I have been contemplating "upgrading" either my '05 or '06 FEH to an '08. I like the styling and some of the interior features but was wondering how anyone that had an earlier model likes/dislikes the '08 model.

The reason I ask is that I have been driving an '08 at work and even though I like it, I think I like the older model better. Could be that I am used to mine but there are several things that annoy me about the newer version.

I can't stand the radio.
I have yet to figure out the climate control.
I don't like where they put the SET INFO RESET for the info center.
I don't like the tiny little info center.

I do like the center console and the floor mounted parking brake.
I do like the way it handles.

I am up in the air on the dash.
I think my '05 or '06 has better performance than the '08.

Any thoughts?

 

I can give you a sort-of comparison. I had on '05 gas Escape. I obviously can't give you much on the engine performance (based on some of the threads, the '08s were designed to be a little more user-friendly in EV mode and can stay there longer with less effort; I will say that only occasionally do I miss my V6), I can sure give you a run down on the interior.
I am a somewhat tall (5'9") woman with a long torso and long arms. I find that the armrest, driver's side door and console are perfectly situated for resting limbs upon. I like this a lot; it's better designed than the '05. The '08 also has gel in the arm rest so you won't go numb in your elbow.
I don't know what you hate about the radio; I think it has better sound and features. I love that it is RDS capable so you can see what song you're listening to. I would definitely get Sirius if you can.
The interior is far quieter than the '05. Very little road noise, and I have a moonroof. That's quieter, too.
The side mirrors are a little bigger, and the blind spots are a little smaller.
You can pop the rear liftgate glass with the key fob.
The windshield wipers are really cool. When you spray the cleaner on, they wipe three times, wait about 5 seconds, then wipe once more to catch drips. I think they're also bigger so they clear more area.
THe hood goes up in the middle whereas the '05 went down; it takes a bit of getting used to for parking purposes. It's just more like a truck.
The shifter is more responsive, and slides easily into Neutral while driving.
The floor parking brake is great.
It has autolamps, so they'll come on when needed or when the windshield wipers have been on long enough. This is a nice feature.
The blue lights are easier to read at night than the green ones, though a bit harder during the day when the sun is in just the wrong place.
The seats are much more supportive. I haven't taken a long trip yet, but I've sat in traffic for an hour-and-a-half (!) and felt great.
The cruise control is better placed and easier to turn on without taking your eyes off the road. Same with the radio information--a quick glance right tells you time, temp, interior temp and radio station.
The climate control is nice and isn't one of those systems that thinks it's smarter than you and that the AC should come on at a certain temperature. THe AC is very cold very fast. Amazingly, I haven't had a chance to test the heater yet, but I have no fear I'll get that chance sooner than I'd like.
Overall, I'd say they worked out a lot of kinks. It seems more solidly built. I loved my '05; if it wasn't for the fact it was getting 19.5 MPG I would probably still have it.
I see that on your banner it says you're getting 33.6 in your 2006; that's what I'm getting now and the truck only has 3900 miles on it.
I hope this wasn't too rambly and made sense to someone besides me.
Good luck!

 

Not too rambly at all. I appreciate your opinion and observations. I had an '04 V6 Escape before the hybrid and loved everything about it but the mileage. I really liked the shifter on the column and all the floor and storage space on the floor and console.

I don't like the layout of the '08 radio but I don't like the stock '05 or '06 6-Cd either. My '05 has the CD player out of the '04 I traded. I liked it better.
The side mirrors on the '05 and '06 were easily upgraded with $2 convex stickon mirrors. Blindspots gone. I didn't even notice they are bigger on the '08.
I hate autolamps.

Like I said, I like a lot of what Ford did for the '08's but I like my two current Escape Hybrids that I don't think I want to trade either one of them in. I just don't feel as "at home" in the '08.

By the way, my lifetime average on the '06 is up to around 35 now. My tanks are much higher than my wife gets since she does all the local stuff and I commute. We swap cars every couple months to keep the mileage even on them. I have about 25k on the '05 and 23k on the '06.

Thanks for the response.

Ray

 

If you don't need the car and like what you've got now, sticking with yours makes a lot of sense. To clear up the auto-lamps--you can set them to auto or control them yourself. It's an option (in case there are others reading this thread trying to decide).
Glad to "hear" that my mileage will continue to improve. I kind of killed it today rushing into work for a stupid meeting, but I know that I can make up for it on the way home. Obviously, the same can be done in an all gas car, but many of those drivers seem to not care as much about improving their mileage.

 

I had a gasoline '02, which is still running (sold it to a co-worker) with over 150K on it. Bought that truck new...loved it. Our FEH '08 is even better so far. Bought it for my wife originally, but after driving it for a year, she really wasn't as comfortable driving a truck as she thought she'd be. Got her a 2010 FFH, she loves that and I'm now driving the '08 FEH.

This '08 is much better in lots of ways...IMHO....better fit/finish, extremely quieter than the '02, the hybrid mileage is great, love the heated seats & mirrors, love the leather seats (never thought I would), the wipers work much better than the '02, the NAV system is a techie's dream, etc., etc.

Gary

 

Well I never did "upgrade" to the '08 - I decided to keep the '05 and the '06. They both have about 45k miles on them and the mileage is STILL improving in both of them. Even my wife is getting tanks well into the mid-30's and she is doing nothing but driving them.

I'll probably keep both of them for a few more years. They both serve their purpose, work great and have been 100% reliable - and both long paid for. Probably the only car I have ever had this long that I haven't been tired of or bored with.

 

Hi Ray

The '09 has been a dream come true for me. The 2.5L Atkinson runs good on E10 and has enough power to Pulse fast without electric motor Assist. This allows MG1 to recharge the battery while accelerating harder during P&G and my mileage is off the charts for a FEH now. I changed my P&G technique two tanks ago by accelerating harder and not letting the SoC drop below 42.5%. Now I never get left holding the bag with the engine running at a stop. Accelerating faster also is a traffic pleaser and my average tank speed has increased. I get accross town much faster and get much better mileage. My last two tanks were 57.742mpg with 785 miles and 54.748mpg with 751 miles with E10. I'm sure I'll be breaking 60mpg and a 800 mile tank as weather cools down in Palm Beach County. The '09 has a smaller gas tank size than my '05 FEH.

With almost 17,000 miles on my '09, I have a lifetime MPG average of 50.3mpg and this new change in my P&G technique is shooting it up fast now. http://www.cleanmpg.com/index.php?page=garage&displayunits=MPG(US)&viewcar =2612

I haven't changed my battery blend door accuator yet in my '05 but I get a code every once in awhile that resets itself. Still the same ME coolant pump at 63,000 miles also. I average ~42mpg on E10 when I drive it and it feels way under powered compared to the '09.

You should be glad you didn't pull the trigger on the '08 FEH because the '09 or '10 has a great Nav Sys stereo and Sinc. I was just hired last week to test drive and Hypermile the new BMW X6 ActiveHybrid. Now that was real cool but at over $90,000 it was to rich for my blood. I think the AWD X6 will be good for better than 40mpg city but it's only rated for 22mpg city. BTW, the X6 hybrid is rated at 485hp and 575 foot pounds of torque. It has a 7 speed automatic eCVT that can be manually shifted like a race car. The BMW CUV could cruise in EV at 37mph up to 1.5 miles and is about 2,000 pounds heavier than the AWD FEH. German VOX TV was doing a documentary on hypermiling the X6 hybrid with me in Miami and said they would send a DVD copy when it's completed. You might be able to download it by googling VOX TV Hypermiling on 11/6/09.

GaryG

 

I can give you a "sort of" comparison too.

I purposely did NOT buy an '05-'07 model because of some of the reasons you like! LOL!

That is, I found the parking brake to take up way too much space in the console. That's gone now and that frees up so much room. I love that the '08 allows for an aux. imput (for a iPod/iPhone) - the earlier models did not (unless you put in your own). I like the more "masculine" appearance of the '08. I love the "info. center" - it's easy to see and gives me information about outside and inside temps. If you can't figure out climate control, just look at that info. center. This is a feature I like - you can have your side cool and the other side warm - and you can set those temperatures on each side. Plus, you can have seat warmers on each front seat on or off.

Bottom line, the features, smooth handling and overall look made the '08 model an easy decision for me. I had been wanting an FEH and once I saw the '08 model, I was ready to get one. So far, no regrets!