I have a 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, except for a rusty rear passenger quarter, its been a perfect vehicle. I purchased it brand new and have 140k miles on it.

Anyways, I would like to buy a new one. Does anyone know if the Escape is going to get a Hybrid chasis? I drove one with the eco boost motor in Florida which is 4 cylinder its ok, but only got about 26mpg.

I am used to around 38!

 

The 2012 FEH is the last hybrid Ford made with the Escape. I've heard of no plans to fit the Escape with a hybrid system again.

GaryG

 

That really stinks.

I drove a new Ford Escape while on vacation thinking to try out the new 2.0 eco boost motor. It is way under powered....

And over 1200 miles of driving I averaged 23 mpg...

 

Check out the Ford C-Max - it's a bit smaller but gets 47mpg on both city and hwy. I drove one that was selling at $21,888 and really liked it. I'm sure you can find a good deal around you.

 

Isn't Ford getting sued by a class action lawsuit because the CMax is only averaging 29mpg.

 

Another Escape hybrid is probably a few years away if it comes at all. If you're willing to go with a FWD wagon there is also the Prius v which is similar to the C-max.
Closest thing to an Escape Hybrid 4WD will probably be the Subaru XV hybrid in a few more months. Then there will be the Mitsubishi Outlander plug-in hybrid early next year, which will be larger than an Escape but get better mpg.
If you're willing to go for a midsize or larger hybrid SUV for more money, there are more options out there.

 

Google is your friend. Depending on how you drive it, it could get less than rated. This article, and others, shows it's sometimes getting only high 30s when new.

http://www.forbes.com/sites/joannmul...lammed-anyway/

That article got me to the forum below, which has further info:
http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index...mportant-note/

This is posted on the first sticky thread:

"According to page 196 of the C-MAX's owners's manual states "Do not measure fuel economy during the first 1000 miles (1600 kilometers) of driving (this is your engine’s break-in period); a more accurate measurement is obtained after 2000 miles–3000 miles (3200 kilometers–4800 kilometers). Also, fuel expense, frequency of fill-ups or fuel gauge readings are not accurate ways to measure fuel economy."

After checking multiple threads that seems to be the case --- the mpg steadily creeps up the first couple thousand miles till it gets to 47mpg.

 

FWIW, I was in the market for my daughter for a new car. I wanted her to have a safe compact SUV but wanted the good mileage of a FEH. After seeing that the "new" Ford Escape would not come in a hybrid and would only get 25mpg (despite being very underpowered), I went with a Mazda CX-5. I couldn't be happier with it even though it is not a hybrid it easily gets 30mpg (AWD) and is a hoot to drive. Currently, the best mpg compact SUV (non-hybrid) on the market.

 

I'd wait for a plug-in hybrid because most hybrids come with an electric A/C compressor now. The plug-in hybrids can handle the load of the electric compressor and the other will drain the battery much too fast. The '09 FEH was the last year for a belt driven A/C compressor and a battery cooled aux A/C.

GaryG

 

GaryG,
I have the Enginer system in my 2011 FEH AWD. I would be very happy with it if the system were more reliable. When working (which it is now - fingers crossed), I am averaging over 40mpg with a combination of city/highway driving. When not working, it is a 300 lb paperweight. It amazes me that Ford did not take the trivial extra step of integrating the Energi system into the Ford Escape drivetrain. I guess there wasn't a market there? For people like myself who want to have the flexibility of going into the mountains here in Colorado, not have the range anxiety, yet want excellent gas mileage, a FEH PHEV is the ideal option. But I suppose I'm not the target demographic...
Brian