Compare the2025 Ford EscapeVS 2024 Volkswagen Tiguan

Safety
Warranty
Reliability
Engine
Fuel Economy and Range
Brakes and Stopping
Tires and Wheels
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 Volkswagen Tiguan doesn’t offer pretensioners for its second-row seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Escape are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

The Ford Escape has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Tiguan doesn’t offer knee airbags.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Escape and the Tiguan have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact 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, post-collision automatic braking systems, 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 Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Escape	Tiguan
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	143	260
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	37%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	417 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	80 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	408/641 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	102	198
Chest Compression	.5 inches	.7 inches
Neck Injury Risk	36.3%	37%
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	261 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	62 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	220/169 lbs.	428/471 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 Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Escape	Tiguan
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	240 lbs.	337 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	156
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	44 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	12 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	49 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	855 lbs.

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

Warranty

Ford’s powertrain warranty covers the Escape 1 year and 10,000 miles longer than Volkswagen covers the Tiguan. Any repair needed on the engine, transmission, axles, joints or driveshafts is fully covered for 5 years or 60,000 miles. Coverage on the Tiguan ends after only 4 years or 50,000 miles.

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

There are over 4 times as many Ford dealers as there are Volkswagen 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 Tiguan 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 Volkswagen vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 62 more problems per 100 vehicles, Volkswagen is rated below average.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 survey of the owners of three-year-old vehicles provides the long-term dependability statistics that show that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen With 28 fewer problems per 100 vehicles in the first three years of ownership, J.D. Power ranks Ford higher than Volkswagen.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ January 2024 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than Volkswagen vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 5 places higher in reliability than Volkswagen.

Engine

The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 66 more horsepower (250 vs. 184) and 59 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 221) than the Tiguan’s 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Ford Escape is faster than the Volkswagen Tiguan:

	Escape turbo 3 cyl.	Escape turbo 4 cyl.	Tiguan
Zero to 60 MPH	7.7 sec	5.8 sec	9.1 sec
Zero to 100 MPH	23.5 sec	15.2 sec	25.9 sec
5 to 60 MPH Rolling Start	8.3 sec	6.8 sec	9.7 sec
Quarter Mile	15.9 sec	14.4 sec	16.9 sec
Speed in 1/4 Mile	87 MPH	97 MPH	83 MPH

Fuel Economy and Range

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

			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
Tiguan
	FWD	S 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	24 city/31 hwy
		2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	23 city/30 hwy
	AWD	2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy
		R-Line 2.0 turbo 4-cyl.	22 city/29 hwy

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escape 1.5 Turbo’s fuel efficiency. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Escape 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 Tiguan doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

Brakes and Stopping

The Escape stops much shorter than the Tiguan:

	Escape	Tiguan
70 to 0 MPH	161 feet	183 feet	Car and Driver
60 to 0 MPH	121 feet	134 feet	Motor Trend

Tires and Wheels

For better traction, the Escape has larger tires than the Tiguan (225/65R17 vs. 215/65R17).

Suspension and Handling

The Escape has standard front and rear gas-charged shocks for better control over choppy roads. The Tiguan’s suspension doesn’t offer gas-charged shocks.

The Escape AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Tiguan 4Motion® pulls only .82 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

The Escape ST-Line Elite AWD executes Motor Trend’s “Figure Eight” maneuver 1 seconds quicker than the Tiguan 4Motion® (27.3 seconds @ .63 average G’s vs. 28.3 seconds @ .58 average G’s).

For better maneuverability, the Escape’s turning circle is .9 feet tighter than the Tiguan’s (37.2 feet vs. 38.1 feet).

Chassis

The Ford Escape may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 400 to 450 pounds less than the Volkswagen Tiguan.

The Escape is 6 inches shorter than the Tiguan, making the Escape easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The front grille of the Escape uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Tiguan doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

Passenger Space

The Escape has .4 inches more front headroom, 2.2 inches more front legroom, .7 inches more front hip room, .6 inches more front shoulder room, .4 inches more rear headroom, 2 inches more rear legroom and .2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Tiguan.

Cargo Capacity

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume than the Tiguan with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 12 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 Tiguan’s liftover is 29.4 inches.

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

	Escape	Tiguan
Length to seat (3rd/2nd/1st)	37.8”/68.5”	17.2”/39.7”/74.5”
Max Width	57.3”	55”
Min Width	41.4”	39.8”
Height	34.8”	33.5”

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

Towing

The Escape’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Tiguan’s (2000 vs. 1500 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the Volkswagen Tiguan is only 1500 pounds. The Escape offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

Ergonomics

The Escape’s optional Easy Entry and Exit glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Tiguan doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

The Escape Elite/Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Tiguan doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Tiguan doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its Car-Net can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Escape has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Tiguan only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

The Escape 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 Tiguan SE/SEL.

Compared to the Volkswagen Tiguan, the Ford Escape Elite/Platinum eliminates the need for separate garage door openers and associated risks of losing, breaking, or having dead batteries with its standard integrated Homelink® universal remote controlled from the driver’s visor.

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 Tiguan SEL R-Line’s automatic parking system requires operating the brakes and transmission to safely park.

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 Tiguan is rated higher at a number “10” rate.

The Escape will cost the buyer less in the long run because of its superior resale value. The IntelliChoice estimates that the Escape will retain 51.82% to 53.93% of its original price after five years, while the Tiguan only retains 48.29% to 50.45%.

According to The Car Book by Jack Gillis, the Escape is less expensive to operate than the Tiguan because it costs $300 less to do the manufacturer’s suggested maintenance for 50,000 miles. Typical repairs cost much less on the Escape than the Tiguan, including $390 less for a water pump, $282 less for a starter, $229 less for fuel injection, $178 less for a fuel pump and $211 less for front struts.

IntelliChoice estimates that five-year ownership costs (depreciation, financing, insurance, fuel, fees, repairs and maintenance) for the Ford Escape will be $591 to $1869 less than for the Volkswagen Tiguan.

Recommendations

The Ford Escape outsold the Volkswagen Tiguan by 85% during 2023.