Compact and midsized SUVs continue to be all the rage for U.S. car buyers. In 2023, Ford offers two excellent four-door options in this segment: the midsized Ford Edge and the compact Ford Escape. Depending on your family’s lifestyle and needs, the roomier Ford Edge with its enhanced interior technology features might be the SUV you’re looking for. But if fuel efficiency is a high priority, then the hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain options on the 2023 Ford Escape might be in line with your needs.
For more information about similarities and differences between the 2023 Ford Edge and the 2023 Ford Escape, our team at Gengras Ford has provided an overview of their exterior, interior, performance, and safety features below.
2023 Ford Edge Exterior Features
The 2023 Ford Edge is a midsized, four-door SUV available in five trim levels: the SE, SEL, ST-Line, Titanium, and ST. The 2023 Ford Edge also has two available exterior appearance packages. The Sport Appearance package comes with 18-inch carbonized gray-painted aluminum wheels, black beltline molding, and more aggressively styled exterior black accents. The SE Black Appearance package comes is exclusive to the base SE trim and comes with 19-inch high-gloss black-painted aluminum wheels, a body-color front and rear bumper, and black exterior accents.
2023 Ford Edge Interior Features
Inside the 2023 Ford Edge, you’ll find a roomy and well-equipped interior. This midsized SUV offers seating for up to five passengers and a generous 39 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the rear seats. When the second row 60/40-split, fold-flat bench seats are lowered, the Edge boasts 73.4 cubic feet of cargo space, plenty of room for luggage, sports equipment, and loads of shopping bags.
You’ll also enjoy plenty of comfort and technology features. For comfort, all 2023 Ford Edge SUVs come standard with dual-zone electronic automatic temperature control and reclining front bucket seats. Upgrading trim levels comes with either ActiveX seating material or leather-trimmed seats and available heated front seats. Standard technology includes a massive 12-inch multi-function screen equipped with the SYNC 4A infotainment system, a FordPass Connect 4G LTE Wi-Fi hotspot, and a USB media hub.
2023 Ford Edge Performance and Safety
The 2023 Ford Edge offers two powertrain options. All trims but the ST come standard with a twin-scroll 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine that outputs a respectable 250 horsepower and 280 pound-feet of torque. This engine earned an EPA-estimated 21/28 city/highway mpg and is paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. The ST trim rocks a 2.7-liter V-6 EcoBoost engine under its hood, which is paired with a seven-speed automatic transmission. It produces 335 horsepower and 380 pound-feet of torque and earned a 19/25 city/highway mpg rating from the EPA. All trim levels come standard with Ford’s Intelligent All-Wheel Drive.
For safety, the 2023 Ford Edge is equipped with plenty of standard driver assistance technologies. These include the Ford Co-Pilot360 technology that comes with an SOS post-crash alert system, a rearview camera, automatic high-beam headlamps, a blind-spot information system with cross-traffic alert, lane-keeping system, and pre-collision assist with automatic emergency braking. The 2023 Ford Edge is also equipped with a SecuriLock passive anti-theft system.
2023 Ford Escape Exterior Features
The 2023 Ford Escape is a four-door SUV that is slightly smaller than the Ford Edge and comes in seven trim levels: Base, Active, ST-Line, ST-Line Select, ST-Line Elite, Platinum, and Plug-in Hybrid. Standard exterior features include LED signature lighting and dual chrome exhaust tips. Higher-level trims include exterior amenities like a power liftgate, rain-sensing windshield wipers, roof-rack side rails, and upgraded wheel options. You’ll also enjoy LED fog lamps and headlamps with a coast-to-coast lightbar on ST-Line Elite and higher trims.
2023 Ford Escape Interior Features
The 2023 Ford Escape is a five-seater SUV that offers slightly less interior cargo room than the 2023 Ford Edge. There are 34 cubic feet of cargo volume behind the 60/40-split, fold-flat sliding rear seats. When the back row is folded down, though, that volume nearly doubles to 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space. For upholstery options, depending on the trim selected, you can choose between cloth, partial vinyl and cloth, and leather-trimmed seating.
The multimedia touchscreen is also slightly smaller on the 2023 Ford Escape than it is on the Ford Edge. Base models include an 8-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen loaded with SYNC4. It also has Apple CarPlay and Android Auto compatibility and a FordPass Connect with 4G LTE Wi-Fi hot spot. Upgraded trim levels come with a larger, 13.2-inch LCD capacitive touchscreen, built-in navigation with three years of service, and a Bang & Olufsen sound system by Bang with 10 speakers including a subwoofer.
2023 Ford Escape Performance and Safety Features
The 2023 Ford Escape offers more engine options than the Ford Edge, including a hybrid and plug-in hybrid option. Unlike the Ford Edge, though, the Ford Escape offers all-wheel drive as an available option instead of a standard configuration. On the traditional gas-powered SUVs, you can select between a 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine and a 2.0-liter Crowboot engine with direct injection and turbocharging. The 1.5-liter engine has the best non-hybrid fuel efficiency at an EPA-estimated 30 combined mpg, while the 2.0-liter turbocharged engine paired with all-wheel drive achieves a 26 combined mpg rating.
The 2023 Ford Escape also has a hybrid and plug-in hybrid powertrain option. These models come with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and two electric motors that combine to produce 210 horsepower. They also achieve the highest fuel efficiency rating. Both the front-wheel-drive and the all-wheel-drive hybrid engines have attained a 39 combined mpg rating from the EPA.
The 2023 Ford Escape is equipped with the same standard safety features as the Ford Edge. Higher trim levels offer advanced safety features such as rear parking sensors and Active Park Assist 2.0, a 360-degree camera with split view, and intelligent adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go, lane centering, and speed sign recognition.