The 2021 GMC Terrain is full of luxury and sophistication. It features an affordable price tag that is sure to make it a contender in its class, but the 2021 Ford Escape offers style and some impressive features, along with quality and performance at a great price too. Take a look at both.
Design and Style
The 2021 GMC Terrain is a compact SUV that features a spacious cabin with high quality material and two rows of seating for up to five passengers. You won’t feel cramped in this SUV with plenty of head- and legroom, even with two tall adults seated in the rear. It comes standard with cloth upholstery and available synthetic or genuine leather upholstery. The well-cushioned seats, as well as eight-way power-adjustable, heated, and ventilated front seats help keep you comfortable while on the road. A heated steering wheel, heated rear outboard seats, and six-way power-adjustable passenger seat is also available. You’ll be able to enter and exit this SUV easily with Terrain’s wide door openings, and put your cargo needs away easily with its available power liftgate. Its cargo offering is 29.6 cubic feet of space behind the last row and 63.3 cubic feet with the rear seats folded down. To give you more room to transport long items, the front passenger seat can be folded down.
The 2021 Ford Escape was redesigned for the 2020 model year and offers buyers a sporty look, plus a roomy interior and cargo space. With seating for five in two rows, this stylish new compact SUV is easy to drive and packed with the latest features. Both rows have enough head- and legroom for most adults to sit comfortably. It features standard cloth upholstery and available synthetic or genuine leather upholstery, heated and power-adjustable front seats, and a heated steering wheel; though there are more than a few hard plastics in its cabin and less cushion. The sliding second-row seats open up to an enormous 40.7 inches of legroom. Depending on how the sliding rear seats are positioned, the Escape has between 33.5 and 37.5 cubic feet of space behind the second row. When rear seats are folded, the maximum cargo space yields 65.4 cubic feet. For a two-row crossover, that’s a useful amount of room, and makes it easier to get in and out of the vehicle.
Trims and Pricing
The Terrain gives you the choice of four trim levels: SL, SLE, SLT, and the Denali. Each trim will give you a few more choices. You will be happy with the SL trim with lots of technology and safety features including the ProSafety Plus package. The SL trim comes at a starting price of $25,000. The SLE trim comes with the same standard features, except the Pro Safety package is an available option. The SLE has a starting price of $28,400, with an added cost of $295 for a remote start and an added $1,995 for a rear-seat entertainment system with a DVD player. The SLT trim adds several more options, including larger alloy wheels, plus you can add a sunroof for $1,495. The SLT comes with a starting price of $31,200. The top-of-the-line Denali model adds the Pro Safety Plus suite of driver aids and the larger engine. Its starting price is $38,300.
The Ford Escape comes in four trims: S, SE, SEL, and Titanium. The estimated starting price for the entry-level Escape S is $24,900. There aren’t many tech or comfort features in the S trim, but there are plenty of standard driver aids. You can add remote start for $100. The SE trim has a starting price of $27,100, and for an additional $700, you can add the Co-Pilot 360 Assist suite. Starting price for the SEL trim is approximately $29,300, and for an additional $3,400, you can get the stronger turbo-four engine. The Titanium has an estimated starting price of $36,400, and the Premium package 2.0 adds about $2,100 and comes with a head-up display and panoramic moonroof
All-wheel drive is an option for $1,500 on all trims, but for the Titanium, it is standard.
Power
The 2021 Terrain now offers two powertrains – a 1.5-liter inline-four that will give you 170-horsepower and will drive well on city streets. If you’d like a stronger engine, you can opt for a 2.0-liter turbo-four that puts out 252 horsepower. This power is only offered with the top-of-the-line Denali. Both engines come with a nine-speed automatic transmission and handles smoothly over rough pavement and around corners, but the Denali trims will give you a more comfortable, cushioned ride. The Terrain will be able to tow up to 3,500 pounds when properly equipped. It comes with front-wheel drive, and available all-wheel drive, and it will give you a decent amount of gas mileage. It estimates 25/30 mpg in the city and on the highway and drops to 28 mpg with all-wheel drive. With the larger engine, the Denali will give you 22/28 mpg city and highway with FWD and 21/26 mpg with AWD. A three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty is backed by GMC.
The Escape handles well for a compact SUV. It offers two different powertrain options, with improved power and acceleration to move your vehicle well. The 181-horsepower three-cylinder EcoBoost turbocharged engine produces sufficient power for getting around town or cruising on the freeway. The 250-horsepower turbocharged four-cylinder engine provides a sportier ride with plenty of pep to get you going. Its sporty performance and handling make it seem like you are driving a smaller car. The Titanium is the only trim to come standard with the four-cylinder engine, but it is available in the SEL trim. Front-wheel drive is standard and all-wheel drive is available. It earns respectable ratings of 27/33 mpg on the city and highway. When properly equipped, the Escape can tow up to 3,500 pounds. Not bad for a compact SUV. Ford backs the Escape with a three-year/36,000-mile limited warranty and a five-year/60,000-mile powertrain warranty.
Safety and Tech
The GMC’s IntelliLink infotainment system is easy to use with a 7-inch touchscreen and easy to read clear graphics. Standard technology features include Amazon Alexa, Apple CarPlay, Android Auto, Bluetooth, four USB ports, a six-speaker stereo and a Wi-Fi hot spot. Available infotainment features in the SLE and above include an 8-inch touchscreen, navigation, and satellite radio. The SLT and Denali offer available HD Radio and the Denali offers a seven-speaker Bose stereo and wireless device charging. The Terrain offers a long list of standard safety features, including lane keep assist, lane departure warning, a rearview camera, automatic emergency braking, forward collision warning, pedestrian detection, following distance indicator, automatic high-beam headlights, and GM’s Teen Driver that lets you put limits on secondary drivers. There are advanced safety features that are available in the SLE trims and above that include blind spot monitoring, lane change alert, rear cross traffic alert, rear parking sensors, and adaptive cruise control.
Ford Escape’s popular standard advanced safety features include lane keep assist, and blind-spot monitoring, rear cross traffic alert, forward collision warning, automatic emergency braking, rearview camera, and automatic high-beam headlights. Available advanced safety features include lane centering, rear parking sensors, head-up display, parallel and perpendicular park assist, traffic jam assist, and stop-and-go adaptive cruise control. The Escape comes standard with a 4.2-inch display, a USB port, Bluetooth, and a six-speaker stereo. The SE and SEL come with a user friendly 8-inch freestanding touchscreen, Android Auto, Apple CarPlay, and satellite radio. An available Co-Pilot360 Assist suite that comes with navigation, adaptive cruise control, and traffic jam assist is an option on the SE and SEL. The Titanium gains a 12.3-inch digital instrument cluster, wireless device charging, and a 10-speaker Bang & Olufsen stereo and Ford’s Co-Pilot360 Assist.
Conclusion
Overall, the 2021 GMC Terrain and 2021 Ford Escape are two great SUVs that are similar in pricing and power, with plenty of passenger space in their cabins. The Terrain offers a more upscale cabin with more standard technology features, while the Escape delivers more cargo room and better fuel economy.