A photo is worth a thousand words. Check out these photos: Need to have SPUD reply if he is still around as I remember his vehicle having 200,000 miles long before I reached (almost) this level. Is his vehicle still running? My 2005 FEH was at 3.9% SOC when I started it up, brought up the SOC and then drove it early today to church and then to the store. It had been mostly sitting except for moving out of the driveway to allow my C-Max to be driven for the past two days. I wonder what the experts would had said about this if this existed back in the site's heyday in 2006-2010?

 

Took this 2005 in for the Pennsylvania state inspection at the dealership, flunked due to excess rust/wear in the rear wheel well area. Going to have to say goodbye to this vehicle in the near future. Dealership doesn't have much information on the new 2020 FEH AWD and could only find one in the immediate 120 mile range. Told the dealership to wait a few weeks to see if more become available. Meanwhile, my 2017 CMax Energi is ready for action. Not the best in the winter with the low to ground clearance..

 

Billy, as your HV battery aged did you notice a big decrease in regenerative braking and regenerative charging? My regen braking seems much reduced and slower to begin braking in "L". I have a long freeway downgrade near me where the SoC used to hit 60%, and now it's usually 55% at the bottom. The ICE spins up to dissipate power instead of charging the battery like before. I'm assuming just normal aging of the battery, but not worth $2400 for a reconditioned pack.

 

A big decrease in regenerative braking? Yes, to your reference but I did not drive in "L" or brake in "L" that much. If I had single digit SOC, then the vehicle ran like it was missing something and didn't brake as well. The single digit SOC started this year. Could I have gotten as much MG2 regenerative braking effects last year as I did in the first 8 years? NO. My vehicle received a death sentence this past Saturday when I took it into the dealership for state inspection and input on the aging HVB. I was pulled out of the waiting room to where the car was on a lift and shown the excessive rust underneath. Didn't pass the inspection and could have $3000.00 worth of rust repair for a minimum plus a tire rod/track needed replaced. I really wanted another 12-15 months more use and for more electric vehicles to arrive on the market (small 4wd SUV with rear hatch). Looks like I might have to get a pure ICE vehicle as I don't trust my low to the ground CMax Energi to handle snowy conditions.

 

How about a Toyota RAV4 hybrid or 2020 FEH?

 

2020 FEH are few and far in between and starting to trickle out of the factory.. Retailing in the upper 30's. The Tesla model 3 are just above this price tag. The Escape hybrid may have a difficult time due to the retail price tag and other EV options that get better mileage (MPG) than the Escape. The PHEV Escape is FWD only. I wonder if this 2020 hybrid/PHEV Escape was the the vehicles that former Ford CEO Mark Fields killed in his time frame. With my CMax in mint shape, It doesn't make a lot of sense to currently purchase a brand new vehicle. I could be trading in two vehicles in the future for a Mach E/Tesla Y/Volvo XC40 or similar in the future. Hard to find used RAV4 hybrids at a decent price.

 

Pick n pull hybrid battery packs $50 to $350.

 

Toyota Highlander and Lexus RX hybrids have been in constant production since just after the FEH was introduced, there should be used ones around at many price levels. The dual electric motor AWD is pretty impressive in my opinion. If you can find used Mitubishi Outlander PHEVs, they should be relatively inexpensive too.

 

Found and just traded in my 2005 FEH for a 2016 RAV4 Hybrid 4WD with 18000 miles. Had to drive 230 miles one way to get it. On the way home, almost 37 mpg on Pa Turnpike (63-64mph) for 80 miles or so. Then turned off the Turnpike onto a mixture of interstate, 4 lane state highway and 2 lane county roads for nearly 40 mpg at speeds of 50-60 mph. Better mpg than I had thought. Cons: Back seat doesn't fold flat due to the HVB location/placement and cargo area slopes upward toward the rear seats, information/radio/navigation head unit is not the best and isn't shielded from bright sunshine, needs four tires for replacement, no auto dimming mirror, no power driver seat. Unexpected pro: comes with a spare tire! Driving experience is similar to your Ford Hybrids. My 2005 FEH flunked the state inspection last week due to underbody rusting which would have cost way too much to repair.

Thanks for the input to look "again" for a Toyota based 4WD hybrid. I have a retirement home in northern Wisconsin and this will come in handy 4 months a year or so.

 

The improved mileage (MPG) on the Toyota RAV4 may be partially related to the SOC range; 20-80% which is much larger than the FEH 40-53%. I'm sure the software is improved. In general, 4-7 mpg increase from when my old 2005 FEH was in its prime.