Starting at
Starting at
| 181-250 | Horsepower (hp) | 203 |
| 190-280 | Torque (lb-ft) | 184 |
| 3,500 | Max Towing (lbs) | 3,500 |
Performance-driven economical convenience versus off-road aggression; that's how to best sum up the comparison between the 2022 Ford Escape vs 2022 Toyota RAV4. The two compact SUVs offer minor updates for the 2022 model year but retain a lot of what shoppers have desired from the segment, from excellent safety and handling to comfort and infotainment features galore. But the question isn't a matter of which one has the most features, but rather, which one is right for you?
New for 2022, the Ford Escape offers three brand new colors to the line-up, including the Atlas Blue Metallic, Flight Blue Metallic, and Ice Blue. With more shades of blue available, those who have a penchant for the color have a lot more options to explore with the 2022 model year. The Toyota RAV4 keeps its model year updates modest, with a new Calvary Blue color in a two-tone scheme that's accompanied by a black roof. LED fog lamps have also been added to select RAV4 trims for the 2022 model year, along with the availability of an 8-way power front passenger seat.
Both the Ford Escape and Toyota RAV4 are available across multiple trims. You can find the Escape and RAV4 offering different pricing and features for customers looking for something specific out of their compact SUV. For the Escape, it starts with the S base trim, followed by the SE, the SEL, and finally the upper-end Titanium trim. For the RAV4, it starts off with the LE trim, followed by the XLE, the XLE Premium, the Adventure, the TRD Off-Road, and finally, the Limited.
The performance aspects of both the 2022 Ford Escape and 2022 Toyota RAV4 are interesting, to say the least. Both might be compact SUVs, but they go about their segment duty in very distinct and individual ways. As mentioned, the Ford Escape is a sporty, economical SUV. The Toyota RAV4 takes after some of its truck siblings and focuses more on off-road capabilities and designations. However, you don't get the powertrain options with the RAV4 that you get with the Escape.
The Escape comes equipped with a base 1.5-liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline 3-cylinder that outputs 181 horsepower with a 190 pound-feet of torque. The Escape also has a 2.0-liter EcoBoost turbocharged inline 4-cylinder that manages 250 horsepower at 280 pound-feet of torque. You can pair the 2.0-liter EcoBoost with the SEL or Titanium trim in front or all-wheel drive. Both engines are also coupled with an automatic 8-speed transmission.
The Toyota RAV4 has only one engine for its entire trim line-up. It's a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder that produces 203 horsepower and 184 pound-feet of torque. Much like the Escape, the RAV4 also has an 8-speed automatic transmission. The RAV4 also employs features like the dynamic torque control, which allows the vehicle to engage or disengage all-wheel drive mechanics to save on fuel expenditure. The dynamic torque vectoring is a feature that's present in Toyota's vehicles to help with stability control, torque distribution, and off-road traversal.
The 2022 Ford Escape is not without its own merits in the stability and dynamic control category. To help maintain all of the horsepower and torque it outputs, the Escape also has all-wheel drive mechanisms with automatic disconnect for fuel-saving propulsion. All trims are also equipped with Ford's Curve Control feature, which utilizes the anti-lock brakes and stability management to ensure the Escape handles every turn effortlessly. This is in addition to every trim also coming equipped with electronic traction control. So the Escape definitely takes the advantage over the RAV4, both in terms of raw power and performance management.
Both compact SUVs offer sizable interior space for up to five passengers across two rows. The capacity elements provide drivers and passengers with plenty to appreciate, with the Escape offering up to 104 cubic feet of passenger volume and a maximum cargo volume of 37.5 cubic feet behind the second row. The Toyota RAV4 isn't far behind, sporting up to 37.6 cubic feet of space behind the second row.
Both of the vehicles also offer similar towing capacity. With the Escape and RAV4, you have a starting towing capacity of 1,500 pounds. The Escape's max towing is limited to 2,000 if you stick with the turbocharged 3-cylinder; however, if you opt for the turbocharged 4-cylinder, you can take advantage of the 3,500-pound max towing capacity with the Class II Trailer Tow Package. The RAV4 is also capable of hitting the 3,500-pound max tow rating, but it's only possible in the all-wheel drive iteration of the Adventure trim.
The thing is, even without the towing package, the Escape's 4-cylinder is still capable of hitting 2,000 pounds with its max towing capacity, whereas anything that isn't the Adventure trim for the RAV4 is limited to 1,500 pounds. This severely limits the top-end capacities and capabilities of the RAV4 unless you have a particular trim and are looking to use it for specific purposes. Thus while both compact SUVs have similar capacities, in the 2022 Ford Escape vs 2022 Toyota RAV4 showdown, the Escape comes out the victor in the capacity department.
Technology is the cornerstone for many vehicles these days, and both the Escape and the RAV4 are chock full of different kinds of useful technologies. Both vehicles are designed to provide drivers and passengers with a litany of safety, comfort, and infotainment features. The RAV4 Limited trim tops out with an 8-way power driver seat with leather-trimmed seating, and the Escape Titanium trim offers a 10-way power driver seat and a 6-way power front passenger seat with ActiveX trimmed seating.
Both offer infotainment suites with touchscreens and smartphone integration capabilities for Apple CarPlay and Android Auto. The RAV4 features an available JBL Premium Audio sound system, while the Escape offers a Bang & Olufsen 10-speaker setup, and both come with an available SiriusXM Satellite Radio subscription with Wi-Fi 4G LTE hotspot connectivity. Where things begin to deviate is with the safety tech.
Many of you may know that Ford outfits their vehicles with the Ford Co-Pilot360 suite of safety tech, which features a wide array of assorted active and passive safety features. On the other side of the table is the Toyota Safety Sense 2.0. Both safety suites are standard on all trim levels of the compact SUVs, so you have access to an assortment of safety tech to keep you and your passengers safe on the road.
Both vehicles offer features like pre-collision mitigation systems, road sign assistance, lane keeping assistance, blind spot monitoring with cross-traffic alert, and pedestrian detection. Where things separate for the two is with the Toyota Safety Sense's full-speed range dynamic cruise control, which rivals Ford's intelligent adaptive cruise control with stop-and-go detection. The Escape, however, has a few other perks on the safety side, including Active Park Assist 2.0, voice-activated navigation capabilities with Travel Link functionality, as well as rear parking sensors, rain-sensing wipers, and dynamic brake support. While both vehicles offer very similar safety and infotainment features, the Escape does manage to edge out the RAV4 with a few more gadgets and trinkets for those who want to take advantage of them in the upper-level trims.
The best Ford dealer in the Albany area is certainly DePaula Ford. Why? Because of our always-up-to-date inventory of new and used vehicles, including the latest model year outings from Ford, and the most popular used cars, trucks, and SUVs currently available on the market. We not only carry a sterling line-up of great vehicles, but we also carry Certified Pre-Owned Fords, meaning you can get your hands on a used vehicle with the warranty and guaranteed coverage you would often find with a brand new vehicle.
You never have to worry about setting up a potential financing path, thanks to our financing department, which can help you secure the car loan or lease deal you need to buy what you want. Value your trade-in or use the payment calculator to determine what best works for your budget. You can also take advantage of our vehicle specials and discounts to get the lowest deal possible on a wide number of different makes and models, including used vehicles available for under $20,000.
Need something specific for something special? No worries. Our custom order opportunities allow you to customize the vehicle you want for the kind of work or transportation that you need to carry out. We also have a wide range of commercial vehicles for heavy-duty, shuttle, or upfitting purposes. You can also outfit your Ford with our parts department or keep it running and well oiled with regularly scheduled service check-ups courtesy of our certified technicians. Call or chat with a DePaula Ford representative today to learn more about how you can get your hands on the latest and best Ford models on the market.
*Images, fuel economy, and other stats, may reflect higher trim levels, options, or features that may result in a higher cost from the starting MSRP.
MSRP excludes tax, license, registration, additional options, and possible destination charges. Dealers set own prices.
