2022 Lincoln Navigator vs 2021 Ford Escape

The 2021 Ford Escape, a fourth-generation model, balanced the line between SUV and hatchback. Its curved front and sleek roofline made it resemble an enlarged Focus, yet it maintained the tall ride height typical of an SUV. This design gave the Escape a less truck-like appearance compared to the Honda CR-V, Subaru Forester, or Toyota RAV4, but it also resulted in a more generic look than the Hyundai Tucson or Kia Sportage. For 2021, the Escape introduced new appearance packages for three of its four trim levels, including the SE Sport Appearance Package, SEL Stealth AWD Package, and Titanium Elite Package, featuring upgrades like 19-inch alloy wheels and leather-wrapped steering wheels.

Inside, the Escape's design choices were less cohesive. The angular instrument cluster clashed with the exterior's smooth lines, and the interior materials felt low-rent. Even the top-tier Titanium model lacked standard leather upholstery, although it did offer ambient lighting. Dual-zone automatic climate control was only available starting from the SEL trim level.

In 2022, Lincoln made subtle styling changes to the Navigator, including new headlights, taillights, and wheel designs, with a 20-inch design becoming standard. The front end was restyled, featuring an Audi-esque grille with Lincoln's star and chrome detailing, which some felt reduced the Navigator's elegance. Despite this, the rest of the updates were successful, enhancing the SUV's overall appeal. Inside, the Navigator dazzled with quality materials and a mid-century modern design, featuring Lincoln's Constellation instrumentation and infotainment display theme, which mimicked a twilight sky.

The 2022 Navigator also introduced a new Sync 4 infotainment system with a larger 13.2-inch touchscreen display. The SUV continued to offer standard and long-wheelbase styles with Standard, Reserve, and Black Label trim levels. The Black Label trim, tested in the new Central Park theme, featured a luxurious green interior with second-row heated, ventilated, and massaging captain’s chairs. The total sticker price for this model was $106,530, including the destination charge.

The 2021 Ford Escape offered two gasoline powertrains, as well as hybrid and plug-in hybrid options. The base powertrain was a 1.5-liter turbocharged three-cylinder engine from Ford’s EcoBoost range, producing 181 horsepower and 191 pound-feet of torque, paired with an eight-speed automatic transmission. It came with standard front-wheel drive (FWD) or optional all-wheel drive (AWD). An upgrade to the EcoBoost 2.0-liter turbo-four engine increased output to 250 hp and 280 lb-ft of torque, available only with AWD.

The Escape hybrid and plug-in hybrid both used a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine with electric assist, producing a total system output of 200 hp. The plug-in hybrid's larger battery pack allowed for significant electric-only driving distances. The hybrid was available with FWD or AWD, while the plug-in hybrid was FWD only. Despite the three-cylinder engine seeming inadequate for an SUV, it performed well. However, the chassis tuning left much to be desired, with sloppy suspension and steering making it a chore to drive. The 2.0-liter, hybrid, and plug-in hybrid models could be equipped with a Class 2 Trailer Tow Package, with a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds for the 2.0-liter engine.

The 2022 Lincoln Navigator retained its twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6 engine, a 10-speed automatic transmission, and rear-wheel drive (RWD) or four-wheel drive (4WD). The V6 produced a robust 440 horsepower and 510 pound-feet of torque, with a pleasing note under acceleration. Towing capacity ranged between 8,100 pounds and 8,700 pounds, depending on wheelbase and drivetrain selections. The Navigator's adaptive-damping suspension was updated with Road Preview, which identified and prepared for road imperfections.

During testing, the Navigator's suspension handled imperfect pavement well, and the new electronic brake booster improved brake pedal feel and response. The twin-turbo V6 effortlessly climbed past the snow line in Payson, Arizona, and handled snow and mud conditions with ease, thanks to 4WD, 9.7 inches of ground clearance, and appropriate driving modes. The Navigator 4WD was expected to return 18 mpg in combined driving, and it averaged 18.6 mpg during testing.

The 2021 Ford Escape, despite its car-like styling, compared well against more traditionally-styled compact SUVs in terms of interior space. First-row and second-row headroom and legroom were near the top of the segment, with a standard sliding rear seat that could be moved to expand legroom or cargo space. Sliding the bench seat all the way back yielded 40.7 inches of rear legroom in non-hybrid models. However, the battery pack in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models reduced some legroom.

The gasoline Escape had 33.5 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seat up and in its default position, while hybrid and plug-in hybrid models had 30.7 cubic feet. Sliding the rear seat forward increased cargo space to 37.5 cubic feet for gasoline models and 34.4 cubic feet for hybrid/plug-in hybrid models. Folding the rear seat yielded 65.4 cubic feet of cargo space in gasoline models and 60.8 cubic feet in hybrid and plug-in hybrid models. Most competitors offered more cargo space, with the Nissan Rogue and Subaru Forester exceeding 70 cubic feet.

The 2022 Lincoln Navigator continued to offer exceptionally comfortable 30-way power-adjustable front seats with heating, ventilation, and massage functions. The second-row captain’s chairs were also heated, ventilated, and massaging, providing a comfortable ride. Third-row passengers enjoyed roomy accommodations on a supportive seat, with the Navigator offering a legitimately habitable third-row seat since 2005.

Storage and cargo space were generous, with the Navigator carrying 19.3 cubic feet of cargo behind its third-row seat (34.3 cubic feet for Navigator L). Folding the third-row seat down provided 57.5 cubic feet of cargo volume (73.3 in Navigator L), and the maximum volume with the second-row seats collapsed was 103.3 cubic feet (120.2 cubic feet in Navigator L).

The 2021 Ford Escape used Ford’s older Sync 3 infotainment system, with base Escape S models featuring a 4.2-inch touchscreen. Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, and a built-in 4G LTE WiFi hotspot were standard. Upgrading to the Escape SE added an 8-inch touchscreen with pinch-and-zoom capability and SiriusXM satellite radio. The Escape Titanium trim level included a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen sound system. While Sync 3 was easy to use, the Escape lacked some standard tech features compared to competitors and missed out on wireless Apple CarPlay and Android Auto.

The 2022 Lincoln Navigator introduced a new Sync 4 infotainment system with a 13.2-inch touchscreen display, mounted in landscape orientation above the center air vents. The new screen was easy to reach and reference, offering two data panels for navigation and music details. Below the air vents, Lincoln provided physical controls for volume, stereo tuning, and climate functions, with clear markings and a matte finish for easy use.

Sync 4 supported both Android Auto and Apple CarPlay, with a user-friendly interface similar to modern smartphones. The voice recognition system was improved but not perfect, with some issues in finding specific locations and music genres. The upgraded Lincoln Play rear-seat entertainment system included Amazon Fire TV, providing access to streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Disney+. The test vehicle also featured a new 28-speaker Revel 3D high-end audio system, delivering sensational sound quality.

The 2021 Ford Escape received a “Top Safety Pick” rating from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), with top “Good” scores in all crash tests and for LATCH child-seat anchor ease of use. It also earned high marks for front-crash prevention tech but received “Acceptable” and “Marginal” ratings for headlights, depending on the trim level. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) gave the Escape a five-star overall safety rating, with five stars in frontal and side crash tests and four stars in rollover crash tests.

Standard safety features under the Ford Co-Pilot360 banner included automatic high beams, blind-spot monitoring with rear cross-traffic alert, lane-keep assist, lane-departure warning, forward collision warning, and automatic emergency braking. The optional Co-Pilot360 Assist+ package added adaptive cruise control, traffic-sign recognition, park assist, and Evasive Steering Assist.

The 2022 Lincoln Navigator introduced several new driver assistance systems, including Intersection Assist, Road Edge Detection, Active Park Assist 2.0, and ActiveGlide. A surround-view camera system became standard. Intersection Assist could automatically brake during unsafe movements, while Road Edge Detection steered the SUV away from road edges. Active Park Assist 2.0 allowed the Navigator to take complete control for parking, and ActiveGlide provided semi-autonomous, hands-free driving on approved highways.

ActiveGlide performed well on straight, dry, sunny stretches of freeway but required the driver to remain attentive. The system disengaged on tighter curves and did not react to a car drifting into the Navigator's lane, highlighting the need for driver vigilance. These systems represented steps toward fully autonomous driving but emphasized the importance of treating driving as a serious responsibility.