With its hybrid model, the 2007 Ford Escape and its close hybrid siblings, the Mazda Tribune and Mercury Mariner, overcome the the SUV stigma — poor gas mileage.
The Escape features a "full" hybrid electric system. It works in three different ways — as pure electric power, pure gasoline power or a combination of the two systems.
While braking or decelerating, the Escape's hybrid system relies on regenerative braking. The electric motor operates as a generator and coverts the vehicle's momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries.
Like other hybrids, the Escape, introduced in 2004, has a better city driving mph average than its freeway rating. It all made perfect sense while driving the Escape, with the engine switching to its electric (and more efficient) mode at slow speeds, signal lights and stop signs.
The transfer presents the Escape hybrid's one major concern: When decelerating, the engine has a high-pitched whine, not unlike the sound of a distant ambulance. Once you get used the noise, all is well. But the first several times I heard the pitch, I thought an emergency vehicle was in the vicinity.
The Escape hybrid's 4-cylinder gas engine and electric motor combine for 155 horsepower and is available only with an automatic transmission. As such, the hybrid isn't a quick accelerator, but it does seem faster than its rating of 0-60 mph in 9.6 seconds.
The hybrid Escape has a diverse, if small, selection of standard features: rear window defrost, two-speed wipers and an easy-to-use liftgate with flip-up glass. But my test vehicle also included an expensive option with a cumbersome name — the Energy Audiophile and Navigation System ($1,995). It also included a few odd extra charges, an AC 110-volt power outlet ($180), for example. A "leather comfort group" added another $595, a non-detailed safety package also added $595 and the appearance package added $695.
The options and the destination charge pushed the total price to more than $30,000. That's a hefty total for a compact SUV. But at least the sticker price can be rationalized with superior fuel efficiency and the hybrid's clean exhaust-system benefits.
Ford Escape Hybrid, 2007 (Facts & Figures): Safety — Dual front seat side airbags; Fuel Mileage (estimates) — 36 mpg (city), 31 mpg (highway); Warranty — Bumper to bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain, 8 years/100,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles; (24-hour) roadside assistance program, 3 years/36,000 miles; Base Price — $25,600.00
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