Ford Escape Hybrid

Casey Williams, www.car-data.com

With gas prices receding ever so slightly, you might be thinking about looking at big vehiclesagain. You could ‘ there are a lot of great ones out there. But, wouldn’t you rather think green,conserve fuel, and still have all of the space and comfort you want? Add in the new Limited package, capless fuel filling, and Microsoft Sync, the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid may be the way to go.

The Escape Hybrid came just as I was heading out for a weekend of fun with a fraternity brother,his wife, and kids. I had about a two-hour Interstate run ahead of me. Over the years, I’ve drivenmany Escapes and imagined the revised ’09 Hybrid would be a great traveling companion. It was.

Unlike a lot of crossovers, the Escape is proud enough of its SUV heritage to forgo swoopingcurves for an upright wagon profile that looks tough without being trite. A large chrome grillethat extends from the bumper leads into a domed hood, strong wheelarches, and clean bodylines. Ifyou look closely at the rear side windows, you can see a small air opening to help cool the batterypack. Low rolling resistance tires shod handsome 16′ aluminum wheels for good handling, acomfortable ride, and improved fuel economy. Subtle green logos on the front doors and rear hatchclue you in that this is not a normal Escape.

It is hard to remember now, but Ford was near last in introducing a compact SUV. Honda andToyota, with the CR-V and RAV4, beat Escape to market by a generation. Ford wisely built on thesuccess it had with the Explorer and Expedition when it styled and equipped its smallest off-roader. Early models handled well, but were noisy, unrefined, and not quite up to standards set by thebig SUVs or even the Focus compact.

Escapes have come a long way. They’re still great compacts, but are so refined and well equippedthat they make you wonder who needs more in everyday life. Interiors like our Hybrid Limited’s arehandsome with their blue-lit gauges, piano black finish on the center console and control surrounds, standard audio system with 6-disc changer, chrome door handles, ambient lighting, leather-wrappedsteering wheel, heated leather seats, cargo cover, and one-touch power glass moonroof. Automaticclimate control works without thought to keep you at your desired temperature. To lower theEscape’s overall CO2 emissions, seats are made from soy-based foam instead of petroleum ‘basedmaterials; fabrics are woven from 100% recycled materials. Safety is enhanced by side curtainairbags that deploy during rollovers.

Like the stylish new Lincoln MKS, the Escape can connect with the world while on the go. Thecoolest available system is SYNC, co-developed with Microsoft. By pressing a button on the steeringwheel, drivers can command the audio and navigation systems. Hungry? Just say so and SYNC conjuresup local restaurants and can route you to them. Concerned about the weather? SYNC provides afive-day forecast and real time satellite map of your vicinity. Bluetooth connectivity allowshands-free telephone calls, Sirius Satellite Radio brings Elvis and CNN from beyond, and iPODs canconnect to the car with an USB port so you can control your music from the in-car controls. And, ifyou need to charge your laptop, hybrids include a household 110V plug in the front console.

Driving at night to see my friends, I came upon a tour bus lounging in the left lane. With athought and press of my right foot, 177 ponies and hordes of electrons came online and stepped tothe road through Escape’s electronic all-wheel drive system. AdvanceTrac stability control andfour-wheel ABS stood by in case I over-drove my abilities.

Escape Hybrids are powered by Ford’s Duratec 16-valve, 2.5-litre Atkinson cycle four-cylinderengine, electric motor, continuously-variable transmission, and batteries. Regenerative brakes andthe gas engine recharge the batteries, which allow the Escape to hum through traffic withoutconsuming fossils. It’s a little eerie when the engine shuts down at stoplights or when creepingthrough parking lots, but fuel economy ratings of 34/31-MPG city/highway for front-drive models and29/27-MPG for AWD are easy to understand. In real-world driving, cruising near 80 mph and throughcity traffic, I exceeded those ratings.

Ford may categorize the Escape as an SUV, but it is a car-based crossover that handles like asportier station wagon while keeping everybody up and out of snow, mud, and rough terrain.Especially when equipped with electronic all-wheel-drive, the Escape can actually take you to seethe picturesque scenes Ford puts in its ads while keeping you well connected and entertained nomatter where you tread. Carrying economy car fuel economy ratings, and a full load of technologythat causes luxury makers to tremble, the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid syncs green from trail todriveway.