 When you think fuel efficient the last thing to come to mind is probably an SUV, but that may all be changing. The Ford Escape Hybrid SUV is just one of many new SUV's on the market with the "Hybrid" label. Thanks to the cool people at Ford I recently had the opportunity to test drive the Escape Hybrid to see just how fuel efficient it is.
WHAT I LIKE:
The exterior is the first thing that catches your eye about the Escape. While the design is nothing too out of the ordinary, it's the subtle design aspects that make this SUV stand out from the rest. Think of the Escape as the rebel, off-road brother to the trendy, sophisticated Lincoln Navigator. While the Escape is plenty trendy and certainly does not lack sophistication, there is something about the Escape that makes you want to get a little dirty.
Once you climb into the Escape you'll find plenty of fun features to play with. The Escape Hybrid comes equipped with touch-screen controls for Sirius/XM radio, Navigation System, and SIRIUS Travel Link, which was included in the test vehicle I tried out and I can't speak highly enough about it. The Travel Link gives you all sorts of travel information at your finger tips from local gas prices to weather reports and beyond. The local gas price reports are especially helpful nowadays with prices skyrocketing again.
Last, just driving a "hybrid" is something I like, whether it be an Escape Hybrid or a Mercury Milan Hybrid (review coming soon!). When you start a hybrid it is totally silent thanks to the electric motor and it is also silent when you are cruising at speeds at 10mph and lower. The Jetsons was a favorite of mine growing up and when I'm driving a hybrid I feel like we're one step closer to being as cool as them. Besides the cool factor, that hybrid label will also help save you some dough when it comes to gas. The Escape Hybrid gets 34 mpg in the city and 31 mpg on the highway. Personally, my average fuel mileage was just a little under 30 mpg for the week, though I am sure on a more long-term basis the average would be higher.
WHAT I DON'T LIKE:
There was one thing that made me question my overall liking of the Escape Hybrid. When accelerating the Escape can be quite noisy. The Escape is ultimately a redesign of the Explorer and unfortunately it seems Ford didn't improve the noisy acceleration in the redesign.
OVERALL:
If you're looking for something sophisticated while not giving up the rebel inside then the Escape Hybrid is for you. You can have the space of an SUV, yet get the fuel mileage of a car half the size. Usually at this point in the review I would be complaining about the high price, but the Ford Escape Hybrid is actually fair priced. The base model starts around $30,000 and the upgraded Limited edition will run you about $33,000. When you figure that you'll be saving hundreds of dollars every year, the Escape Hybrid at these prices is a smart buy.
For more information check out http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/escapehybrid/
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