Lincoln is a popular luxury automaker that’s actually owned by another popular and well-known automaker, Ford. And just like with many other automakers that have a luxury arm, Ford and Lincoln collaborate closely on certain models, and this was the case with the Lincoln Corsair and the Ford Escape. Despite their similarities though, Lincoln was able to make the 2023 Corsair feel very different from the Ford Escape, and here’s how it did that.

A recap of J.D. Power’s expert review of the 2023 Lincoln Corsair

J.D. Power recently reviewed the 2023 Lincoln Corsair, and overall, the company has made a lot of good changes to the compact luxury SUV. The Corsair wasn’t redesigned as it is a relatively new model that first appeared in the 2020 model year. However, the luxury automaker made significant improvements to the car’s interior, as well as to its options.

One of the most impactful changes to the car happened under the hood. In the 2022 model year, Lincoln offered the Corsair with three powertrain options. The most powerful of those options was a 2.3-liter turbo four-cylinder that got 295 hp and 310 lb-ft of torque. This engine option was removed from the 2023 model year.

While that is a loss for some drivers, the luxury automaker gave the compact luxury SUV a lot of interior upgrades. Those upgrades ultimately help the company distinguish the Corsair from the Ford Escape, which is a compact SUV that has a lot in common with the Corsair. 

The 2023 Ford Escape has a lot of similarities with the 2023 Lincoln Corsair

At the core of the two cars is the fact that they both share the same platform. Both Lincoln and Ford built their respective SUVs on the Ford C2 platform. And since both cars are compact SUVs, that naturally makes the Corsair seem like a luxury version of the Escape. Unsurprisingly, the two cars are also somewhat similar under the hood.

Ford gave the Escape a smaller and weaker standard engine, but it has an optional engine that is almost identical to the Corsair’s standard engine. Both compact SUVs also have an optional PHEV powertrain, though their specs are different. Obviously however, the main way that Lincoln was able to separate the Corsair from the Escape was in terms of luxury and comfort features.

For example, the Corsair comes standard with synthetic leather upholstery and heated front seats. The luxury automaker also gave the Corsair’s cabin a more luxurious style, while the Escape looks and feels like most other cars do. That being said, Lincoln gave the luxury SUV a lot of updates for the 2023 model year, and those updates help separate it from the Escape even more.

How Lincoln was able to separate the Corsair from the Escape

Those updates largely have to do with the compact luxury SUV’s tech features. The 2023 version of the car now comes with a 13.2-inch touchscreen as well as a 12.3-inch digital gauge cluster display. Those screens are much bigger than what the Escape comes with, though Escape owners can add those features to their car too. However, one of the more exclusive features that the Corsair has that the Escape doesn’t is BlueCruise.

That’s the name of Ford’s semi-autonomous self-driving system, and it’s currently only offered on a few models. The Corsair has the latest version of BlueCruise, which is called BlueCruise 1.2. J.D. Power said that it’s a fairly competent system, though like similar systems, it’s in need of improvements. Regardless, high-tech features like BlueCruise is the main way that Lincoln separated the Corsair from the Escape.