Both of them are old designs. I would not consider the Forester 2.0 since it is known for having poor gas mileage, said to be even worse than the turbocharged Forester due to being underpowered and also due to the full time AWD. The Escape has good torque and gives decent performance and gas mileage. The Ford also has a wider dealer network and a more abundant spare parts supply resulting to cheaper and more convenient maintenance.