2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid vs. 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid

2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid ・ Photo by Brady Holt

When hybrids were new, state-of-the-art technology, three automakers were its pioneers. Everyone thinks of Toyota, whose Prius became a household name. But Honda and Ford were also early players in the gas-electric game. And this year, they’ve both introduced new competitors to the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid compact crossover. That’s the best-selling hybrid in America, and the compact crossover class is the hottest in the country.

The new 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid and 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid follow a similar formula to the RAV4 Hybrid: An electric motor joins a gasoline engine to reduce fuel usage. But the CR-V and Escape hybrids have some key differences. Based on our experience driving both these gas-electric small SUVs, we’ll discuss how the two models compare — and which one is the better choice overall.

Exterior Design

The Escape and CR-V hybrids look nearly identical to their respective gas-only counterparts, but Ford and Honda took different design approaches. The Escape has car-like design cues with soft curves and few flashy design flourishes, helping make up for the fact that Ford has discontinued its sedans and hatchbacks. Ford expects buyers who like a tougher look to pick the upcoming Escape-based Ford Bronco Sport; the Toyota RAV4 Hybrid is also styled more like a traditional SUV.

The CR-V Hybrid isn’t a tough-looking vehicle either, but although its exterior dimensions are nearly identical to the Escape Hybrid’s, it looks taller and boxier. Honda also provides more crisp lines and squared-off edges, rather than the Ford’s gentler details. We won’t choose for you.

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Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Design

Neither the Escape nor the CR-V has a flawless interior. The newly redesigned Escape Hybrid has an attractive, contemporary dashboard design with an 8-inch touchscreen and a digitally rendered gauge cluster. The controls are easy to use, and the interior design splits the difference nicely between a car and a truck. However, some interior materials — especially on the door panels — look and feel especially cheap, and it has a little less storage space in its center console than the CR-V.

The CR-V Hybrid, meanwhile, shares most of its interior design with the gas-only CR-V generation that debuted in 2017. That includes its 7-inch infotainment touchscreen, which is small, responds slowly, and has a cumbersome interface. (The CR-V’s base LX model includes an old-fashioned 5-inch screen without advanced smartphone integration, but with easier-to-use controls.) The CR-V’s cabin looks a little fancier than the Escape’s, but it too has some lower-quality areas and looks a little dated compared to the new Ford.

Ford Escape Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt

Interior Comfort

Although it’s a compact crossover, the CR-V Hybrid provides the spacious interior of a mid-size model. You stretch out and enjoy its thickly padded front and rear seats, and its driver’s seat provides 12-way power adjustments on all but the base trim level.

The Escape Hybrid is comfortable, too, just less so. It feels like Ford tried to carve every inch of space out of a small vehicle, while the CR-V feels more naturally spacious. The Escape’s thinner seats are less comfortable, and although its rear seat adjusts fore-aft — so you can choose to prioritize rear legroom or cargo — the Escape has less room than the CR-V even when it’s all the way back.

Honda CR-V Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt

Cargo Volume

Both the CR-V Hybrid and the Escape Hybrid give up a bit of cargo room to fit their electric batteries. But as with their gas-only siblings, the CR-V Hybrid comes out on top. It has 33.2 cubic feet of cargo space behind its rear seat, and 68.7 cubic feet with the rear seat folded down.

The Escape Hybrid’s luggage capacity varies by how you position the rear seat. If you slide it all the way forward, robbing rear legroom, it edges out the Honda with 34.4 cubic feet. But if anyone is riding in the backseat, they’ll likely want to slide back the rear seat, cutting cargo volume to 30.7 cubic feet. Total cargo space with the rear seat folded measures 60.8 cubic feet.

Honda CR-V Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt

Fuel Economy

The Ford Escape Hybrid gets EPA-estimated fuel economy of 43 mpg in the city, 37 mpg on the highway, and 41 mpg overall with front-wheel drive, and 43 mpg city/37 mpg highway/40 mpg overall with all-wheel drive. Our AWD test vehicle beat the EPA rating, averaging about 42 mpg.

The Honda CR-V Hybrid falls short of these figures, but it gets a still-impressive 40 mpg city, 35 mpg highway, and 38 mpg combined, with AWD standard. In our hands, the CR-V saw its mileage fall faster than the Ford’s on the highway, and we only matched the EPA estimate of 38 mpg overall during our weeklong test. Both SUVs let you accelerate gently or coast with the gasoline engine switched off, burning no gasoline at all. One handy CR-V Hybrid feature lets you manually lock in all-electric driving for short distances, but it wasn’t enough to boost our efficiency to the Escape’s level.

Ford Escape Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt

Driving Experience

The Escape Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid both drive well for compact crossovers. By the numbers, the Ford looks like it would be the winner: It’s smaller and lighter, and it has more horsepower. But in the real world, we’ll give a slim edge to the Honda.

The CR-V uses its extra weight to feel more solid and substantial than the Ford, while still offering similarly agile handling. The two SUVs offer similarly quick acceleration, and both transition impressively from all-electric to gasoline operation. They don’t groan like some hybrids when their gas engines are forced to wake up and help accelerate. Both SUVs do have too much highway road noise. Overall, the CR-V feels more expensive than the Escape, yet no less fun to drive.

Honda CR-V Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt

Safety

The Escape Hybrid and CR-V Hybrid both have strong safety records. Both come standard with a forward-collision warning, automatic emergency braking, and lane-keeping steering corrections. In crash tests and accident-avoidance evaluations, both were named Top Safety Picks by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, and both earned five stars overall from the National Highway Traffic Safety Institute.

There are some subtle differences. The IIHS rated the CR-V Hybrid’s headlights better than the Escape Hybrid’s until you choose the Ford’s top Titanium trim level, and also judged the Honda superior at automatically braking to mitigate a collision with a pedestrian. Meanwhile, the Ford scored slightly higher in its NHTSA frontal-impact crash test. We’ll call this one a tie overall.

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Photo by Brady Holt

Models and Pricing

The 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid starts at $27,850 for its base LX model, while the 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid starts at $28,265 for its base SE Sport trim level. What’s more, the Honda includes all-wheel drive as standard equipment, while the Ford charges another $1,500.

There are other factors to consider, though. The Escape Hybrid SE Sport AWD is equipped similarly to the CR-V Hybrid EX, which costs $30,360 — versus $29,765 for the Ford. Meanwhile, the Escape Hybrid is offered in just one other trim level: the top Titanium, starting at $33,550. The CR-V Hybrid has a range of four models. For its lower starting price and wider range of trim levels, the Honda wins this category, though we encourage you to check each SUV’s prices when equipped with the features you personally want.

Honda CR-V Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt

Final Thoughts

The 2020 Ford Escape Hybrid makes a powerful bid for our attention. It gets better gas mileage and has a more modern-looking, high-tech interior — two of the first things we look to in a hybrid — than the 2020 Honda CR-V Hybrid.

But the CR-V is the better-rounded vehicle overall. It can cost less (depending on the features you want), yet it feels more expensive and has more passenger and cargo space. We do wish its infotainment technology were as advanced as its powertrain. And we wouldn’t recommend it if you mostly drive on the open highway, where its fuel-saving technology has a minimal advantage over a standard gasoline engine. Still, it’s our pick over the Escape Hybrid.

Honda CR-V Hybrid

Photo by Brady Holt