2024 Ford Escape PHEV: First Look Review

Along with the 2024 Escape Hybrid, Ford has silently released the 2024 Escape PHEV. As expected, it’s just a carryover of the facelifted model that arrived in October 2022. Last weekend, I had the opportunity to explore the design and features of a Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat-colored unit of the latest plug-in hybrid compact SUV. Here are the pictures and details:

Design

The 2024 Ford Escape PHEV is a modern crossover with a rather simple design at a time when automakers are going berserk with split headlights, full-width DRLs, illuminated logos, and whatnot. I’ll admit the octagonal front grille, the thin LED light bar, and the sweptback headlamps do help a little, but the steeply raked windshield and low beltline make it look like a lifted hatchback. As a result, the side windows look quite odd.

I feel Ford could’ve made the Escape PHEV a little more SUV-ish, with a more masculine shape, more muscular surfaces, and perhaps some more sharpness to communicate higher sophistication. In my opinion, the plug-in hybrid compact SUV lacks aggression and boldness.

Interior

Inside, the 2024 Ford Escape PHEV looks elegant but is a little too basic by today’s standards. The simple dashboard and the relatively bright trim panel on it would’ve done okay last decade, but times have changed, and after seeing its competitors with more premium materials, illuminated trim, seamlessly integrated cockpit displays, hidden AC vents, etc., this interior didn’t feel special to me.

The plastics used on the dashboard, center console, and door panels felt spartan, but the touch and feel were lifted by the squidgy plastic used in the upper part of the dashboard. There are only a few physical controls on the dashboard and center console, but they cover basics like the climate control system, sound system, parking assist, etc. When I used some of these switches, buttons, and knobs to see if they offered tactile feedback, I wasn’t let down.

Sitting in the driver’s seat, as a six-foot tall person, I felt headroom was a bit tight. Under-thigh support felt okay and reaching the steering was easy. In the back, the knee room, despite the carved-out seat backs, was a bit tight, while under-thigh support felt decent. The sloping roofline did have me worried about the headroom, which, after sitting, I realized was just sufficient. The seat offers recline, which improves comfort a little bit for a taller guy like me.

Driving impressions

The 2024 Ford Escape PHEV employs a 210-hp 2.5-liter gas engine-based plug-in hybrid system, and it has a 10.7 kWh battery pack that gives it an electric range of 37 miles (EPA rating pending). It’s a FWD-only model, with the engine transmitting the power to the wheels via an eCVT.

Given that there are no mechanical changes from the old model, the latter’s driving impressions can be applicable to it. The old model didn’t impress reviewers much, feeling slow, showing body roll, lacking grip, and missing a proper combined functioning of regenerative and frictional braking. The refinement level was also not that good, with a lot of tire noise getting into the cabin.

Price

The 2024 Ford Escape PHEV has been priced at USD 40,500 (excl. USD 1,495 destination charges).

TopElectricSUV says

The 2024 Ford Escape PHEV feels outdated compared to its rivals, feeling short on performance, driving manners, styling, and technology among others. It’s not even as if it’s substantially cheaper and makes up for those disadvantages by offering more value for money, either. In my opinion, the Toyota RAV4 Prime and Kia Sportage Plug-in Hybrid are much better options. Customers who want an extra row of seats will be much happier with the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV.

2024 Ford Escape PHEV FAQs

An automobile engineer by training, I’ve analyzed the global car market since 2005, with a keen focus on EVs since 2008. My journey in online automotive publishing spans 16 years, during which I have reviewed cutting-edge automotive technologies and interviewed leading CEOs and vehicle developers from around the world.