Hello again
#1
Hello again
I haven't been by almost since I joined the forum, but I have spent a LOT of time in my FEH since I bought it July 1st. As of today I have 5,148 miles on it. I have been on trips, commuting, down to the hunting camp, used it to haul junk to Goodwill, and just about everything you can imagine. I had read some threads about what to expect with mileage as the car got broken in, but I was still surprised. At first I was running about 30 mpg, even when trying hard. Then I began to learn the car, and mileage started to improve. Then, at just over 2,000 miles, mileage started improving! Now, if I am commuting in typical Atlanta gridlock, I can pull down as much as 38 mpg with careful driving!
I fill up the tank far more often than I need to, but it is so darned much fun calculating the mileage!
This is a great all-around car, and as gas prices pass $3 per gallon I am so glad I took the plunge!
I fill up the tank far more often than I need to, but it is so darned much fun calculating the mileage!
This is a great all-around car, and as gas prices pass $3 per gallon I am so glad I took the plunge!
#2
Re: Hello again
Great!
I'm glad to see such high numbers for the Escape Hybrid. Personally, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from a hybrid SUV, but you are beating my '97 Cavy hands down! I have NOTHING against foreign auto manufactuerers whatsoever, but it is nice to see a home-grown auto company beginning to embrace hybrids. Cheers!
I'm glad to see such high numbers for the Escape Hybrid. Personally, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect from a hybrid SUV, but you are beating my '97 Cavy hands down! I have NOTHING against foreign auto manufactuerers whatsoever, but it is nice to see a home-grown auto company beginning to embrace hybrids. Cheers!
#3
Re: Hello again
Great mileage! I'm having similar success in non-highway situations with my 4WD FEH.
Folks aren't usually very impressed when they find I'm getting mpg's in the low 30's on average, but here's something I figured out today on fueleconomy.gov. There are only six 2005 cars/trucks that get significantly better mileage than the FEH:
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda Insight
Toyota Corolla (some models)
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf (some models)
Volkswagen Jetta (some models)
There are many cars that get comparable mileage, but only one is a midsize (the Hyundai Elantra). All others are sub-compact or compact.
I'm disappointed that Ford isn't getting much credit for producing a 4WD SUV with the mpg's of a subcompact, and PZEV to boot.
-- Hal
Folks aren't usually very impressed when they find I'm getting mpg's in the low 30's on average, but here's something I figured out today on fueleconomy.gov. There are only six 2005 cars/trucks that get significantly better mileage than the FEH:
Honda Civic Hybrid
Honda Insight
Toyota Corolla (some models)
Toyota Prius
Volkswagen Golf (some models)
Volkswagen Jetta (some models)
There are many cars that get comparable mileage, but only one is a midsize (the Hyundai Elantra). All others are sub-compact or compact.
I'm disappointed that Ford isn't getting much credit for producing a 4WD SUV with the mpg's of a subcompact, and PZEV to boot.
-- Hal
#4
Re: Hello again
Originally Posted by hal&judy
I'm disappointed that Ford isn't getting much credit for producing a 4WD SUV with the mpg's of a subcompact, and PZEV to boot.
#5
Re: Hello again
Hi Hal&Judy:
___I do not know if your Escape HEV is a PZEV or not but there are those in some areas of the country that are at best LEV’s. The EPA calls them “Clean Vehicles” but the truth be told, there are those that aren’t much to brag about including some purchased/sold in Atlanta, Chicago/Gary/Lake County, Denver/Boulder and Milwaukee/Racine specifically
___In either case, to receive 30 + in a 4WD SUV is better then what most are receiving in their Civic’s and Corolla’s let alone everything else!
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
___I do not know if your Escape HEV is a PZEV or not but there are those in some areas of the country that are at best LEV’s. The EPA calls them “Clean Vehicles” but the truth be told, there are those that aren’t much to brag about including some purchased/sold in Atlanta, Chicago/Gary/Lake County, Denver/Boulder and Milwaukee/Racine specifically
___In either case, to receive 30 + in a 4WD SUV is better then what most are receiving in their Civic’s and Corolla’s let alone everything else!
___Good Luck
___Wayne R. Gerdes
___Waynegerdes@earthlink.net
#6
Re: Hello again
Originally Posted by grock321
I haven't been by almost since I joined the forum, but I have spent a LOT of time in my FEH since I bought it July 1st. As of today I have 5,148 miles on it. I have been on trips, commuting, down to the hunting camp, used it to haul junk to Goodwill, and just about everything you can imagine. I had read some threads about what to expect with mileage as the car got broken in, but I was still surprised. At first I was running about 30 mpg, even when trying hard. Then I began to learn the car, and mileage started to improve. Then, at just over 2,000 miles, mileage started improving! Now, if I am commuting in typical Atlanta gridlock, I can pull down as much as 38 mpg with careful driving!
I fill up the tank far more often than I need to, but it is so darned much fun calculating the mileage!
This is a great all-around car, and as gas prices pass $3 per gallon I am so glad I took the plunge!
I fill up the tank far more often than I need to, but it is so darned much fun calculating the mileage!
This is a great all-around car, and as gas prices pass $3 per gallon I am so glad I took the plunge!
Over 5K in three months, that's quite a bit of driving. I got mine June 1st, and I'm approaching 4K, and I have what many would consider a monster commute. (82 miles round trip.)
It's kind of amazing to see the milage improve and improve with age, and as the only change I've made to my driving style since about the second tank is that I recently dropped drafting, and my milage is still improving. It's got to be the car getting better. I'm on my second tank above 33 MPG, and drive in a modified style that's both normal traffic and fuel efficient; that is, without trying to get exceptional milage.
Kind of a funny thing about gas prices. Before I got mine, I did all sorts of research, and even made a quick little Excel spreadsheet to see if it was advantagous in the long run to get a FEH rather than a conventional Escape. I figured that it would take me about five years to break even, and after 10 years I'd come out quite a bit ahead. Using a better version that I got from here, with the rise in gas prices, I break even by the second year.
#7
Re: Hello again
Originally Posted by helterskelter683
I'll give kudos to Ford for pursuing the technology, but they didn't invest in the innovation; they purchased from Toyota instead.
As an aside, one of the things that impresses me about the FEH is that the hybrid system just keeps doing its normal thing while climbing mountains, or on jeep roads, or in the snow, and so forth. Ascending a 5000 foot mountain in Tennessee, and going back down the other side, we got over 30 mpgs overall. I don't know why it impresses me, it just does.
Originally Posted by xcel
I do not know if your Escape HEV is a PZEV or not but there are those in some areas of the country that are at best LEV’s.
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