Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Redesigned Ford Escape, New Lincoln Corsair are Top Safety Picks

ARLINGTON, Virginia, Nov. 15 -- The Insurance Institute for Highway Safety issued the following news release:

The redesigned 2020 Ford Escape features improved crash protection and, along with the related Lincoln Corsair, qualifies for a Top Safety Pick award.

The redesigned 2020 Ford Escape and all-new 2020 Lincoln Corsair each qualify for a Top Safety Pick award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety when equipped with specific headlights.

The redesigned Escape, a small SUV, demonstrates a marked improvement in crashworthiness over earlier model years, earning good ratings in all six IIHS crashworthiness evaluations. Notably, the 2020 model improves from a poor rating in the passenger-side small overlap crash test for 2013-19 models.

The 2020 Escape comes standard with a superior-rated vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention system. A second, optional system also rates superior. Both systems avoided collisions with a fixed object representing the rear of another vehicle in 12 and 25 mph track tests.

The 2020 Lincoln Corsair, a small SUV, replaced the MKC in Lincoln's lineup and is based on the design of the Escape. The Corsair's ratings for crashworthiness are identical to those of the Escape, and it also earns superior ratings for both its standard and optional vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention systems.

Both vehicles earn acceptable ratings for their best-available headlights. The Escape earns an acceptable rating for its available LED headlights, while its base halogen headlights earn only a marginal rating. The Corsair earns an acceptable rating for its available curve-adaptive LED projector headlights. Its base LED reflector headlights rate poor, due largely to excessive glare.

To qualify for a 2019 Top Safety Pick award, a vehicle must earn good ratings in the driver-side small overlap front, moderate overlap front, side, roof strength and head restraint tests, as well as a good or acceptable rating in the passenger-side small overlap front test. It also needs an advanced or superior rating for vehicle-to-vehicle front crash prevention and a good or acceptable headlight rating.