I am giving serious thought to the Escape, can't deal with the seats in my Prius anymore, and think I would like a 4x4 that can do mild to moderate off roading (no boulder climbing). Anyone taken their FEH off-road (with or without boulder climbing)?

 

If you look in the FEH photo section there has been a few posts of the vehicle "off-road". One of our posters has used the vehicle off-road for his "para-gliding" adventures. There has been a few threads from him about his vehicle off-road and here is a thread:https://www.greenhybrid.com/discuss/...roading-17740/ .

I'm curious about the seats in the Prius? What is the story? Have you been in a FE or FEH and experienced what the difference?

 

I have had one (awd) for 3 months now and taken it off road on the Tahoe area and in Mammoth, Mostly dirt roads and have had no problems.
The Hybrid drive does not burn the rubber off the tires, but it works great for me.

Mark

 

I'm curious about the seats in the Prius? What is the story? Have you been in a FE or FEH and experienced what the difference?[/quote]

Well, I have some back trouble as well as trouble with my left hip due to an accident. I am also 6'1", a little tall for a Prius seat. Then again, others have complained about the Prius seats too, resulting in some changes in 2010. I have driven the Hybrid on a test drive and rented a nonhybrid Escape and driven it several hours. The seats seemed much better to me.

 

[quote=Billyk;214551]If you look in the FEH photo section there has been a few posts of the vehicle "off-road".

Is there a way of searching the photo section for the photos?

 

I've had great experiences with my FEH off-road in mostly desert and mountain trails. Once you change out the stock (all-season) tires, I think you're good to go on trails that require 8" or less of clearance. The hybrid drivetrain is a plus on longer trails because you have over 400 miles of range on a single tank.
However, since your back is sensitive I would make sure you test drive a 4WD FEH extensively to make sure you like it, because it does ride stiffer than the 2WD versions and probably much stiffer than your Prius.
There may also still be YouTube videos of guys driving their FEHs on some muddy trails.

 

This is the link for off-road video with Raven: https://www.greenhybrid.com/share/sh...hp?i=2108&c=50

There is a reference to a YouTube video at:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P1iHGwj7MUA
Note this vehicle may have oversized tires to handle the off-road conditions.

 

Mine is a 2x4 and does great. I drive in CO, WY, UT, NE, SD, IA, MN, WI in winter and I've never been stuck yet!








Oh, I'd like to mention, it can tow, (BIG time) and still net about 20 MPG!

 

The seats and other interior parts were part of my family's reason for owning two FEH rather than one and a Prius, but not due to comfort concerns. The Prius interior is heavily-laden with VOC's, and with my wife's MCS she had to wear a mask every time we rented one before deciding. We rented the FEH twice and that made up our minds. The interior does not seem to outgas very much, and with a carbon air filter she does not have to wear a mask when driving. We were VERY careful about selecting the Priuses (Prii?) to rent, and in each case we made sure the car was not too new (too much "new car smell" outgassing) and not too old (too many cleanings with Febreze, etc, which she's specifically allergic to).

All that said, the FEH seats ARE way more comfy than the Prius, as long as you like very firm seats. I'm 5'11" and the Prius was just on the edge of giving me claustrophobia. Would have been OK if they had not made my wife sick to breathe the cabin air.

RayP

 

Oh, and by the way, you can rent the FEH at National at the San Jose Airport. You need to see that they have one, because they won't reserve them for you. Great way to do an extended test drive before deciding. The ones I rented were both '08's. Bought '09's. I'd say it would even be worth a flight into SJC for a weekend drive to Monterey or Napa, and then you will be hooked like we were.

RayP