In a fiercely competitive segment, the Ford Escape remains one of the most popular compact SUVs out there, thanks to its incredible versatility and refined driving manners. But it’s not the only option out there, and thanks to a seemingly attractive starting price, the Nissan Rogue gets quite a bit of attention as well. This inevitably leads to the question of how the two compare, so we thought we’d tackle the subject here. Let’s have a look.
At first glance, there is a lot about these vehicles that look similar, which makes the slight price advantage for the Rogue look more appealing. Both vehicles are front-wheel drive with available all-wheel drive, they both come with 17-inch wheels and LED exterior lighting, and they both have standard 1.5-liter engines. But here is where we start to see some key differences, and these add to that lower starting price maybe not being so appealing after all.
Though both engines have the same displacement, the Escape is a four-cylinder, compared to the Rogue’s three-cylinder. It might not seem like a big deal, but the extra cylinder helps the Escape run more smoothly, and you’ll notice the more refined road manners behind the wheel. This might not such an issue for the Rogue if Nissan offered an alternative to the three-cylinder engine, but they don’t, it’s your only option with the Rogue. The Escape offers four different drivetrain options, including a hybrid and a plug-in hybrid, a clear advantage for the Ford.
The Escape comes out ahead for equipment too, whether we’re talking about standard or optional features. Both vehicles come with a standard 8-inch infotainment touchscreen, and Nissan will let you bump that up to 9 inches, even if it’s not all that easy to spot the difference this makes. The upgraded screen in the Escape measures 13.2 inches, and it makes navigating things like music choices a lot easier. Also making it easier is the fact that wireless Android Auto and Apple CarPlay come standard with whichever screen you choose for your Escape. The Rogue only gets wired support as standard, and upgrading still only gives you wireless Apple CarPlay, a useless upgrade for Android owners. And you music will sound better too, thanks to more standard speakers in the Escape. A six-speaker setup is available for the Rogue, but it requires moving up to a higher trim. You also have to move up to a higher trim in order to get dual-zone climate control, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, or a power liftgate, all of which are standard equipment on the Escape.You get a bit more cargo space in the back of the Escape, a feature that often comes with diminished legroom for passengers, but not so with the Escape, which offers noticeably more legroom for both the front and back seats.
A number of things become clear after taking this closer look at these two compact SUVs. The first is that the lower price on the Rogue does not translate into a better value. The second is that Ford gives you much more, and much better options when it comes to equipping your Escape, for an all-around better ownership experience. Come see for yourself what a difference that makes with Sarchione Ford of Randolph.
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