hi-mpg.org Ratings for
2005-2006 Ford Escape Hybrid
| Price: | $27,000
(in 2005) |
| Style: | 4 |
| Performance: | 4 |
| Luxury: | 7 |
| Utility: | 10 |
| Fun: | 3 |
| Value: | 3 |
| Overall: |
5.17 |
| | Ratings scale: 1-10; 10 = best |
So you are active, have to haul a lot of gear, and/or have an
especially large family. Once in a while you even
travel off of paved roads (unlike most SUV owners) to, for example,
reach the base of a mountain you are going to climb up (in
rock climbing shoes), and you actually need the ground clearance
of an SUV. Yet, it hurts to think about how much gas money you'd
need just to drive from San Francisco to Yosemite in a
Toyota Sequoia, which only achieves 16 or 17 mpg on the highway.
Finally, an automobile manufacturer has an answer. The Ford
Escape Hybrid is the first electric/gasoline SUV, and it's a decent one.
Ford's line of SUVs have been popular for their handsome looks,
workhorse dependability and thoughtful creature comforts, and the
Escape Hybrid is no exception.
We personally think that the Escape Hybrid is one of the better looking
SUVs on the market, though unlike most of the other vehicles on
hi-mpg.org, it probably would not attract a huge crowd at the local
gas station. However, a smile on your face will form every time
you grab the gas pump, because the Escape Hybrid
gets a whopping
31 mpg on the highway. That is easily double
that of most medium or large-sized SUVs, and three times as much
as the poster-child of the gas-guzzlers, the Hummer H2.
Finally, being able to carry lots of stuff does not require sucking up
egregious supplies of dino-juice.
Note: the photo above is of a non-hybrid Escape, but the Escape Hybrid
looks similar. The 2005 Escape Hybrid arrives at Ford dealerships
in fall or winter of 2004.
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