Compare the2024 Ford EscapeVS 2023 GMC Acadia

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

Safety

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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 GMC Acadia doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

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 Acadia 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.

Over 200 people are killed each year when backed over by motor vehicles. The Escape offers an optional Reverse Brake Assist that uses rear sensors to monitor for objects to the rear and automatically applies the brakes to prevent a collision. The Acadia doesn’t offer backup collision prevention brakes.

Both the Escape and Acadia have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Escape has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Acadia’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

The Escape’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Acadia doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Escape and the Acadia have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee 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, 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 GMC Acadia:

	Escape	Acadia
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	143	285
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	191 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	29 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	129/383 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	319
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.6 inches
Neck Injury Risk	36.3%	43%
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	203 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	99 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 GMC Acadia:

	Escape	Acadia
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Chest Movement	.9 inches	.9 inches
Hip Force	240 lbs.	243 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	276
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	51 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	14 inches
HIC	344	381
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	36 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	760 lbs.

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

For its top level performance in IIHS driver and passenger-side small overlap frontal, moderate overlap frontal, side impact, roof strength and head restraint tests, its standard vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system, its standard vehicle-to-pedestrian front crash prevention system, and its available headlight’s “Acceptable” rating, the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety grants the Escape the rating of “Top Safety Pick” for 2022, a rating granted to only 163 vehicles tested by the IIHS. The Acadia last would have qualified as a “Top Safety Pick” in 2017.

Warranty

The Escape’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Acadia’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 79 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC 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 Acadia 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 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in long-term dependability. With 4 more problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, GMC is rated lower.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 2 places higher in reliability than GMC.

Engine

The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 9 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 271) than the Acadia’s optional 3.6 DOHC V6.

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			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
Acadia
	FWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/27 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
	AWD	3.6 DOHC V6	19 city/26 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/27 hwy

Environmental Friendliness

In its Green Vehicle Guide, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) rates the Ford Escape higher (7 out of 10) than the GMC Acadia (6 to 7). This means the Escape produces up to 1.1 pounds less smog-producing pollutants than the Acadia every 15,000 miles.

Brakes and Stopping

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

	Escape	Acadia
Front Rotors	13 inches	12.6 inches

The Escape stops much shorter than the Acadia:

	Escape	Acadia
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	173 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend

Suspension and Handling

The Escape AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Acadia Denali AWD pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Escape’s turning circle is 1.5 feet tighter than the Acadia’s (37.2 feet vs. 38.7 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escape has a greater minimum ground clearance than the Acadia (7.3 vs. 7.2 inches), allowing the Escape to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

Chassis

The Ford Escape may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 850 to 1000 pounds less than the GMC Acadia.

The Escape is 1 foot, 1.3 inches shorter than the Acadia, making the Escape easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

Passenger Space

The Escape has 1.4 inches more front legroom and 1 inch more rear legroom than the Acadia.

Cargo Capacity

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume than the Acadia with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 12.8 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Escape easier. The Escape’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.1 inches, while the Acadia’s liftover is 32 inches.

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

Towing

The Escape’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Acadia’s (2000 vs. 1000 pounds).

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escape 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 Acadia doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

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 Acadia’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to open them fully. Only its driver’s window opens automatically.

The Escape Elite/Platinum’s standard wipers adjust their speed and turn on and off automatically according to the amount of rainfall on the windshield. The Acadia’s intermittent wipers change speed with vehicle speed, but can’t turn on and off or change speed based on changing rainfall.

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

The Escape 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 Acadia doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Escape owner. The Complete Car Cost Guide estimates that insurance for the Escape will cost $305 less than the Acadia over a five-year period.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the Acadia because it costs $454 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Escape than the Acadia, including $168 less for a water pump, $104 less for front brake pads, $118 less for fuel injection, $141 less for a fuel pump, $88 less for a timing belt/chain and $382 less for a power steering pump.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Escape will be $8123 to $10039 less than for the GMC Acadia.

Recommendations

The Ford Escape outsold the GMC Acadia by almost three to one during 2022.