Ford Escape Hybrid

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The Ford Escape Hybrid, launched in 2004, is a gas-electric hybrid powered version of the Ford Escape sport utility vehicle developed by the Ford Motor Company. Built in Kansas City, Missouri, it is the first hybrid SUV to hit the market. A similar vehicle, the Mercury Mariner Hybrid is sold by Ford's Mercury marque, and a third variation, the Mazda Tribute Hybrid, is expected to be available for the 2008 model year.

As of 2006, the Escape hybrid system is among the most advanced available on the market. It is a "full" hybrid electric system — meaning the system can switch automatically between pure electric power, pure gasoline engine power, or a combination of electric battery and gasoline engine operating together, for maximum performance and efficiency at all speeds and loads. When braking or decelerating, the Escape's hybrid system uses regenerative braking — where the electric drive motor becomes a generator, converting the vehicle's momentum back to electricity for storage in the batteries. The Hybrid Escape with 155 HP has nearly the same acceleration performance as the conventional 200 HP V6 Escape.

Ford built 17,000 Escape Hybrids in the first model year. Consumer demand has been strong, as it was with the Toyota Prius. Ford plans to produce 4,000 Mariner Hybrids and 20,000 Escape Hybrids for 2006.

Ford has also displayed the worlds first ethanol-fueled hybrid vehicle - running on E85 (85% ethanol / 15% gasoline).

See WikiCars' comprehensive Ford Escape Hybrid Review

Recent Changes

Ford has lowered MSRP pricing for the 2008 model year Escape Hybrid.

Styles and Major Options

The 2007 Ford Escape Hybrid has one four-door body style and offers front wheel drive or four wheel drive variants.

Standard Equipment

• 6-way power adjustable driver's seat
• Air conditioning
• AM/FM stereo with in-dash 6-CD changer
• 16" aluminum wheels

• Power door locks with remote keyless entry

• Power windows with driver one-touch down

• Variable intermittent windshield wipers

• Cruise control

Safety Package - $595

• Safety Canopy™ System with side-curtain airbags and rollover sensor
• Front-seat side-impact airbags

Appearance Package - $695

• Silver Metallic finished fascias, side cladding and wheel lip moldings
• Body color painted door handles and lift-gate surround

Leather Comfort Package - $695

• Driver and passenger leather trimmed map pockets (front & rear)
• Leather wrapped steering wheel
• 6-way power driver's seat

Premium Package - $3,995

• Heated leather seating surfaces with perforated leather inserts
• Navigation system with Hybrid energy flow display, 7-speakers & MP3 capability
• Safety Canopy™ System with side-curtain airbags and rollover sensor
• Front-seat side-impact airbags
• Reverse sensing system

Optional Equipment

• Power sunroof (requires Premium Package) - $585
• Audiophile 6-disc in-dash CD changer with 7-speakers & MP3 capability - $595
• Navigation system with Hybrid energy flow display, 7-speakers & MP3 capability - $1,995

Pricing

2007 Base MSRP Pricing (excludes delivery charge of $640). The U.S. Federal Income Tax Credit is $2,600 for FWD models & $1,950 for 4WD models purchased prior to December 31, 2010.

Trim
Base FWD	Base FWD w/Safety Package	Base FWD w/Appearance Package	FWD w/Premium Package	Base 4WD	Base 4WD w/Safety Package	Base 4WD w/Appearance Package	4WD w/Premium Package
Price
MSRP
$25,600	$26,195	$26,295	$29,595	$27,205	$27,800	$27,900	$31,200
Invoice
$24,137	$24,643	$24,728	$27,533	$25,613	$26,119	$26,204	$29,009

Gas Mileage

Trim
FWD CVT	4WD CVT
Engine
2.3L I-4	2.3L I-4
MPG (City/Highway)
36/31	33/29

Reliability

Ford Motor Company set durability and reliability objectives for the Escape Hybrid. Field tests continued until the objectives were acheived. The Escape and Mercury Mariner Hybrid's power system is the product of 170 prototype test mule vehicles, tested in five climate extremes on three continents.

Safety

• Anti-Lock Brake System (ABS)
• Dual front airbags (SRS) (Dual-stage driver and single-stage front passenger)
• Front and rear crumple zones
• Front passenger occupancy sensor
• Front 3-Point safety belts with automatic tensioning system
• SecuriLock® passive anti-theft system with ignition immobilizer
• Remote keyless-entry system with illuminating feature
• Optional side-impact airbags (Premium Package)
• Tire pressure monitoring system
• 3-point safety belts for all seat positions
• Lower Anchors, tether anchors for children (LATCH) on rear outboard seat
• Optional overhead side-curtain airbags (Ford's Safety Canopy™ System)
• 4 Star front/5 Star side National Highway Traffic Safety Agency NHTSA crash test rating

Photos

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Colors

Exterior

• Titanium Green Clearcoat Metallic
• Redfire Clearcoat Metallic
• Vista Blue Clearcoat
• Dune Pearl Clearcoat
• Tungston Grey Clearcoat
• Black Clearcoat Metallic
• Silver Metallic Clearcoat
• Oxford White Clearcoat

Interior

• Medium/Dark Flint

Main Competitors

• Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Saturn VUE Green Line

Unique Attributes

The Ford Escape Hybrid, along with its sister model Mercury Mariner Hybrid and cousin Mazda Tribute Hybrid, are known as full hybrids. They can run purely on electric power in many urban driving conditions. This is reflected in their higher city MPG rating (compared to highway). The Ford Escape Hybrid version of this trio debuted in 2004 (as a 2005 model), the first Hybrid crossover SUV available for sale in North America.

Resale Values

Kelley Blue Book offers a range of resale value information, with mileage and equipment levels factored in.

Criticisms

Buyers who purchase the Hybrid Energy Audio & Navigation System, either by selecting the Premium Package or ordering it as a stand alone option, will likely find the navigation screen a little too small to use easily.

Current Generation: (2001–present)

The Ford Escape (Code U204) debuted in 2001 as a crossover SUV, priced below the Ford Explorer. It was jointly developed with Mazda, in which Ford owns a controlling interest, and was released a few months after the nearly-identical Mazda Tribute. A more upscale version, the Mercury Mariner, was introduced for Ford's Mercury marque in the 2005 model year.

2005

The Escape and Tribute were updated for 2005 with a new base engine (the 2.3 L Duratec), added airbag and seatbelt safety systems, an intelligent all wheel drive system, and exterior changes. 2005 was the first model year an automatic transmission was available on the base four-cylinder models. Ford also deleted the recline feature on the rear seats.

2008

North American Escape and its corporate siblings Mazda Tribute and Mercury Mariner will receive a much needed update in order to stay competitive against Toyota RAV4, Honda Element and Jeep Liberty among others. There had been a rumour that the Escape will use the CD3 platform, however, Ford appeared to retain the CD2 Platform. Another report suggested that the Escape and its siblings could be based on EUCD platform.

The Escape received some of the styling cues from Explorer, Edge and Expedition. The changes include a new grille with larger headlamps, while the sides had been revised with cleaner lines and rounder wheel arches. The interior was also upgraded with higher quality materials because it had been criticised for having dull and cheap interior.

Worldwide

The Escape is also offered in some Asia Pacific markets and is sold in Europe as the Ford Maverick. The Asia Pacific Escape is now built in Taiwan, instead of Japan. A significantly updated Escape went on sale in Australia on July 1st, 2006, and is expected in other markets in the following months. Major external changes include a redesigned front bumper, grille, headlights and bonnet, as well as new LED tail-lights and rear bumper.

Interior changes include a new floor mounted automatic transmission shifter, in place of the old column shifter, as well as a redesigned centre stack comprising of audio and climate controls. The latter is automatic on all models except the XLS. The Limited model also features full colour-coded bumpers, wheel arch and side moldings, as well as side mirrors with integrated LED indicators.

Rear drum brakes have been replaced by disc brakes all round. The 3.0L V6 has been modified to reduce fuel consumption by over 10%, while the 4-cylinder has improved mid-range torque and an electronic throttle, as well as a slight increase in power to 109 kW (146hp). Both engines had been certified to meet Euro III emission regulations.

Design quirks and oddities

Visually, the Escape Hybrid is barely different from the standard Escape. Exterior cues are limited to some Hybrid badges flanking the front doors and rear hatch and a vent built into the left rear quarter-panel glass (which helps to cool the battery pack). On the inside, the tachometer in the Escape Hybrid has a sub-zero setting that it uses to indicate that the car is running only on electric power, such as while sitting at a stop or even while traveling down the road in certain urban driving conditions.

An optional Hybrid Energy Audio & Navigation system provides instant fuel economy on a display screen that resembles a thermometer. Average economy is indicated by a stock market-style chart of fuel use for the past 15 minutes, which happens to fill most of the screen.

The Escape Hybrid's gasoline engine is a 2.3-liter, inline four-cylinder that operates under what is known as the Atkinson cycle, a technology designed to enhance the quality of fuel combustion. The Atkinson cycle sacrifices low end torque for higher fuel efficiency through a system of levers between the connecting rods and the crankshaft. This gives a longer power/exhaust stroke and shorter intake/compression stroke. The lack of low end torque in the gas engine is compensated by the flat torque curve of the electric motor.

Awards

North American Truck of the Year 2005

Specifications

• 2.3L four-cylinder atkinson-cycle gasoline engine with 133 HP and 124 lb-ft of torque
• 87 HP electric traction motor
• 38 HP generator motor (for battery pack)
• Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT)
• Nickel-metal hydride battery pack with DC converter
• Digital fuel mileage indicator
• Remote entry system
• Immobilizer theft-deterrent system
• Electrically assisted rack-and-pinion steering
• 16" aluminum wheels
• 1000 lbs. towing capacity

External Links

• Ford Escape - Official Site
• Ford Escape Hybrid - Official Site
• Hybrid Cars and Vehicles - MixedPower.com
• Escape Central: Escape/Mariner/Tribute Enthusiast Site Not updated since 2005 MY

This page uses content from Wikipedia; see Ford Escape Hybrid, which includes these contributors.