Compare the2025 Ford EscapeVS 2024 Cadillac XT4

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Suspension and Handling
Chassis
Passenger Space
Cargo Capacity
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 Cadillac XT4 doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear 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 XT4 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.

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 XT4 doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Escape and the XT4 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 Cadillac XT4:

	Escape	XT4
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	143	190
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	28%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	218 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	43 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	350
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	77 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 Cadillac XT4:

	Escape	XT4
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	240 lbs.	328 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	169
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	51 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	13 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	35 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	522 lbs.

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

Warranty

There are over 5 times as many Ford dealers as there are Cadillac 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 XT4 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’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Cadillac vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 35 more problems per 100 vehicles, Cadillac is rated below average.

Engine

The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 15 more horsepower (250 vs. 235) and 22 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 258) than the XT4’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Ford Escape is faster than the Cadillac XT4:

	Escape turbo 3 cyl.	Escape turbo 4 cyl.	XT4
Zero to 30 MPH	2.5 sec	1.9 sec	2.7 sec
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	5.8 sec	7.8 sec
Passing 30 to 50 MPH	4.1 sec	3.3 sec	4.2 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	14.4 sec	16.1 sec

Fuel Economy and Range

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the XT4:

			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
XT4
	FWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/29 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/28 hwy

Brakes and Stopping

The Escape stops much shorter than the XT4:

	Escape	XT4
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	172 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	126 feet	Motor Trend
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	137 feet	141 feet	Consumer Reports

Suspension and Handling

The Escape AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the XT4 Sport AWD pulls only .86 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Escape’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the XT4’s (37.2 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escape has a greater minimum ground clearance than the XT4 (7.3 vs. 6.7 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 350 to 400 pounds less than the Cadillac XT4.

Passenger Space

The Escape has 2.7 cubic feet more passenger volume than the XT4 (104 vs. 101.3).

The Escape has .6 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, 1 inch more rear headroom, 1.2 inches more rear legroom, 3.5 inches more rear hip room and .9 inches more rear shoulder room than the XT4.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Escape’s rear seats recline. The XT4’s rear seats don’t recline.

Cargo Capacity

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the XT4 with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 22.5 cubic feet). The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the XT4 with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 48.9 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 XT4’s liftover is 30.5 inches.

The Escape’s cargo area is larger than the XT4’s in every dimension:

	Escape	XT4
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	37.8”/68.5”	37.5”/67.4”
Max Width	57.3”	50”
Min Width	41.4”	38.7”
Height	34.8”	26.6”

Ergonomics

The Escape Select/Elite/Platinum’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The XT4’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to 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’s available exterior PIN entry system. The XT4 doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

Economic Advantages

Insurance will cost less for the Escape owner. The Car Book by Jack Gillis rates the Escape with a number “5” insurance rate while the XT4 is rated higher at a number “8” rate.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the XT4 because it costs $500 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Escape than the XT4, including $220 less for a water pump, $24 less for front brake pads, $245 less for fuel injection and $49 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 $5415 to $9346 less than for the Cadillac XT4.

Recommendations

The Ford Escape outsold the Cadillac XT4 by over six to one during 2023.