![]() ![]() I finally stayed at a one-year-old hotel that the navigation system didn’t know about. Then, two or three minutes later, the little prankster would announce that a hotel was within a mile or two. Several times it told me nothing was available within a 40-mile range. While crossing Pennsylvania, I asked the system to search for hotels. Well, it wouldn’t have been a joke had I actually paid almost $2,700. The navigation system was easy to use and did a fine job of giving directions not just across Pennsylvania to Michigan, but back to New Hampshire through Canada, which is almost like a foreign country.īut I found an important feature of the nav system to be a joke. Still, it has valuable items like side-impact air bags and air curtains that cover the side windows to provide head protection. ![]() It comes across as amenable and competent but not dynamically charming.įord boasts that the Escape Hybrid has so much standard safety equipment that “it bolsters its safety leadership.” Yet the Escape is one of the few S.U.V.’s that lack even as an option an important life-saving feature, electronic stability control. But that Blue Oval magic eluded the ’08 Escape Hybrid. Over the last decade, Ford has generally turned out vehicles that are responsive and fun to drive. through the hills of northern Pennsylvania, I found the gas engine often churning away at 4,300 revolutions a minute, too high for good fuel economy. For 2008 Ford says it tried to make the interaction more seamless, and indeed the electric motor’s comings and goings are unobtrusive.Īt times, however, the 4-cylinder works hard despite its little electric buddy. In addition to the powertrain, another environmentally friendly feature is what Ford says is standard seat upholstery made of recycled materials.Īs with most hybrids, the key to good fuel economy is a small engine that gets a boost from an electric motor when more power is needed. The interior has a lot of hard plastic, so it feels like a project undertaken by a company desperately trying to save money. In addition, it was (and is) a full hybrid, meaning that the electric motor was powerful enough to move the vehicle on its own at least for a while.įor 2008 Ford has given the Escape a new look, redone the interior and retuned the suspension. and averaged 29 m.p.g.ĪLTERNATIVES Saturn Vue Green Line ($25,995) or the Escape Hybrid’s close relatives: the Mercury Mariner Hybrid ($27,860) and Mazda Tribute Hybrid ($25,945 sold only in California).įORD introduced the Escape Hybrid as a 2005 model and it was a landmark, the first hybrid S.U.V. In one 608-mile stretch of generally flat Interstate I cruised between 55 and 65 m.p.h. highway, which compares with 20/26 for a conventional front-drive Escape with a 4-cylinder engine and a 4-speed automatic transmission. ![]() HOW THIRSTY IS IT? For a small S.U.V., not very. HOW MUCH CAN IT HOLD? Five people in theory, but disharmony is likely unless three are children. Transmission is a continuously variable automatic. Batteries are recharged as the Escape is driven. WHAT MAKES IT RUN? A 2.3-liter 155-horsepower 4-cylinder engine assisted or temporarily replaced by an electric motor. (All-wheel-drive version starts at $28,920.) A $3,000 federal tax credit is available. As tested, $31,060 including $2,695 for navigation system and $1,195 for a package with heated front seats and leather upholstery. HOW MUCH? $27,170 with front-wheel drive, including destination charge. with a hybrid powertrain for better fuel economy. ![]()
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