2008 Ford Escape Hybrid FWD test drive

The Escape arrived and we piled in for an afternoon of swimming at the pool with friends. Easy to maneuver and small and zippy, with room for three kids in the back with 60-40 split backseats (total seating for five), the Escape lived up to its name for a week filled with normal activities—everything from grocery store trips to a girls’ night out on the town, although Scott elected to pass on this.

It only took a short cruise down our twisty, hilly country road to discover that the fresh design for 2008 not only provided a snappy car-like drive, but was pleasantly quiet with a tad softer ride than cousin Mariner. Ford undertook a variety of changes to improve the interior noise quality over previous model years, including a new acoustic laminate layered between the two glass panels of the windshield, plus increasing the side glass thickness, even adding low profile wipers—they say it makes the Escape 12 percent quieter on highways. Opinion from both kids and adults was unanimous that the noise quotient was even a tad lower than the Mariner.

And forget the lurching shifting of transmissions of old sport utes. The electronically controlled Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) took us around city, country and town with comfort and ease. Once in a while both Christine and Scott felt a hesitation when coasting down hills at about 40 mph (a slightly noticeable transition from hybrid to electric mode), but overall it was like melted butter, with no guilt to boot.

With the standard front-wheel drive option, our test drive week’s fuel economy totaled up to 33.1 mpg (with a 500-mile range) on a combination of fast and slow, city and country miles.

Compare that to 22 average mpg for a conventional FWD Escape, with a shorter range of 363 miles on a larger 16.5-gallon tank. According to fueleconomy.gov, the FWD Escape Hybrid’s petroleum oil consumption is about 10.7 barrels of crude annually—compared to 15.6 barrels for the regular FWD Escape. Driving an average of 15,000 miles per year, greenhouse gas emissions for the hybrid come in at 5.7 tons/year, where the regular FWD Escape will total 8.3 tons/year.

Choose the 4WD option and your mileage will drop while your carbon output and oil consumption will rise. The 4WD Hybrid’s mileage drops to an average of 28 mpg, according to fueleconomy.gov. But that’s still significantly better than the standard 4WD Escape at 21 mpg.

The 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid is an Advanced Technology-Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) that meets strict Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV II) standards and is 99.4-percent cleaner than an unregulated vehicle. And you know what that means—no matter where you’d like to escape to, here’s a hybrid that’ll get you there in style—with a clearer conscience.

No matter if you’re headed to the beach house, the hunting cabin—or perhaps just a night out on the town, this SUV will get you there with panache. Ford has covered the three Rs in a new way: Recycled, Responsible and Refreshed. And in our book—the alt fuel one, that is—Ford has done its homework. It’s when the details have been attended to and directly treated with care and determination that they come together in a product that brings satisfaction to its users for many years to come—and that’s the total package of the Escape.

Go ahead and leave the guilt at home and grab the keys to the SUV. No need to feel the pinch of your fuel budget or the echoes of your conscience with this set of wheels. And forget the scrape or pinch of deprivation—with the 2008 Ford Escape, we say it’s lookin’ like you really can have your cake and eat it too. And comin’ from two kids who came from Ford-phobic families, that’s high praise. We’ve heard it round town that folks are brand-loyal to the death, sometimes to the point of missing out on some of the best stuff around. We highly recommend you lay your well-intentioned yet out-dated baggage down when it comes time to shop hybrids—especially hybrid SUVs. Keep an open mind and you just may park satisfaction in your garage and keep more cash in your pocket at the same time.

If you buy an Escape, that is.

Pros:

• 100-percent recycled fiber seat material available
• smooth ride and tight handling
• super SUV fuel economy

Cons:

• slight body roll on sharp corners
• back seat space limited
• slight transition from hybrid to electric mode noticeable

Buy the Ford Escape FWD and you’re ready to claim a $3,000 tax credit. This, coupled with the hybrid’s first year’s fuel savings of $686 (compared to driving 15,000 miles in a regular Escape) will negate the $1195 Hybrid Premium package before the get-go, although depending on option package selected, your Escape’s base price could be about $4-5,000 higher than a similar non-hybrid model. Translation: park that Escape in your driveway for 10 years and figure on yearly fuel savings—to the total tune of at least $6,800 (or more) for your kids’ college account.

Choose the 4WD model and your tax credit will drop to $2,200, along with the corresponding dip in fuel mileage, so it’ll just take a bit longer to recoup the expense.

The Escape Hybrid is manufactured at Ford’s Kansas City Assembly Plant in Claycomo, Mo.

Details and Specs:

Technical Features: 2.3-liter DOHC 16-valve 4-cylinder Atkinson style engine, electronic continuously variable transmission (eCVT), 4-wheel independent suspension, 4-wheel ABS, 330-volt battery and regenerative braking

Safety Features: driver & front passenger dual-stage airbags, side intrusion door beams, safety canopy system, lower anchors & tethers for children (LATCH)

Interior Features: AM/FM/6-CD changer, dual zone electronic auto climate control, power door locks and windows, remote keyless entry w/keypad, Hybrid Premium package with Navigation

Exterior Features: 16” hybrid aluminum wheels, P235/70R16 all season tires

Page One: Initial Impressions, Insider's View and Fuel-ability

Photos from the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid test drive