Compare the2025 Ford Escape FHEVVS 2024 Toyota old Venza

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape FHEV have pretensioners to tighten the seatbelts and eliminate dangerous slack in the event of a collision and force limiters to limit the pressure the belts will exert on the passengers. The Toyota old Venza doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ford Escape FHEV achieved a “Acceptable” rating - the second highest possible - for its performance in forward collision warning and automatic braking systems, demonstrating its excellent capabilities in preventing collisions. The Toyota old Venza has not been tested.

The Ford Escape FHEV’s optional 360-Degree Camera has integrated front and rear camera washers, ensuring clear, all-weather visibility without the need for manual cleaning. In contrast, the Toyota old Venza lacks camera washers, requiring you to manually clean the cameras for optimal performance.

To help make backing out of a parking space safer, the Escape FHEV has standard Rear Cross Traffic Alert with Rear Cross Traffic Braking, systems which detect vehicles approaching from the sides and can automatically apply the brakes to prevent a collision. Only the old Venza XLE/Nightshade/Limited offers Parking Support Brake.

Both the Escape FHEV and the old Venza have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, driver knee airbags, side-impact head airbags, height adjustable front shoulder belts, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, post-collision automatic braking systems, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, driver alert monitors, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does 35 MPH front crash tests on new vehicles. In this test, results indicate that the Ford Escape FHEV is safer than the Toyota old Venza:

	Escape FHEV	old Venza
OVERALL STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
	Driver
STARS	5 Stars	4 Stars
HIC	143	152
Neck Injury Risk	22.5%	29.3%
Neck Stress	185 lbs.	306 lbs.
Neck Compression	23 lbs.	56 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	188/315 lbs.	400/388 lbs.
	Passenger
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	102	284
Neck Injury Risk	36.3%	37.4%
Neck Stress	181 lbs.	258 lbs.
Neck Compression	58 lbs.	95 lbs.
Leg Forces (l/r)	220/169 lbs.	340/190 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration does side impact tests on new vehicles. In this test, which crashes the vehicle into a flat barrier at 38.5 MPH and into a post at 20 MPH, results indicate that the Ford Escape FHEV is safer than the Toyota old Venza:

	Escape FHEV	old Venza
	Front Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Hip Force	240 lbs.	246 lbs.
	Rear Seat
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
HIC	97	146
Spine Acceleration	43 G’s	49 G’s
	Into Pole
STARS	5 Stars	5 Stars
Max Damage Depth	11 inches	14 inches
Spine Acceleration	32 G’s	36 G’s
Hip Force	462 lbs.	835 lbs.

New test not comparable to pre-2011 test results. More stars = Better. Lower test results = Better.

There are over 2 times as many Ford dealers as there are Toyota dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape FHEV’s warranty.

The Escape FHEV has a standard “limp home system” to keep drivers from being stranded if most or all of the engine’s coolant is lost. The engine will run on only half of its cylinders at a time, reduce its power and light a warning lamp on the dashboard so the driver can get to a service station for repairs. The old Venza doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2024 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than Toyota vehicles. J.D. Power ranks Ford above average in initial quality. With 13 more problems per 100 vehicles, Toyota is rated lower.

On the EPA test cycle the Escape FHEV gets better mileage than the old Venza:

			MPG
Escape FHEV
	FWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	42 city/36 hwy
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	42 city/36 hwy
old Venza
	AWD	2.5 4-cyl. Hybrid	40 city/37 hwy

The Escape FHEV has a standard cap-less fueling system. The fuel filler is automatically opened when the fuel nozzle is inserted and automatically closed when it’s removed. This eliminates the need to unscrew and replace the cap and it reduces fuel evaporation, which causes pollution. The old Venza doesn’t offer a cap-less fueling system.

For better stopping power the Escape FHEV’s brake rotors are larger than those on the old Venza:

	Escape FHEV	old Venza
Front Rotors	13 inches	12 inches
Rear Rotors	11.9 inches	11.1 inches

The Escape FHEV stops shorter than the old Venza:

	Escape FHEV	old Venza
60 to 0 MPH	128 feet	137 feet	Consumer Reports
60 to 0 MPH (Wet)	135 feet	147 feet	Consumer Reports

The Escape FHEV has vehicle speed sensitive variable-assist power steering, for low-effort parking, better control at highway speeds and during hard cornering, and a better feel of the road. The old Venza doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Ford Escape FHEV may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 250 to 300 pounds less than the Toyota old Venza.

The Escape FHEV is 6.5 inches shorter than the old Venza, making the Escape FHEV easier to handle, maneuver and park in tight spaces.

The Escape FHEV has 3.9 cubic feet more passenger volume than the old Venza (102.2 vs. 98.3).

The Escape FHEV has 1.4 inches more front headroom, 1.5 inches more front legroom, .8 inches more front hip room, .2 inches more front shoulder room, .3 inches more rear headroom, 1.1 inches more rear legroom and 8.1 inches more rear hip room than the old Venza.

The Escape FHEV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the old Venza with its rear seat up (34.4 vs. 28.8 cubic feet). The Escape FHEV has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the old Venza with its rear seat folded (60.8 vs. 55.1 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Escape FHEV easier. The Escape FHEV’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 27.9 inches, while the old Venza’s liftover is 32.9 inches.

The Escape FHEV’s cargo area is larger than the old Venza’s in almost every dimension:

	Escape FHEV	old Venza
Length to seat (2nd/1st)	36.7”/68.3”	39.2”/71”
Max Width	57.3”	49.8”
Min Width	41.4”	39.7”
Height	32.8”	27.6”

The Escape FHEV has a 1500 lbs. towing capacity. The old Venza has no towing capacity.

The Escape FHEV can be flat towed on all four wheels (dinghy towed), allowing recreational vehicle owners to bring it with them on the road. When they reach their destination, the Escape FHEV can be unhitched and driven around locally. The old Venza can’t be towed flat on the ground.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escape FHEV uses the AdvanceTrac® sensors to detect trailer sway, then uses individual brakes to counteract any swaying and help keep the tow vehicle and trailer steady. The old Venza doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape FHEV’s available exterior PIN entry system. The old Venza doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

The Escape FHEV’s standard speed-sensitive wipers speed up when the vehicle does, so that the driver doesn’t have to continually adjust the speed of the wipers. The old Venza’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Escape FHEV Elite/Platinum’s optional Active Park Assist 2.0 can parallel park or back into a parking spot by itself, starting, stopping and changing direction automatically. The old Venza doesn’t offer an automated parking system.

The Escape FHEV is available in both front-wheel drive and four-wheel drive configurations. The old Venza doesn’t offer a two-wheel drive configuration.

The Ford Escape outsold the Toyota old Venza by almost five to one during 2024.