Compare the2026 Ford EscapeVS 2025 Dodge Hornet

For enhanced safety, the front and rear seat shoulder belts of the Ford Escape 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 Dodge Hornet doesn’t offer pretensioners for its rear seat belts.

In the past twenty years hundreds of infants and young children have died after being left in vehicles, usually by accident. When turning the vehicle off, drivers of the Escape are reminded to check the back seat if they opened the rear door before starting out. The Hornet doesn’t offer a back seat reminder.

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 Dodge Hornet 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 Hornet 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.

Both the Escape and Hornet have Rear Cross Traffic Alert, but the Escape has Rear Cross Traffic Braking (automatically applies the brakes) to better prevent a collision when backing near traffic. The Hornet’s Rear Cross Traffic Alert doesn’t automatically brake.

Both the Escape and the Hornet 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, 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.

There are over 18 percent more Ford dealers than there are Dodge dealers, which makes it 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 Hornet 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 rated the Escape first among compact suvs in their 2025 Initial Quality Study. The Hornet isn’t in the top three in its category.

On the EPA test cycle the Escape gets better mileage than the Hornet running its gasoline engine:

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 Hornet doesn’t offer a system that can shut down part of the engine.

The Escape FWD’s standard fuel tank has 3.6 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet R/T’s standard fuel tank (14.8 vs. 11.2 gallons), for longer range between fill-ups. The Escape AWD’s standard fuel tank has 2.2 gallons more fuel capacity than the Hornet GT’s standard fuel tank (15.7 vs. 13.5 gallons).

The Escape stops much shorter than the Hornet:

For better traction, the Escape has larger tires than the Hornet (225/65R17 vs. 215/60R17).

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 Hornet doesn’t offer variable-assist power steering.

For a smoother ride and more stable handling, the Escape’s wheelbase is 2.9 inches longer than on the Hornet (106.7 inches vs. 103.8 inches).

The Escape AWD handles at .87 G’s, while the Hornet GT pulls only .85 G’s of cornering force in a Car and Driver skidpad test.

For better maneuverability, the Escape’s turning circle is .7 feet tighter than the Hornet R/T’s (37.2 feet vs. 37.9 feet). The Escape’s turning circle is .8 feet tighter than the Hornet GT’s (37.2 feet vs. 38 feet).

For greater off-road capability the Escape has a 1.2 inches greater minimum ground clearance than the Hornet R/T (7.3 vs. 6.1 inches), allowing the Escape to travel over rougher terrain without being stopped or damaged.

The Ford Escape may be more efficient, handle and accelerate better because it weighs about 450 to 600 pounds less than the Dodge Hornet.

The front grille of the Escape uses electronically controlled shutters to close off airflow and reduce drag when less engine cooling is needed. This helps improve highway fuel economy. The Hornet doesn’t offer active grille shutters.

As tested by Car and Driver while cruising at 70 MPH, the interior of the Escape ST-Line Elite AWD is quieter than the Hornet GT (71 vs. 73 dB).

The Escape has 6 cubic feet more passenger volume than the Hornet (104 vs. 98).

The Escape has 1.2 inches more front headroom, .7 inches more front legroom, .9 inches more front hip room, 1.9 inches more front shoulder room, 1.1 inches more rear headroom, 2.7 inches more rear legroom and 1.2 inches more rear shoulder room than the Hornet.

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

The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat up than the Hornet with its rear seat up (37.5 vs. 27 cubic feet). The Escape has a much larger cargo volume with its rear seat folded than the Hornet with its rear seat folded (65.4 vs. 54.7 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 Hornet’s liftover is 31.8 inches.

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

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

Maximum trailer towing in the Dodge Hornet is limited to 2000 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 Hornet doesn’t offer electronic trailer sway control.

The Escape’s optional Easy Entry and Exit glides the driver’s seat back when the door is unlocked or the ignition is switched off, making it easier for the driver to get in and out. The Hornet doesn’t offer an easy entry system.

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 Hornet doesn’t offer a heads-up display.

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 Hornet doesn’t offer an exterior PIN entry system.

To improve rear visibility by keeping the rear window clear, the Escape has a standard rear fixed intermittent wiper with a full on position. The rear wiper standard on the Hornet only has an intermittent setting, so in a hard rain visibility isn’t as good.

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

Car and Driver performed a comparison test in its April 2024 issue and the Ford Escape ST-Line Elite AWD won out over the Dodge Hornet GT.

The Ford Escape outsold the Dodge Hornet by almost 15 to one during 2025.