Compare the2023 GMC AcadiaVS 2023 Ford Escape

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Environmental Friendliness
Transmission
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
Towing
Servicing Ease
Ergonomics
Economic Advantages
Recommendations

Safety

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

For enhanced safety, the front shoulder belts of the GMC Acadia are height-adjustable, and the middle seat shoulder belts have child comfort guides to move the belt to properly fit children. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages children to buckle up. The Ford Escape has only front height-adjustable seat belts.

The Acadia has a standard front seat center airbag, which deploys between the driver and front passenger, protecting them from injuries caused by striking each other in serious side impacts. The Escape doesn’t offer front seat center airbags.

When descending a steep, off-road slope, the Acadia AT4’s standard Hill Descent Control allows you to creep down safely. The Escape doesn’t offer Hill Descent Control.

Both the Acadia and the Escape have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The GMC Acadia weighs 589 to 1227 pounds more than the Ford Escape. The NHTSA advises that heavier vehicles are much safer in collisions than their significantly lighter counterparts.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the GMC Acadia is safer than the Ford Escape:

	Acadia	Escape
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Neck Injury Risk	21%	22.5%

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, results indicate that the GMC Acadia is safer than the Ford Escape:

	Acadia	Escape
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	125	197
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Abdominal Force	156 lbs.	191 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	799 lbs.	816 lbs.

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

Warranty

The Acadia’s corrosion warranty is 1 year longer than the Escape’s (6 vs. 5 years).

Reliability

A hardened steel chain, with no maintenance needs, drives the camshafts in the Acadia’s engine. A rubber cam drive belt that needs periodic replacement drives the Escape’s camshafts. If the Escape’s belt breaks, the engine could be severely damaged when the pistons hit the opened valves.

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 Acadia’s reliability 11 points higher than the Escape.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Acadia third among upper midsize suvs in their 2022 Initial Quality Study. The Escape isn’t in the top three in its category.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2022 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that GMC vehicles are better in initial quality than Ford vehicles. J.D. Power ranks GMC above average in initial quality. With 5 more problems per 100 vehicles, Ford is rated lower.

Engine

The Acadia’s standard 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 47 more horsepower (228 vs. 181) and 68 lbs.-ft. more torque (258 vs. 190) than the Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder. The Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6 produces 60 more horsepower (310 vs. 250) than the Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

Fuel Economy and Range

Regenerative brakes improve the Acadia 2.0 Turbo’s fuel efficiency by converting inertia back into energy instead of wasting it. The Escape doesn’t offer a regenerative braking system.

The Acadia FWD’s standard fuel tank has 4.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Escape FWD’s standard fuel tank (19.4 vs. 14.8 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Acadia AWD’s standard fuel tank has 6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Escape AWD’s standard fuel tank (21.7 vs. 15.7 gallons).

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the GMC Acadia higher (6 to 7 out of 10) than the Ford Escape (5 to 7). This means the Acadia produces up to 8 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Escape every 15,000 miles.

Transmission

A nine-speed automatic is standard on the GMC Acadia, for better acceleration and lower engine speed on the highway. Only an eight-speed automatic is available for the Escape.

Brakes and Stopping

The Acadia’s standard front and rear disc brakes are vented to help dissipate heat for shorter stops with less fading. The rear discs on the Escape are solid, not vented.

The Acadia stops shorter than the Escape:

	Acadia	Escape
60 to 0 MPH	126 feet	128 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Acadia has larger standard tires than the Escape (235/65R18 vs. 225/65R17). The Acadia AT4’s tires are larger than the largest tires available on the Escape (255/65R17 vs. 225/65R17).

For better ride, handling and brake cooling the Acadia offers optional 20-inch wheels. The Escape’s largest wheels are only 19-inches.

The GMC Acadia’s wheels have 6 lugs for longer wheel bearing life, less chance of rotor warping and greater strength. The Ford Escape only has 5 wheel lugs per wheel.

The Acadia has a standard easy tire fill system. When inflating the tires, the vehicle’s integrated tire pressure sensors keep track of the pressure as the tires fill and tell the driver when the tires are inflated to the proper pressure. The Escape doesn’t offer vehicle monitored tire inflation.

Suspension and Handling

The Acadia offers an available driver-adjustable suspension system. It allows the driver to choose between an extra-supple ride, reducing fatigue on long trips, or a sport setting, which allows maximum control for tricky roads or off-road. The Escape’s suspension doesn’t offer adjustable shock absorbers.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Acadia’s wheelbase is 5.8 inches longer than on the Escape (112.5 inches vs. 106.7 inches).

For better handling and stability, the track (width between the wheels) on the Acadia is 2.1 inches wider in the front and 2.7 inches wider in the rear than on the Escape.

The Acadia Denali AWD handles at .85 G’s, while the Escape AWD pulls only .84 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Acadia SLT AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1.3 seconds quicker than the Escape (26.9 seconds @ .67 average G’s vs. 28.2 seconds @ .62 average G’s).

Chassis

The Acadia uses computer-generated active noise cancellation to help remove annoying noise and vibration from the passenger compartment, especially at low frequencies. The Escape doesn’t offer active noise cancellation.

Passenger Space

The Acadia offers optional seating for 7 passengers; the Escape can only carry 5.

The Acadia has 39.8 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Escape (143.8 vs. 104).

The Acadia has .5 inches more front hip room, 1.8 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom and 2.7 inches more rear shoulder room than the Escape.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Acadia’s middle row seats recline. The Escape’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Acadia’s cargo area provides more volume than the Escape.

	Acadia	Escape
Third Seat Folded	41.7 cubic feet	n/a
Third Seat Removed	n/a	37.5 cubic feet
Second Seat Folded	79 cubic feet	65.4 cubic feet

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

	Acadia	Escape
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	18.5”/48”/83”	n.a./37.8”/68.5”
Max Width	50”	57.3”
Min Width	42.5”	41.4”
Height	33”	34.8”

Pulling a handle automatically lowers the Acadia’s second row seats, to make changing between passengers and cargo easier. The Escape doesn’t offer automatic folding seats.

To make loading groceries and cargo easier when your hands are full, the Acadia’s liftgate can be opened and closed just by kicking your foot under the back bumper, leaving your hands completely free. The Escape doesn’t offer a hands-free gesture to open its liftgate, forcing you to put cargo down if your hands are full.

Towing

Maximum trailer towing in the Ford Escape is limited to 3500 pounds. The Acadia offers up to a 4000 lbs. towing capacity.

Servicing Ease

The Acadia uses gas struts to support the hood for easier service access. The Escape 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 Acadia’s front power windows open fully with one touch of the switches and its driver’s window also automatically closes, 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.

The Acadia’s standard outside mirrors include heating elements to clear off the mirrors for better visibility. Heated mirrors cost extra on the Escape and aren’t offered on the Escape Base.

When the Acadia with available tilt-down mirrors 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’s mirrors don’t automatically adjust for backing.

The Acadia SLT/AT4/Denali’s standard rear view mirror and optional 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 offers an automatic rear view mirror, but its side mirrors don’t dim.

Both the Acadia and the Escape offer available heated front seats. The Acadia also offers optional heated second row seats to keep those passengers extremely comfortable in the winter. Heated rear seats aren’t available in the Escape.

Optional air-conditioned seats in the Acadia (except SLE) 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 Acadia has a standard center folding armrest for the middle row passengers. A center armrest helps make middle row passengers more comfortable and it can provide a boundary between children. The Escape S doesn’t offer a rear seat center armrest.

The Acadia has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning is only available on the Escape Active/ST-Line/Platinum.

For greater rear passenger comfort, the Acadia has standard rear a/c vents to keep rear occupants more comfortable. The Escape S doesn’t offer rear vents.

The Acadia offers an optional 115-volt a/c outlet on the center console, allowing you to recharge a laptop or run small household appliances without special adapters that can break or get misplaced. The Escape doesn’t offer a house-current electrical outlet.

Economic Advantages

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Acadia is less expensive to operate than the Escape because typical repairs cost much less on the Acadia than the Escape, including $1030 less for a muffler, $28 less for a starter and $32 less for front struts.

Recommendations

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