Thinking about an Escape or Mariner - would love to hear from owners!

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Jun 23, 2008 | 09:11 AM

#11

Jerry&Natalie

Active Enthusiast

Joined: Mar 2007

Posts: 245

From: Uintah Basin Utah

Re: Thinking about an Escape or Mariner - would love to hear from owners!

I bought our FEH when I lived in Clearwater FL, moved here last June. In order to stay cool in the summer you will need to use Max AC. I am an insurance agent and wearing black suits in Florida is hot! All in all, you will still get good mileage.

Jun 23, 2008 | 07:05 PM

#12

GatorJ

Ridiculously Active Enthusiast

Joined: Apr 2006

Posts: 570

Re: Thinking about an Escape or Mariner - would love to hear from owners!

Quote:

Originally Posted by TeeSter

The breeze still blows... the compressor just isn't on. Its one of the good reasons to use recirculate. Otherwise at every intersection the hot air from outside is drawn into the vehicle.

If you leave it on MAX you are going to find you loose a large amount of MPG savings because the engine will stay on all the time. Idling just to run an air conditioner is a killer to gas mileage. A better bet would be to leave it in A/C recirculate most of the time and if you are in a heatwave just reach over and flip it to MAX when necessary at an intersection, then flip it back to recirculate as soon as you get moving again.

That is exactly what I do. I'm willing to put up with slightly more discomfort than I would subject my passengers to.

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealtorLiane

So let me get this straight...if you are in Econ or Recirc, does the A/C only blow when you stop, or when you are driving? I'd probably only keep it on MAX when clients are in the car or when its above 90 here, at least until the car cools down if it had been sitting in the sun for awhile...

Also, does the FEH or MM have air vents in the backseat? That's one feature I'd like to have that I'm not sure if they have or not - for clients of course.

Again, if the the gas engine is not on, the AC will still blow air through the vents. The evaporator, which the air blows across in order to get cold, does not warm up immediately. The next time you are driving home, turn your AC compressor off, but leave the fan on. That simulates what happens when the gas engine shuts off turning off the compressor. Would you be comfortable doing this just starting off after the car had been parked in the hot sun? Definitely not. Is it satisfactory after the car has had a chance to cool off and you are going to be stopped at a light for a minute or two? Generally, yes. I do this a couple of miles from home in order to allow the condensate in the system drain before parking. This prevents puddles in the garage and prevents that musty odor that comes from your AC system some times.

Jun 29, 2008 | 08:51 PM

#13

christophermdiaz

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Joined: Jun 2008

Posts: 1

Re: Thinking about an Escape or Mariner - would love to hear from owners!

I just purchased a 2008 FEH and so far I am very pleased with it. I chose the FEH more because of the space inside. My fiancee is in a wheelchair and I needed something that I could throw the wheelchair in and not have to take it apart. This car is absolutely perfect for this. I could fit the chair and luggage in the back and if I recline the back seats, a whole lot more....

The ride is smooth and comfortable, seats are plesant for a long ride and best of all even in the first 1000 miles I am averaging 31mpg with mostly highway driving.

As others stated though, if you dont need the SUV style, I would look at the civic hybrid, as it gets phenomenal gas mileage.