I always wanted an SUV that got decent mpg & the FEH is it.

I work at a car dealer & I took an 05 FEH in as a trade-in. I bought it right on the spot not really having any idea if I would like it or not. I loved it from day one.

I drove the 05 for a year or so & then stumbled across a TOTALLY LOADED 2006 FEH with under 4,000 miles on it for just over $20,000. I sold the 05 & bought the 06 which I still have and absolutely love (I have 21,000 miles on it now).

I had been driving an 05 Chrysler T&C minivan before I got the 05 (I needed space for my two kids & their football gear/skates etc etc). I absolutely HATED every minute of driving that thing & it was averaging about 16 mpg to boot.........

~John

 

I wanted a SUV and wanted to get better gas mileage.

The 3K tax incentive was also very nice.

If a pickup truck would come out hybrid that got 30 mpg, I would gladly switch back though.

I like the MMH. I am averaging 32 mpg at 7k miles with no effort.

 

I wanted a hybrid but I needed an off-road capable SUV so I could get to hang-glider launch sites.

Toyota, Lexus, etc -- all their hybrid SUVs say "not intended for off-road use." The FEH is built on the standard Escape chassis which is OK for off road. The others are basically minivans tricked up to look like a "real" SUV. So the FEH was the only one left on the short list.

 

You could technically say the same thing about an Escape as it is only an SUV built on a car chassis.

Nobody would pick an Escape for "true offroad" use........

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my FEH but one of the reasons why it is I like the ride etc. that come from it NOT being a true off road pounder....

~John

 

I haven't been able to find the genesis of the Escape chassis, but the reviews from off-road magazines and web sites are pretty much unanimous: the Escape is a good compromise between off-road capability that behaves well on paved roads. In other words, exactly what I was looking for.

As I said, all the other 4WD/AWD hybrids brochures say (at the bottom usually) "not intended for off-road use." The FEH is the only one that doesn't have that manufacturer-stated restriction.

 

really the only car in its class that I can tell. I needed 4 wd and wanted to have the milage. They also can be optioned out quite well. I got this car with everything. I should with milage savings alone be able to pay for the car from my F-350.

 

Ok, now that my 08 FEH is on the train to my house from the factory I feel I'm "allowed" to post on this...

Reasons Why I Bought My FEH

1. Wanted to support hybrid technology. That's mainly the environmental aspects, I wanted to support something that is at least moving in the right direction of consuming and emitting less. I know I should walk more and I try but I'm one of the people that believes that a little change is better than none at all. So, once I decided that was ready to "vote with my dollars" and prove that people do want to buy these things the next decision was what kind of hybrid.


2. Couldn't do with less room than the PT Cruiser it's replacing. In our current stable the other family car is a 2007 Mini Cooper so with the Cruiser moving on we need to have something that we can move "stuff" and people in. There are always the odd jobs around our house or one of the rental houses that requires loading something and taking it somewhere. After sitting in a Prius I realized that it really couldn't pack many 2x4's or sheets of drywall or a love seat so it wasn't for me.

3. Could buy the FEH locally (sort of). The only dealer carrying any hybrids in stock at the time were Toyota and Honda (for the reason above both the Prius and Civic are ruled out) and I didn't want to buy a Vue because there is no Saturn dealer here. There are Ford dealers so I wanted to force them to order one, again to show that "hey, people will buy these". In the end they had to order through another dealer in a different city but I am dealing exclusively with the sales rep and the dealership here. They can't miss the fact that someone bought one like if I had bought a Vue or even the FEH from another city. (Side story - it took me a year to convince my my friend (and salesman) that I really wanted one and wouldn't be dissuaded.)

4. It looks cool. I think the 08's look great and will be happy to drive and be seen in one.

5. I know I have the only one in my city. (Hopefully that doesn't last too long ) but for now, I have to admit that I'll probably do a little bragging and I'll enjoy the cachet of being to tell people about it and take them for rides!

 

Here are my reasons for going with the 2008 FEH 4WD (in order of importance):
1) Wanted a 4WD because we go over the mountain passes a lot in the winter. We also go XC Skiing a lot and can also get a lot of snow in town in the winter and 4WD (in addition to slowing down) just helps keep it on the road better.
2) Wanted the extra clearance of an SUV. We go out hiking, geocaching and mountain biking and sometimes, big rocks are not too kind to the underside of a van or 2WD pickup truck. (Trust me, I know)
3) Didn't want the low mileage of most SUVs and the FEH IS the highest mileage SUV on the planet, at least by EPA standards.
4) Less expensive and better mileage than a Toyota Highlander hybrid, which was the other hybrid we were considering.
5) More room, better clearance and better mileage than the Subaru Forester or Outback, which we were also considering.
6) Don't need to tow anything so big engine is not a requirement for us.

 

Hi
My reasons for buying a FEH??
1. After years driving (and loving) Toyotas; wanted something with a little higher profile for freeway driving.
2. Way more cargo area, but doesn't feel like I'm hauling around in a HMV!
3. Continued (and improved) great FE
4. It's green, baby!
5. Lots of high-tech toys
6. It looks cool, and I get approached in parking lots, etc. from people asking about it. Great conversation starter!
Jill