larger than the Venza’s in almost every dimension:

The Escape FHEV has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The Venza has no towing capacity.

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 Venza can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escape FHEV uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The Venza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Escape FHEV offers a remote vehicle starting system, so the vehicle can be started from inside the driver's house. This allows the driver to comfortably warm up the engine before going out to the vehicle. The climate system will also automatically heat or cool the interior. The Venza doesn’t offer a remote starting system.

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 Venza doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

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

The Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum’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 Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

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

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Escape FHEV and the Toyota Venza, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Escape outsold the Toyota Venza by over four to one during 2022.