I bought a used 05 4WD FEH a while back(I am the Internet Sales Manager at a local car dealer & I took it in trade with 20,000 miles on it).

I knew absolutely NOTHING about the FEH at the time, when I first heard there was a hybrid 4WD Escape being produced I immediately wanted to buy one(it seemed like the perfect vehicle), but the over $30,000 price killed that idea for me.

At the time I took the FEH in, I was driving an 05 Chrysler T&C minivan that I bought new & I hated the thing(does anybody actually ENJOY driving a minivan??). I bought it for the room, I have two kids & we needed room for ski trips/football gear etc etc.

Not only did I hate driving the thing, it was absolutely killing me in the mpg area(3.8 liter V6). The thing was really good on gas if I only drove on the highway & kept it at about 65 mph, but I rarely drive that way. Around town, & back & forth to work I was putting gas in it 2-3 times a week(& it held over $50 worth of gas).

When I took the FEH in, I decided to buy it myself & dump the T&C. I had no idea whatever if I would actually like the vehicle, I did it purely for an economical standpoint at the time. It is smaller inside than the old van so I will need a ski/snowboard rack on the roof next Winter, but other than that I can't begin to describe how much I am enjoying this vehicle.

I found it a little light in the options catagory(mine is pretty much the base model, cloth interior, no NAV etc)so I started making some changes myself(I started years ago in the auto business as a mechanic & still do 99% of my own wrenching on cars & motorcycles).

Since I bought it, I have added additional speakers -two windshield pillar post tweeters(the same setup that comes in a Mazda Tribute with the 7 speaker stereo), 2 Kenwood self powered subwoofers(one in the rear right mounted on the side panel & one under the front passenger seat).

I also added a Gentek outside temp/compass/auto dimming mirror. I then added a matching grey overhead console with reading lights(I couldn't see reaching over my shoulder into the back every time I needed a reading light).

Mine didn't come with the 150 watt DC/AC inverter, so I added a 400 watt inverter wired to a duplex outlet in the side of the center console. I then tinted the front windows at 20% & added in channel vent shades on all four door windows(not 100% legal, but it looks cool & helps out the A/C tremendously -I had the same setup on my van & the cops never bothered me) The tint matches the dark charcoal grey metallic paint & looks factory.

I added shields behind the aluminum wheels to stop any/all brake dust(I realize the FEH rarely uses the brake pads, but it helps keep the wheels cleaner in everyday driving also).

I added my Garmin 2620 NAV unit & hard wired it in. I already owned a ScanGauge so I velcro'ed that to a corner of the dash where I can easily monitor it.

The more I drive the thing, the more I like it. I am getting over 30 mpg consistently(to me, that is outstanding for a 4WD SUV) without using some of the more extreme procedures mentioned on this site. I keep up with traffic & refuse to annoy the drivers behind me. I will not "draft" another vehicle at 70 mph or drive 1/2 on the shoulder of the road to inform the people behind me that I am driving too slow. I do make use of L gear a LOT & I have some fairly long road sections where I can coast in N.

I feel like I'm driving a sports car compared to that old minivan, this thing handles/rides super(even with 43 lbs of air in the tires)& is just a blast to drive.

~John

 

I just purchased a 2006 Hybrid 4WD after having owned a 2002 XLT for the last 4 years. I had always been disappointed with the gas mileage, but otherwise really enjoyed the truck. Then I bought a ScanGauge, hooked it up and drove around with it for a few weeks. That convinced me that the 02 was simply incapable of getting what I considered to be decent mileage in my world of driving conditions (congested rush hour traffic with some highway driving) no matter how I drove it. I was averaging 16-17 MPG. While I'm only on my 3rd tank of gas in the Hybrid, I have stayed in the 29+ to 31 MPG range and am more than pleased. It s also much quieter and uses nicer interior materials. Very pleased with the Hybrid.