My wife picked up here Ford Escape Hybrid in November. It's the FWD version with leather interior.

Driving experience:
The FEH is a nicely sized vehicle for four and cargo. It's definitely taller than a crossover SUV, so on entry it's something between a step in and a step up (kinda like a sidewalk step that is too long). So get the optional side step bars. The elevated stance and well designed cabin result in good visibility.

Hybridicity:
On startup you will be surprised that nothing happens. You're simply energizing the electric motor. The gas engine starts a moment later, and shuts down for short periods of time of it's own choosing. By my observation it prefers to use electric maybe 5% of the time total, only when idling or pulling out from a stop. The engine starts and engages once the car is moving, and it does so seamlessly, the only exception is a soft bump felt when going uphill. There is a simple needle on the gauge cluster that ranges from "charge" or "assist" depending on the status of the electric system.

We're getting 30 mpg after 11000 miles on the clock, which is quite good. The highest has been 32.0, less than the advertised 34mpg. I spent a little time amortizing the cost of the hybrid vs. gasoline, and figured that in 100k miles there is no cost benefit. So on the hybrid vs. gas question, I don't think there is a right answer right now. However, I like the idea of spending that money on vehicle rather than barrels of oil. (If I got more serious about that line of reasoning, I would have to wonder about the environmental impact of manufacturing and disposing of those massive batteries, and how much oil goes into making those extra hybrid parts, ... but I digress)

I can definitely feel the regenerative braking system. When you push the brake it feels different than a conventional brake. Braking performance though is controllable and firm once you become attuned to it.

Overall, driving this hybrid is the same as a regular vehicle, except some things sound/feel a little different. Those few differences quickly fade from memory.

Drivetrain:
The engine has enough power that it doesn't feel underpowered, but it's no speedster. It runs on 87 octane fuel as well.

The eCVT transmission is new to me. It's super smooth and silent. But going uphill I find it challenging to maintain a constant speed because the transmission is constantly changing ratios and I need to study the speedometer to compensate. If you read the manual, Ford recommends that to save fuel, the driver should not make an effort to maintain speed on a climb. I personally believe that's plain rude if you're being followed and there isn't a passing lane.

Towing/Offroad:
I'm sure you could tow with it, but you'll be very limited in the weight of the trailer. You could probably tow a small lawn equipment trailer or maybe a jet-ski. Based on the available torque I would not attempt anything more.

We do not drive ours offroad. It's really just a highway vehicle in my mind, although the extra ground clearance may be handy for dirt roads and other somewhat off-pavement activities.

Extras:
Ours came equipped with the 110v plug, satellite radio, and leather package. It would have been nice to get heated seats, but we were forced to settle on what a dealer had on the lot.

Technical:
I am mildly concerned about owning this vehicle past 100k. The hybrid components are warrantied up to 100k miles, but time will tell whether this will be enough. Self service of the 330v battery, generator, and motor may not be an option, and I have never been comfortable with complete reliance on dealer service. (Not specifically Ford, just a general statement). The relatively new technology of the CV Transmission means I'll be sure to get fluid changes at least as frequently as Ford's recommendation and only use Ford fluid. Aside from those two items, maintenance and durability are not a concern.

Appearance:
I like it, though I generally dislike SUVs. The Ford Escape Hybrid looks sturdy without being obnoxious. The leather interior is sharp. The two-tone interior options look terrible in my opinion. Ours is not equipped with the chrome appearance package - I've seen that and frankly I think it's ugly.

Buying experience:
I'll get to the point: we tried to order one and it was awful. In summer of '07 my wife placed an order with a local dealer, who quoted 10weeks lead time. 6 weeks later we called and they said "we're waiting on Ford, it's still 8 weeks". 4 weeks after that they said "the factory is overloaded, we expect about 6 weeks". So we called Ford, who promptly confirmed that FORD HAD NEVER RECEIVED OUR ORDER AT ALL. Some internet research revealed that Ford limits the number of dealer orders for each vehicle model. If the dealer takes more orders than they have immediately available allocations, the order sits until an allocation opens up. Apparently there aren't many FEH allocations, and some dealers can't even get them. Our dealer wasn't willing to talk about when our order would get entered, and Ford customer service didn't care that the dealer had been lying to us for months. We canceled the order.

A few months later I tried again by looking at dealer inventory. There were a total of (3) FEHs available within 150mi of us, and that included Baltimore and Philadelphia. I wish I could say the Ford website provided these results, but it was limited to a 15mi radius and thus provided nothing. My search succeeded using a major internet car search site. We went down that week and bought the car. I believe we were very lucky, although I remain queasy about putting our money into the company that was entirely indifferent about our ordering experience.

Update: in early '08, there are more on the lot. Shop around and enjoy the improved availability.


Amount Paid (US$): 29000
Condition: New
Model Year: 2008
Model and Options: FWD