Ford packs 2020 Escape with 3-cylinder engine, hybrid powertrains

DETROIT — The fourth generation of Ford's popular Escape crossover arrives this fall sporting a comprehensive redesign that returns the gasoline-electric hybrid powertrain to the lineup, reduces weight by as much as 200 pounds over the outgoing model and adds a long menu of safety features.

But unlike the previous generations of the Escape, Ford's second-best selling nameplate last year, the retooled 2020 Escape enters a landscape that is now glutted with compact utilities and a new-vehicle market that is cooling after nearly a decade of strong sales.

U.S. sales of the Escape topped just over 300,000 four straight years before dropping to 272,228 in 2018, placing it No. 5 among compact crossovers.

The latest Escape's success will be even more important to Ford as the company phases out cars such as the Taurus, Focus, Fiesta and Fusion and shifts marketing efforts to crossovers, SUVs and pickups.

Ford's plan to combat the glut of competitors and weakening retail demand is to put some white space between the Escape and its rivals. That starts under the hood.

Four engines will be available in the 2020 Escape. The smallest looks to be the most interesting. It's the North American debut of Ford's 1.5-liter, three-cylinder engine that launched in 2018 across Europe. It sports the industry's only cylinder deactivation system on a three-cylinder engine.

At certain speeds and loads the engine turns off one cylinder and cruises on just two. The 1.5-liter engine is rated at 180 hp on 93 octane fuel. Lower grades of gasoline will reduce the engine's output, but Ford did not say by how much.

The Escape's second available engine is an updated version of Ford's workhorse 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder, this time cranking out 250 hp, also on 93 octane premium fuel. That's up 5 hp from the outgoing 2.0-liter engine. Using less expensive, lower octane gasoline will cause power from the 2.0-liter engine to drop, but again Ford didn't offer any details.

Both the 1.5-liter and the 2.0-liter engines are mated to an eight-speed automatic transmission. The 1.5-liter engine can be ordered with either front-wheel drive or optional disconnecting all-wheel drive; the 2.0-liter Escape comes only with the optional disconnecting all-wheel drive.

For the first time since 2012, a hybrid powertrain is back in the Escape lineup. Ford spokesman Dan Jones said the Escape Hybrid's powertrains are based on the architecture used in the Ford Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid sedan.

Two versions of the Escape Hybrid will be available: A full hybrid gasoline-electric model available in two-wheel drive or with optional disconnecting all-wheel drive. Also, Ford will offer the Escape with a plug-in gasoline-electric powertrain. The range on battery power for the Escape PHEV, Ford says, will be at least 30 miles.

Equipped with electronic continuously variable transmissions, both hybrid models allow the driver to choose between four modes:

• Auto EV lets the vehicle decide whether to run on gasoline or electric power.
• EV Now enables the vehicle to run in electric-only mode.
• EV Later gives drivers the option of choosing to switch to gasoline power and save electric-only driving range for later. Chevrolet's Volt has a similar option.
• EV Charge directs the powertrain to charge the battery pack while the vehicle is being driven so that electric only range can be used later.

The front-wheel-drive Escape Hybrid has a top speed of 85 mph on battery power, according to Ford. No word yet on EPA fuel economy ratings.

Ford says it is aiming for a range of at least 400 miles per tank on all models and trim levels of the Escape, topping out at at least 550 miles of driving range on a tank full of gasoline for the Escape Hybrid. That would be tops among compact hybrid crosssovers, but behind the Chevrolet Equinox diesel, which can go 581 miles per tank between fillups.

"Customers will spend less time at the gas station and more time on the road," said Kumar Golhotra, Ford's North American president.

From 2005 to 2012, Ford sold more than 114,000 Escape Hybrids. It was the second-best selling hybrid behind the Toyota Prius. Ford lost momentum with the Escape Hybrid's successor, the Ford C-Max, which has since been canceled.

All Escapes let the driver change the driving mode to suit terrain, weather and driving preference. The menu includes normal, eco, sport, slippery, snow and sand modes. Another standard safety feature is Ford Co-Pilot 360, which includes lane centering and adaptive cruise control that will bring the Escape to a complete stop.

The options list includes head-up display, the first time that has been offered in a Ford-brand vehicle in North America. Driving data is projected onto the windshield on a 6-inch screen, so the driver doesn't have to look away from the road.

Other optional safety features foreshadow some of the technologies that will eventually roll out in self-driving cars. The second generation of Ford's Active Park Assist automatically parallel parks the Escape, while Evasive Steering Assist detects a slower moving or parked vehicle and, to avoid a collision, helps the driver steer around it.

The second row of seats in non-hybrid models slide, a feature that increases legroom. Pushed fully forward, the second-row seats clear a space that lets the Escape's rear cargo area hold 37.5 cubic feet of cargo, or about four sets of golf clubs. The 2020 Escape has slightly more head, shoulder and hip room, Ford says.

Wireless charging is available, as is an 8-inch touch screen on SE and higher trim levels. Also on the options list is a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, showing vehicle speed, fuel and other information.

The latest Escape borrows some of its styling cues from other vehicles in the Ford stable. The trapezoidal grille will be familiar looking to Mustang fans, while the lower portion of the front fascia has details cribbed from the GT supercar.

The vehicle is lower, wider and longer. The height shrinks from 66.3 inches to 66.1, width grows from 74.1 inches to 75.0, wheelbase increases from 105.9 to 106.7, while length grows from 178.1 inches to 180.5. Engineers were able to reduce the curb weight — even while increasing content — by as much as 200 pounds by using ultra-high strength steel.

Fuel economy and pricing information will be released this summer.