It seems that Ford thinks its time to give the Ford Escape compact SUV a refresh, even though it was all new for 2020. And based on these spy shots, it's going to look more aggressive and follow the styling set by the Mustang Mach-E.
The nose gets the biggest overhaul. The headlights are thinner, and they don't sweep far back like the current one. The leading edge of the hood has been moved forward to meet the tops of those headlights. The grille has been moved higher up and also meets the edge of the hood. Combined with a grille shape that's more of a frown than the smiley outgoing grille, the facelift gives the Escape a taller, meaner design, which should serve it well in a market that's favoring more rugged crossovers and SUVs. Plus, it will help it fit in with the Mustang Mach-E, as well as the new Evos and Mondeo in other markets.
Most of the rest of this Escape looks unchanged, which is to be expected for a refresh. It does look like there could be some slight tweaks to the taillights, as this one has clear corners. But it's hard to get a full picture when the hatch-mounted halves seem to be the old carryovers.
Since 2022 Escape models are continuing the current design, we're expecting this refresh to launch with the 2023 model year. And as such, it will probably make its debut in the first half of next year, and go on sale later in the year. There could be some feature changes, but we expect the powertrain lineup to be basically unchanged, including the turbo three-cylinder, turbo four-cylinder, and the hybrid and plug-in hybrid options.