Well, my Denver area Ford dealer was already doing the cash-for-clunkers CARS $4,500 discount themselves, so I paid them a visit on July 3. They had 9 Escape Hybrids on their lot. Other dealers had fewer.

My 2009 4x4 with only 2 extra options was $32,510, and they went down to $32K. Then minus the $4,500 for my 1991 Ford Explorer 4x4 (I bought it new 18 years ago).

And for this tax year I'll get a Fed tax credit of $958 (substraction off of final tax owed), and Colorado credit of $3,906 (yep, not a typo, and any excess credit can be carried into future tax years). So in the end I have a total of $9,364 off the price. What a deal, only costing $22,636. Great deal.

So far it has averaged 32.4 mpg over 278 miles since July 3, mostly driving in the city, and two highway trips to the airport. Computed this with milage diven and actual gas fill-up into tank (not using the Avg mpg display). Considering my 1991 SUV was only achieving 16 mpg combined, I am very happy about this.

And it is sooo cool to find myself driving on electric-only when going slow through parking lots, around the neighborhood, and under 40 mph sometimes. Almost can't believe it.

 

Awesome! Colorado is one of the best states that reward hybrid purchases.
I got $3200 cash back for my 2005.

You will love it!
The FEH does great on 85 octane gas and in higher elevations.
You will get higher MPG and more electric only time after about a 1000 mile break in period.

Enjoy! And write back on here often!
-John

 

Thanks, GPSman1.

I don't think I'll be using 85 octane in my FEH. I've always used 87 previously at this 5,200 ft. altitude, as 85 causes knocking in my other cars. Besides, 85 octane gasoline can invalidate my warranty, as it says on page 290 of the 2009 Owner's Guide:
"Octane recommendations. Your vehicle is designed to use 'Regular' unleaded gasoline with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. We do not recommend the use of gasolines labeled as 'Regular' in high altitude areas that are sold with octane ratings less than 87. . . . Note: Use of any fuel other than those recommended may cause powertrain damage, a loss of vehicle performance, and repairs may not be covered under warranty."

So, since I want no problems under warranty, ... for only 10 cents more a gallon, I'll use 87 octane. Besides, I get 15 cents/gallon discount using the King Soopers gas stations and Kroger cards.

 

That is a very good deal indeed. I wish I still lived in Colorado, that state credit is awesome. Especially since the last 10 years I lived there, we never got any state taxes back . We might be moving back in the next year or two. Do you know if would we qualify for the tax credit even though we bought the FEH in Texas?

 

For Colorado, the tax credit for buying a Hybrid has this rule:

"The credit is only available in the year

during which the vehicle was purchased"
... see colorado.gov and search for "Alternative Fuels Tax Credit"
(the alternative fuel is electricity in the case of the Hybrid)

... and I suppose you have to be a resident of Colorado for at least 6 months during the year in which you bought the vehicle.

 

Yea not surprised, still a great state credit though. Thanks for the info.

 

That is new. The 2005 manual ( different engine too ) does NOT say that.
It does say the car is designed to run on regular gas with 87 octane and use of lower octane "may affect performance". That's it. In my case, 85 octane in the mountain states gives me the highest MPG. I've never heard a knock, even under heavy load, towing, up I70.

The btu or calorie content of the gas, goes down, in general, with higher octane number gas. Remember, octane prevents detonation or "knocking" in HIGH compression engines. Our FEH with Atkinsen cycle engine is about the lowest compression engine on the road today.

Still, follow your manual. That statement is not in mine.

 

I bought an 09 FEH last week in the Clunker program in Albuquerque, NM and here is what my Owner's Guide says on Pg 290:

"Octane recommendations. Your vehicle is designed to use 'Regular' unleaded gasoline with a pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. We do not recommend the use of gasolines labeled as 'Regular' in high altitude areas that are sold with octane ratings less than 87.

Do not be concerned if your engine sometimes knocks lightly. However, if it knocks heavily under most driving conditions while you are using fuel with the recommended octane rating, see your authorized dealer to prevent any engine damage."

This is no brainer - I'll use the 87 octane and be nice to my engine. I live at an elevation of 6500 - 7200 feet which certainly falls in the high altitude range.

I only have 400 miles on this vehicle, but so far so good. Love the ride and when the engine isn't running. I drive slower now just so I can stay under 40 mph...

 

The octane ( in this case ) has nothing to do with "being nice" to your engine.

Octane is NOT an ingredient in the fuel.
Octane is a behavior of the fuel.
This behavior changes with altitude and A/F ratios.

Engines should be run on the lowest octane possible that does not produce knocking for best performace.

Due to the very low compression of the Hybrid engine, knocking is nearly impossible in this car.

I use 85 all the time in Colorado, for 4.5 years and maybe 60,000 out of my 80,000 miles. ( sometimes I'm out of state after all )

Keep in mind Ford must make general, sweeping recommendations. Just like the air psi for your tires. 35 is not the one and only psi you are allowed to run you car at. The acceptible range is 25psi to 45psi. 35 is in the middle and the "one size fits all" 'recommendation'.

If you drive your FEH aggressively like you are in some sort of speed race, then maybe 87 octane is best for you.
Better use "premium" 91 octane when you visit Los Angeles though, and be prepared to pay $3/gal for it.

FYI owners of the 2.3L FEH ( 2005 to 2008 ) report LOWER MPG when using premium gas, which makes sense, since premium has lower btu per gallon. More additives in premium = less gasoline per gallon pumped.
Higher octane usually = more ethanol for example.
Pure ethanol = 115 Octane so mixing some with regular gas = "premium".
Gas is not supposed to have more than 10% ethanol, but in the real world, can be up to 12% since the ratio is only approximate when distributers blend it.

Hope that helps you make an informed decision.
-John

 

Good reply - I have been using 86 octane on my first tank and the engine is behaving fine - no knocking at all, so I'll stick with the 86.

On another subject, I notice if I'm going along at 35 mph on EV and I go down a hill (with my foot off the accelerator) once my speed exceeds 40 mph, the engine comes back on. Seems to me if the vehicle is coasting in EV mode, it would stay in EV mode no matter what the vehicle speed is. This is all happening with the A/C off. Am I missing something here?