Part 3 of the six-part series on Cool hybrids for 2008:
Ford Escape — Base price, $25,655; Safety Features, dual-front, front side and side curtain airbags; Fuel Mileage estimates, 30-34 mpg; Warranty, Bumper to Bumper, 3 years/36,000 miles; Powertrain, 8 years/100,000 miles; Corrosion, 5 years/unlimited miles.
Since its debut in 2004, the Escape has quickly built a steady following as the most fuel-efficient hybrid sport utility vehicle. But there's more to the Escape than great gas mileage for its class.
While sharing the same platform as its close hybrid siblings — the Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner, the Escape feature a "full" hybrid electric system. The engine works in three ways — as pure electr, pure gas power or a combination of the two. After four years in its original design, the 2008 updated edition square-looking, giving the Escape a more rugged appearance.
In previous years' editions, the Escape was rather noisy. But the '08 improvements include a laminated windshield, acoustic headliner and thicker carpeting. And the console has also been streamlined and modernized.
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.
The transfer presents the Escape hybrid's one major concern: When decelerating, the engine has a high-pitched whine. It's not unlike the sound of a distant ambulance. Once you get used the noise, all is well.
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 seems faster than its rating of 0-60 mph in 9.6 seconds. And it's quicker than the gas-only Escape.
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. It'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.
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