If you want the cheapest transportation, look elsewere!

The Hybrid Escape saves you money over the V6 Escape in 3-4 years of ownership. Versus the I4 Escape, may take longer. From what I've read, the I4 gas Escape sucks, and you won't like it.

You need to consider you are buying a premium vehicle here.
The FEH is better in many aspects, not just MPG.

It has a CVT which is better than an automatic tranny, and way nicer than a manual tranny. You'll learn to love having NO SHIFT SHOCK and no shifting, period. This is a "premium" feature the other cars don't have.

My FEH came with 4 wheel disc brakes. This is a premium feature, since the others have only front wheel disc brakes.

The FEH is FRONT WHEEL DRIVE ( *In fact, Ford's ONLY "truck/SUV" that is FWD ) and I consider this a premium feature. This is better on snow, sand, dirt, and I think better over-all. I own FWD only, and live and travel in the northern states and have always had awesome traction, and I have had to use tire chains 1 time in 5 years of living in the mountain states.

The FEH has a nearly equal balance of weight from front to back.
The gas only Escapes are heavier in front. Big deal? Probably not, but feels good and rides well being equally balanced on all 4 tires.

Can the FEH end up with a "dead battery" and no start? Sure, but with two on board battery systems, it's much more unlikely. I consider this a "premium feature" the gas only cars do not have. The high voltage battery keeps the 12v battery charged and "topped off", and in a pinch, with a push of a button, the 12v battery can be used to recharge (*limited degree) the larger high voltage battery.

At the time, my FEH came with a navigation system. A premium feature only available in the Hybrid Escapes in 2005.

No matter how you "drive", the FEH will shut off the engine at stop lights and in drive-thru lines, saving gas, and definately, pollution. A "premium" feature the gas only cars do not have.

The FEH can pull into the garage, or work, or whatever engine off and "silent".
Good if you come in late, and don't want to bother someone. Another "premium" feature the gas only cars do not have.

The FEH can be used as back-up power for your home in the aftermath of a storm or other power outage. It will use (probably) less gas than any stand alone generator, it will FOR SURE be quieter than any stand alone generator, and it will FOR SURE pollute less than any stand alone generator.
My estimates are 0.20 gallon per hour when used to power the basics of a home. With 15 gallons of on-board gasoline, that's a few days of trouble free power. (*You must purchase your own inverter if you want more than the on-board 150 watts of 120 volt A.C. ) What it will do is, shut off until the battery gets low, then restart for just 2-3 minutes to re-charge the battery, then shut back off for about 10 minutes.
2-3 minutes of run-time per 10 minutes of power is very efficient.

I can go on and on for another page or two, but you should begin to see that a hybrid is a "premium" upgrade in many ways, MPG is just one "feature" of the total package.

Oh, did I mention ONE OIL CHANGE PER YEAR is all that is needed?
( You can go 15,000 miles of Hwy or 10,000 miles of city per Oil Change. )

That's 3 fewer oil changes per year compared to a gas only, saving you money, and helping the planet.

- John

 

1. Noise is always a personal variable. What's one person's detractingly noisy is anothers norm.

2. The FEH and the Escape have two very different braking systems.



The EPA changed their test cycles due to pressure that the numbers were unattainable by modern drivers, and a new 5 cycle test system was created to more accurately similate modern day bad driving.

Many skilled hybrid owners feel the new numbers are insultingly low. Many gas owners feel the numbers are still unattainable and need to be further lowered.


I did a cost benefit analysis and went with the one that I enjoyed more and I figured would cost me less over the course of a decade.

However, besides the many other unexpected bonus' from going with the FEH, I also have already "turned a profit", so to say. I've saved an estimated $4,900 in fuel already over a standard Escape, meaning I'm almost $1,200 ahead when you subtract the "hybrid premium", in under four years.

As a side note, I've saved a laughable $8K in fuel expenses over my previous Explorer and driving methods that I used while driving it.



Try reading my FEH FAQ. There's a sticky at the top of the forum and a link in my signature.

In addition, there's a big difference between consuming less fuel and no fuel during a trip. Furthermore, how many gas drivers are that concerned with their driving when gas isn't prohibitively expensive? Many hybrid drivers are getting their hybrid as a way to save fuel, starting them on a journey to save even more fuel.



I figured I wouldn't be an extreme. Many others felt the same way too. Then things change.

In 10 years, a new battery won't be 5K without doing significantly more then what they do now. Are you sure you're going to want to sell your vehicle later down the road? The cost for a conversion may greatly extend the lifespan of your vehicle for less then the cost of a new one. In addition there's already starting to be a market for "used up" batteries for reconditioning for various purposes, including home power generators.


Yes. In fact, I've worked with two companies on FEH plugin conversions and there's at least one more and maybe three others in addition. Right now the technology is just being developed, and it is rather costly, around $18K. However, as technology costs decrease and parts become more readily available, especially as Ford themselves continue to work on it, that cost will be more managable 10 years down the road.

 

True.

Many of us who may have paid a little more for a hybrid probably overestimate the greenness factor. I think a lot hybrid skeptics really underestimate it too.

If you're only driving about 7,000 miles per year, you're really not going to get the same cost savings most hybrid drivers get. There is no cost analysis that will make a hybrid escape better for you at 7k /year than a regular escape. You're at a point where you would be paying about $2-3k more for the "intangible" benefits of the hybrid option.

Some people want fully loaded vehicles with sat-nav, fog lamps, 4WD, leather, moonroof, Bluetooth, and anything else. Some people just want transportation & utility.

You probably know most of the benefits. It's quieter in traffic, it's longer between fill-ups, it's less maintenance, etc, etc. Resale values are a LOT better than most people assume. Take a look at some of the used models online and compare the different mileages. It's very counter-intuitive but the hybrids retain more value than their gas only counterparts even when they have high mileage.

For many of us though, they're just a heck of a lot more fun to drive. It's hard to explain. It's like Tivo. You can try to explain how it works and why you like your Tivo/DVR to someone who doesn't have one. You can show them what it does on your TV, but until they spend some time getting used to it and then go back to watching regular TV, they won't really get the difference. That's why it's hard to explain why hybrid drivers drive differently when everyone else could probably do the same & improve their MPG.

 

We have owned a 2005 Escape Limited and replaced it with a 2007 Escape Hybrid. We liked the 2005 Escape, but didn't like the gas mileage. We get 31-36 mpg easliy and sometimes almost 40. It is a great car and we enjoy driving it more than our Honda Civic Hybrids. We take it everywhere for trips and love the 110 outlet plug for the computer and charging our phones.

I know there is always a lot of discussion about the "pay back" and cost of a hybrid versus the gas version.

Let me ask this question: "How much of a pay back does someone get from the Leather Seats? Moonroof? "

When gas prices go up, I don't panic like some of my friends - we can go further on a tank of gas and want to support technology that will help us decrease our dependence on foreign oil.

It is all about choices, and I'm glad we have a few options.