2020 Ford Escape vs 2020 Kia Sportage – Albany, NY

The very first point of comparison you will want to consider when performing a 2020 Ford Escape vs 2020 Kia Sportage is the overall MSRP. The starting price for both models is nearly identical to one another. The 2020 Kia Sportage has an entry-level MSRP of $23,990, while the starting MSRP for the 2020 Ford Escape is $24,885. 

In terms of trim packages, the Ford Escape comes in S, SE, SEL, and a top of the line Titanium trim. All of the trim models come in either a front-wheel-drive drivetrain or an all-wheel-drive (AWD) drivetrain. Even the entry-level S trim gives you the option to select AWD.

As for the 2020 Kia Sportage, the trim package options include an LX, S, EX, and the top of the line trim is the SX Turbo. Much like the Ford, the Kia Sportage allows you to select either AWD or front-wheel-drive as the drivetrain.

The Titanium trim of the Ford Escape has a starting MSRP of $33,400 (additional options may increase the price) while the SX Turbo Kia Sportage has a starting MSRP of $34,490 (other options increase the price).

For the Ford Escape, the vehicle comes with a 1.5L EcoBoost engine that should produce 180 horsepower and 177 lb-ft of torque, official numbers are not confirmed yet. Ford has, similarly, not yet reported the expected fuel economy of the 2020 Escape. The 2019 model averaged 22 MPG in the city and 29 on the highway using a 2.5L 4-cylinder engine, so you should expect to see a significant fuel economy improvement with the 1.5L engine).

The 2020 Kia Sportage LX (entry-level) uses the 2.4L Inline 4-cylinder engine that produces 181 horsepower and 175 lb-ft of torque. This helps the vehicle net an estimated 23 mpg in the city and 30 mpg on the highway. These numbers are similar to that of the Escape's Turbo 2.0L engine. 

As for the top-tier Titanium Ford Escape, the compact SUV uses a 2.0L EcoBoost 4-cylinder engine that could produce 250 horsepower and 275 lb-ft of torque, if 2019 is an indication of this years model. The Kia Sportage SX Turbo uses a similar 2.0L Turbocharged I4 engine. However, it produces 240 horsepower and 260 lb-ft of torque. This gives the top-tier Ford Escape a bit more horsepower and torque.

One reason you may consider an SUV is an ability to not only tow but the improved cargo space over a sedan. Ford does take some of its towing hints from the larger F-150 (America's best-selling vehicle). With the 1.5L EcoBoost engine, you can tow 1,500 pounds, while the upgraded 2.0L EcoBoost allows you to tow up to 3,500 pounds. As for the 2020 Kia Sportage? It wasn't created with towing in mind and only allows you to tow just 1,653 pounds, which is far less than the Escape. So if you need to tow anything of substance, you will want to go for the Ford Escape. The Kia Sportage just can't compete in this category.

But what about cargo space? You may not tow something regularly, but with an SUV, you'll likely want to have additional room to toss in the kid's soccer gear, camping equipment, a grill for an upcoming tailgate, and all sorts of odds and ends. On the Ford Escape, you have 37.5 cubic feet of cargo room with all the seats up. If you fold down the seats and only keep the front row up, you increase this to 65.4 cubic feet of cargo room.

With regards to the Kia Sportage, you have 30.7 cubic feet of space with all the seats up, and 60.1 cubic feet of cargo space with all the seats down except the front row. Typically you will likely drive with all seats up, which means the 2020 Ford Escape gives you seven additional cubic feet of storage. 

When considering an SUV over a sedan, one of the major selling points are the safety features. As the SUV is larger and slightly higher off the ground than a sedan, you already are in a safer vehicle. However, you still need to invest in quality safety features to make sure you and your entire family are kept safe in the event of an accident.

With the entry-level 2020 Ford Escape, you receive all kinds of standard safety features. These include driver, front head, front side, passenger, and rear head airbags. It comes with ABS and disc brakes. Additionally, it comes standard with brake assist, lane-keeping assist, blind-spot monitoring, child safety locks, daytime running lights, electronic stability control, cross-traffic alert, traction control, and lane departure warning.

As for the entry-level Kia Sportage, the vehicle comes standard with a driver, front head, front side, rear head, and passenger airbags. It also has 4-wheel ABS and 4-wheel disc brakes. As for safety features, it also includes brake assist, traction control, lane departure warning, child safety locks, electronic stability control, daytime running lights, and lane-keep assist. However, you need to pay extra for cross-traffic alert and blind-spot monitoring.

Both the Titanium and the SX Turbo Sportage have the same top-tier safety features. In fact, all of the Ford Escapes have the same safety features. You never have to pay extra or upgrade to a higher-level trim package to receive all of the safety features. In this way, the Escape has made safety features standard and not an optional upgrade.

If you're going to be stuck in traffic, you might as well have some solid entertainment options. Sometimes the best way to get you through a long commute is to listen to your favorite songs or podcasts. With the entry-level Ford Escape, the vehicle comes standard with AM/FM stereo, MP3 player, smart device integration via Ford's Sync 3 infotainment system, AUX connection for hooking up your favorite audio devices with a 3.5mm headphone jack, and WiFi hotspot (data plan required). It also has an onboard hands-free communication system built-in. The entry-level Kia Sportage has an AM/FM stereo, MP3 player, AUX connection, and smart device integration. However, there is no available WiFi option, so if you hit a dead zone while driving, there's nothing you can do. 

What about the top-tier trims? What kind of entertainment and information services are built into these packages? With the Titanium Escape, it comes with all the same standard features as the entry-level model, plus HD radio, satellite radio, a premium Bang & Olufsen sound system, and a navigation system. The 2020 Kia Sportage SX Turbo has all the same features as its base trim package, plus satellite radio, premium Hardan Kardon sound system, and a navigation system.

 This means the Ford Titanium offers both HD radio and WiFi, two features that simply are not offered on the Kia. Depending on what you're looking for, you might not care as much about HD radio (especially if you listen mostly to your own music), but the lack of WiFi is a significantly absent feature on the Kia.