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Is it on?
Fight through the feeling.
Something interesting will happen while you sit stationary at a traffic light, your silent vehicle giving every indication that it’s powerless and unable to move. That age-old anxiety whispers in your ear, “Do something!” When the light changes, your instincts tell you, nothing will be moving but your stomach. You realize that the green light will be followed a millisecond later by a hearty chorus of horns and verbal encouragement, and just as a light bead of sweat forms on your brow, the light does change and – surprise – you roll away swiftly, in golf cart like silence. Then, the gas motor chimes in, to spirit you off. Gradually, you lose your fear, and it takes a little getting used to, though Ford’s cut-in/cut-out is more gentle than I’ve found in other hybrids. Beyond stop/start, hybrid driving makes no demands on the driver. The high torque inherent in electric motors means that there’s plenty of bottom end on hand to launch you (enough, in fact, to get the tires spinning) and the Escape Hybrid cruises easily at highway speeds. Combined engine noise is less than conventionally powered vehicles. Ride and handling mirrors other Escapes. Gas mileage is estimated at 36 city/31 highway in front wheel drive models, 33 city/29 highway in 4x4’s. However, the EPA’s estimating for hybrids seems less accurate than their numbers with gas powered vehicles. We averaged 28 mpg’s in a mix of city/country driving in my front wheel drive tester. Still—that kind of gas mileage from an SUV is quite good. Grazing 30 would surely spark uncontrollable weeping in many a sport ute owner.
Towing
The Hybrid can be outfitted to tow a maximum of 1,000 lb. – enough for a utility trailer or a small boat. Those who are suspicious of modern technology will appreciate the fact that the Escape Hybrid’s standard, 3/36 bumper-to-bumper warranty is expanded to cover hybrid specific components for 8 yrs/100k (10 years, in emissions states). And, every Ford dealership that sells the hybrid is required by Ford to send at least one of its service technicians to a special, two day training session, to learn the ins and outs of the new model.
Like the conventional Escape, Escape Hybrid is available in either front wheel drive or available all wheel drive. The 4WD system is fully automatic, requiring no input from the driver. Operating in front wheel drive under normal conditions, sensors in each wheel detect slip, and channel power rearward as necessary to maintain your grip.
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