The Ford Escape is Ford’s best selling SUV ever. Offering a hybrid version potentially could have both good and bad implications for Ford. On the plus side, the popularity of the gasoline-only version gives Ford a leg up in promoting the hybrid vehicle. On the downside, customers that know and enjoy the positive attributes of the gasoline version would likely have very high expectations in a hybrid version.

To capitalize on the upside and minimize the downside, the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid retains the strong selling points of the gasoline model while offering the improved fuel economy of a hybrid.  Read more...

The 2011 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV continues to offer superior fuel economy as its past years’ models. The significant changes in the 2011 edition are all technological.

The Ford Escape Hybrid has been available for about five years. And it continues to serve a market niche. “If you’re looking for a small hybrid crossover SUV, the Escape is the only game in town,” said Edmonds.

The 2011 Escape Hybrid combines a 2.5-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine and a battery-powered electric motor. Together they deliver 177 horsepower. A continuously-variable transmission handles the gear shifting duties. An all-wheel-drive version adds an additional electric motor to power the rear wheels. That extra motor also kicks in when power is needed for acceleration or traction.  Read more...

The 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid is advertised as the most frugal sport-utility vehicle in America when it comes to fuel consumption.  This is largely due to a concentrated effort from Ford to save weight and improve the capabilities of the SUV’s outstanding gasoline / electric powertrain, allowing them to claim dominance in an area of the market where few other automakers have tread.  Read more...

Last month we offered a bumper to bumper hybrid Ford Escape versus hybrid Toyota Highlander comparison and quickly learned that an equally large number of people are interested in the differences between same model gas vs. hybrid sport utilities.

For example, if you’ve decided to buy a new Ford Escape, but now you are also considering the hybrid model, you’re probably asking yourself if escaping to the green side is worth the extra, well, green. While both SUVs look nearly identical when you are more than about 15 feet away, a closer look reveals their hidden differences.  Read more...

Review of the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

The 2008 model year brought significant cosmetic changes to the Ford Escape – adding sharper lines and a more rugged exterior. For 2009, Ford has turned its attention under the hood and revamped the 2009 Ford Escape hybrid’s mechanics. By bringing the SUV’s inner-workings up to speed, the auto giant is hoping to see sales even higher than it did during a record-breaking ’08.  Read more...

Just five months after announcing a joint effort to better understand electric automobiles, Ford Motor Company and Southern California Edison (SCE) introduced the first demo version of the all new, Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid vehicle (PHEV) today.  The plug-in Escape SUV is a research vehicle that uses high voltage, lithium-ion batteries which can be charged using standard 120 volt household current.

When the batteries are fully charged, a process that takes about 7 hours, the electrified Escape is capable of achieving 120 miles per gallon during the first 30 miles of travel.  As a bonus, the PHEV doesn’t need to be recharged to continue its journey. Instead, it automatically and seamlessly transitions to operate as a standard hybrid Escape.  Read more...

The 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid debuted in late November, 2006 at the LA Auto Show, and began arriving at dealerships across the country just a few months later. With an EPA estimated gas mileage of 34/30, this green sport utility vehicle remains one of the most fuel efficient vehicles in its class.

Ford has been building the Escape since 2004, and it was the first hybrid suv available in the U.S.  Considered a “full” hybrid vehicle, it is able to operate solely on electric power, gas power, or a combination of the two.  Like other hybrids, the Escape charges its batteries during the braking process – converting its momentum into stored electricity.  Read more...