Ford’s Escape has become the bread and butter of many Blue Oval dealership across the nation, usurping Explorer as the default choice for most families that choose to wander onto a Ford lot in search of an SUV or crossover. Sales have routinely hovered around the 300,000 mark for each of the last eight years.

The 2020 rethink, complete with styling apparently inspired by a Salofalk suppository, brings a solid amount of skin to this cutthroat segment, deploying new hybrid tech and all manner of driver assist technology. Its build and price tool is now live, allowing us a peek at what it’ll cost the Smith family to trade up.

As you can guess, your author is not a huge fan of the Escape’s new styling direction, feeling it leans too much towards the 1996 Taurus (a car that was a tribute to the noble lungfish) and not enough towards the squared-off Explorer. I guess the upcoming Baby Bronco will take care of that in this size class. At least designers did away with Escape’s weird amber fog lamps that used to denote the base S model, a feature which used to loudly advertise the driver’s penny-pinching ways.

That entry-level model now starts at $24,885, a sum which represents a $780 hike over the 2019 base trim. That vehicle is only available with the 1.5-liter EcoBoost, making 180 horsepower. Last year’s S had the naturally aspirated 2.5-liter four banger good for 168 ponies. All manner of snazzy colors are available even on the S, including a nice Sedona Orange and Dark Persian Green for the weirdos. Adding all-wheel drive to this car siphons $1,500 from your bank account.

The volume SE starts at $27,095 with the SEL being a $2160 walk from that. For one’s extra cheddar, the SEL provides kit such as an foot-activated hatchback and reverse sensing system. Base engines up to this point remain the 1.5L, with the 2.0L EcoBoost being a $2,285 option on SEL only.

Titanium models, which feature a heads-up display that’ll surely be spoken of in every single Escape commercial for the rest of this calendar year, opens at $33,400 and tops out at $40,705 when every single box is checked.

CoPilot360 is standard on everything, bringing lane keeping and automatic emergency braking to the party, with CoPilot360 Assist appearing as an option on several other trims to pad your new car note by as little as $695. Those who choose it on the SE model, for example, will find themselves in charge of a car with adaptive cruise with stop-and-go. In some models, Assist is bundled with a spendy Premium package to include the likes of remote start, power liftgate, and an expansive panoramic roof.

An interesting new proposition is the $28,255 SE Sport Hybrid. It is powered by the 2.5L I-4 Atkinson-cycle mill paired with an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission and an 88 kW electric motor. The eCVT doesn’t turn my crank, but Ford’s efforts at normalizing the hybrid are commendable. They’ve packaged its liquid-cooled lithium-ion battery below the floor of the second-row seats instead of occupying a significant portion of the cargo area. The briefcase-shaped battery in the standard hybrid measures less than one-third the size of the old Escape Hybrid battery. In fact, cargo volume behind the second row drops only about three cubic feet compared to the gasser, from 37.5 to 34.4 cubes. This is good news. Expect around 200 horses from this powertrain. Again, all-wheel drive is a $1,500 proposition if you want it.

This fresh 2020 Ford Escape is scheduled to land in dealers sometime this Fall.

[Images: Ford Motor Company]