Compare the2026 Ford EscapeVS 2026 GMC Terrain

For enhanced safety, the front seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape are height-adjustable to accommodate a wide variety of driver and passenger heights. A better fit can prevent injuries and the increased comfort also encourages passengers to buckle up. The GMC Terrain doesn’t offer height-adjustable seat belts.

The Ford Escape has a standard driver’s side knee airbag mounted low on the dashboard. The knee airbag helps prevent the driver from sliding under the seatbelts or the main frontal airbag; this keeps the driver better positioned during a collision for maximum protection. A knee airbag also helps keep the legs from striking the dashboard, preventing knee and leg injuries in the case of a serious frontal collision. The Terrain doesn’t offer knee airbags.

In a Vehicle-to-Vehicle Frontal Crash Prevention 2.0 test conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS), the Ford Escape 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 GMC Terrain has not been tested.

The Escape has standard Post-Collision Braking, which automatically apply the brakes in the event of a crash to help prevent secondary collisions and prevent further injuries. The Terrain doesn’t offer a post collision braking system: in the event of a collision that triggers the airbags, more collisions are possible without the protection of airbags that may have already deployed.

The Escape’s driver alert monitor detects an inattentive driver then sounds a warning and suggests a break. According to the NHTSA, drivers who fall asleep cause about 100,000 crashes and 1500 deaths a year. The Terrain doesn’t offer a driver alert monitor.

Both the Escape and the Terrain have standard driver and passenger frontal airbags, front side-impact airbags, side-impact head airbags, front and rear seatbelt pretensioners, front wheel drive, four-wheel antilock brakes, traction control, electronic stability systems to prevent skidding, crash mitigating brakes, daytime running lights, lane departure warning systems, blind spot warning systems, rearview cameras, rear cross-path warning, available all wheel drive and around view monitors.

The Escape’s corrosion warranty is unlimited miles longer than the Terrain’s (unlimited vs. 100,000 miles).

There are over 71 percent more Ford dealers than there are GMC dealers, which makes it much easier should you ever need service under the Escape’s warranty.

The Escape 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 Terrain doesn’t offer a lost coolant limp home mode, so a coolant leak could strand you or seriously damage the truck’s engine.

A reliable vehicle saves its owner time, money and trouble. Nobody wants to be stranded or have to be without a vehicle while it’s being repaired. Consumer Reports rates the Escape’s reliability 15 points higher than the Terrain.

J.D. Power and Associates rated the Escape first among compact suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Terrain isn’t in the top three.

J.D. Power and Associates’ 2025 Initial Quality Study of new car owners surveyed provide the statistics that show that Ford vehicles are better in initial quality than GMC vehicles. With 6 fewer problems per 100 vehicles, JD Power ranks Ford higher than GMC.

From surveys of all its subscribers, Consumer Reports’ March 2025 Auto Issue reports that Ford vehicles are more reliable than GMC vehicles. Consumer Reports ranks Ford 7 places higher in reliability than GMC.

The Escape’s standard 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (180 vs. 175) and 15 lbs.-ft. more torque (199 vs. 184) than the Terrain FWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Escape’s 1.5 turbo 3-cylinder produces 5 more horsepower (180 vs. 175) than the Terrain AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder. The Escape’s optional 2.0 turbo 4-cylinder produces 75 more horsepower (250 vs. 175) and 77 lbs.-ft. more torque (280 vs. 203) than the Terrain AWD’s standard 1.5 turbo 4-cylinder.

As tested in Car and Driver the Ford Escape is faster than the Terrain AWD:

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the Terrain:

An engine control system that can shut down some of the engine’s cylinders helps improve the Escape 1.5 Turbo’s fuel efficiency. The Terrain doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

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

The Escape stops shorter than the Terrain:

The Escape has standard front and rear stabilizer bars, which help keep the Escape flat and controlled during cornering. The Terrain’s suspension doesn’t offer a rear stabilizer bar.

The Escape 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 Terrain doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

The Escape AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Terrain Elevation AWD pulls only .80 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For greater off-road capability the Escape has a 1.5 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Terrain (7.3 vs. 5.8 inches), allowing the Escape to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged. The Escape’s minimum ground clearance is .9 inch higher than on the Terrain AT4 (7.3 vs. 6.4 inches).

The Escape has .1 inches more rear headroom, 1 inch more rear legroom, 2.3 inches more rear hip room and .3 inches more rear shoulder room than the Terrain.

For enhanced passenger comfort on long trips the Escape’s rear seats recline. The Terrain’s rear seats don’t recline.

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Terrain with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 29.8 cubic feet). The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Terrain with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 63.5 cubic feet).

A low lift-over cargo hatch design makes loading and unloading the Escape easier. The Escape’s cargo hatch lift-over height is 28.1 inches, while the Terrain’s liftover is 29.9 inches.

The Escape’s cargo area is larger than the Terrain’s in almost every dimension:

An optional locking center console keeps your small valuables safer in the Escape. The Terrain doesn’t offer locking storage for small valuables.

The Escape’s standard towing capacity is much higher than the Terrain’s (2000 vs. 800 pounds). Maximum trailer towing in the GMC Terrain AWD is only 1500 pounds. The Escape offers up to a 3500 lbs. towing capacity.

Standard Trailer Sway Control on the Escape 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 Terrain doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Escape Elite/Platinum offers an optional heads-up display that projects speed and navigation instruction readouts in front of the driver’s line of sight, allowing drivers to view information without diverting their eyes from the road. The Terrain doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

The Escape Select/Elite/Platinum’s front and rear power windows all open or close with one touch of the switches. The Terrain’s rear power window switches have to be held the entire time to close them fully.

In case you lock your keys in your vehicle, or don’t have them with you, you can let yourself in using the Escape’s available exterior PIN entry system. The Terrain doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system, and its OnStar® can’t unlock the doors if the vehicle doesn’t have cell phone reception or the driver can’t contact the service.

The Escape’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 Terrain’s standard manually variable intermittent wipers have to be constantly adjusted.

The Escape has a standard dual zone air conditioning allows the driver and front passenger to choose two completely different temperatures so people with different temperature preferences won’t have to compromise. This makes both the driver and front passenger as comfortable as possible. Dual zone air conditioning costs extra on the Terrain.

Consumer Reports® recommends both the Ford Escape and the GMC Terrain, based on reliability, safety and performance.

The Ford Escape outsold the GMC Terrain by 69% during 2024.