2008 Ford Escape Hybrid Review
By Igor Holas and Melissa J. Sanchez
03.18.2008
After driving the 2008 Taurus X, Ford loaned us their Escape Hybrid for a week. We loved the Taurus X, and anticipated having a similarly positive reaction to the Escape, especially the Hybrid version we were getting. However, after a week of driving the cute-ute, the conclusion was much less positive.
The Car![]()
Ford loaned us a fully-loaded front wheel drive Escape Hybrid. The base price of the Hybrid is $25,740 (including destination), but our tester added $5,080 in options for a total price-as-tested of $30,820. Comparing this price to a V6 Escape using TrueDelta.com feature-adjusted price comparison tool, the Escape hybrid is $2,505 more expensive. However, you get $1,500 of that difference back in tax credit, making the real difference a mere $1,000, and that is small price to pay for the advantages of the Hybrid power train. Comparing the Escape Hybrid to the only other small SUV hybrid on the market, the Saturn Vue Greenline, the two are virtually identically priced with only $480 in price difference to the Vue’s advantage. However, the Vue qualifies only for $500 tax credit, which makes the Ford $1,000 cheaper.
The Verdict
The Escape is far from a bad car, it drives well, has a competitive set of features and price, is reliable, and safe. However the otherwise competent car is let down by an interior that seems much less thought out than its competitors’. We are still stunned by Ford’s bad decisions with the Escape and the Escape Hybrid. The lack of attention to detail plagues the interior, and the reasoning behind Ford’s decisions to dress down the interior of the top-priced model simply escapes us. No pun intended, of course.
In the middle of the week with the Escape Hybrid we happened upon a new 2009 Subaru Forrester, and its better interior became immediately apparent. Similarly, the Saturn Vue and Honda CR-V have better and better thought-out interiors. However, there is one thing these other competitors lack – a hybrid version. No matter how mediocre the Escape’s interior might be, only the Vue offers a hybrid competition, and many hybrid shoppers will notice (and mind) that the Vue Greenline is a “mild hybrid” offering significantly lower city mileage (the Vue Greenline is rated at 25 mpg in the city and 32 mpg on the highway). Despite this lower mileage, and extra $1,000 in price, we feel it is still a better all-around package. The Vue delivers the best-in-class interior, comfortable reclining rear seats, and innovative cargo management system, and despite the lower mileage, we would recommend it over the Escape Hybrid. After all, if one truly wants the best city mileage, buying a hybrid SUV is simply silly – a hybrid car will be a much better fit.
MUCH MORE AT LINK: http://www.autosavant.net/2008/03/2008-ford-escape-hybrid-review.html
Igor