The updated 2023 Ford Escape gets a glow-up, as well as a huge array of trims, packages and options.
Pricing for the revamped lineup ranges from $28,995 for the base model to $39,995 for the plug-in hybrid, including a $1,495 destination charge. The current-gen Escape has only been on sale for a couple years, so the major styling change is coming in at the front. To my eye, Ford made this facelifted model a bit more Edge-y (if you like the Edge’s styling, that’s a good thing). There’s more advanced tech on tap, too, like the automaker’s updated Sync 4 infotainment system.
Where the 2023 Ford Escape shines against some rivals that are paring down their lineups, though, is on price and choice. That sub-$30,000 price tag is getting rarer in today’s market. You do get 17-inch steel wheels, cloth upholstery and manual climate control, but you also get an 8-inch touchscreen with the Blue Oval’s latest Sync 4 infotainment system. That base price is for the front-wheel drive model — adding all-wheel drive costs an extra $1,500, bringing the base Escape’s price up to $30,495.
For some context, the base 2022 Ford Escape rang in at $28,680, so this one’s $315 more to start.
Depending on where your budget’s at, you can shop a fair bit up and down the range.
Ford is doing a fair bit of trim shuffling, dropping their old-style names like SE, SEL and Titanium for new options. Those include the Active, taking point just above the base model, as well as the sportier ST-Line and the more luxurious Platinum:
- Base Escape: $28,995
- Active: $30,340
- ST-Line: $31,335
- ST-Line Select: $35,535
- Platinum: $38,960
- ST-Line Elite: $39,955
- Plug-in Hybrid: $39,995
The facelifted 2023 Ford Escape will give three familiar powertrain options once you hit the Build & Price site. The lower-end models only get a 1.5-liter EcoBoost three-cylinder engine — you don’t get a choice in the matter. ST-Line Select and ST-Line Elite models get a larger, more potent 2.0-liter EcoBoost engine putting out 250 horsepower. Those trims and the Platinum model also get the option of a 2.5-liter Atkinson cycle engine-backed hybrid system. Once you get to the PHEV end, as the name makes clear, the Hybrid engine with a larger battery for longer electric-only driving capability is standard fare.
Ford still builds the Escape at its Louisville, Kentucky assembly plant, alongside the similarly revised 2023 Lincoln Corsair. If you’re interested in the Ford Escape, the 2023 models should hit showrooms early next year.