2013 Ford Escape vs. Its Competition

Martin Padgett Editorial Director

The second Ford Escape in history is a new take entirely on the crossover market--much more in line with the past decade of progress, as SUVs have gotten smaller, more efficient, more friendly.

The chief rivals for the Escape are the latest Honda CR-V, a makeover of the prior model with slightly better space and efficiency than before, much improved styling and infotainment features, and a unique fold-away second-row seat that's best in the class.

The Toyota RAV4 is the other big seller, and it's new this year--it's only offered with a four-cylinder engine, and it's not powerful, though it handles and looks better than in the recent past.

The newest Hyundai Santa Fe does double duty: the smaller Sport model pairs five seats with four-cylinder engines, while a stretched model adds two more seats and gets exclusive V-6 power.

The Escape also competes with the Hyundai Tucson and Kia Sportage, smaller crossovers with very good gas mileage and in the Kia's case, fun turbo power.

Finally, the Nissan Rogue has athletic looks and a roomy cabin, but its CVT and four-cylinder drivetrain are sluggish and don't get particularly good fuel economy.