Introduction

The Ford Escape is the best-selling compact sport utility vehicle in the United States. Now it's available in a hybrid version. And, no, you don't have to plug it in. What is a hybrid? It's a vehicle that draws power from the combination of a traditional gasoline engine and an electric motor and special battery pack. The Escape Hybrid is the first such SUV available in the United States, and also the first hybrid with available all-wheel drive and 1000 pounds of towing capacity, and allows buyers to enjoy the benefits of a small SUV while greatly enhancing fuel economy and lowering emissions. By combing a four-cylinder gasoline engine with the boost from the electric power pack, the 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid provides acceleration much like the regular Escape equipped with an optional V6 engine, but the Hybrid returns twice the fuel economy in city driving and nearly double on the highway. Many people are pleasantly surprised to learn that hybrid vehicles such as the Escape never have to be plugged into any sort of electrical outlet. The vehicle's battery pack is automatically recharged by the gasoline engine and by regenerative braking, technology that takes the otherwise wasted energy generated by braking and sends it to the battery pack. There is a price premium that must be paid for equipping a car with a hybrid powertrain, but there also are federal and perhaps even state or local tax benefits available to help offset that cost.

Walkaround

Ford says the Escape Hybrid is the cleanest of all sport utility vehicles, and while the automaker is talking about the hybrid powertrain system, the adjective also applies to the Escape's exterior design. The design is clean: Simple and practical without unnecessary flourishes and flares, contemporary and not likely to look outdated within just a few years. The standard fog lamps set toward the outside portion of the lower front fascia provide a nice balance to the car's face and visually widen the Escape Hybrid's stance. Like many SUVs, the Escape Hybrid has a two-tone appearance, with body panels and lower fascia in complimentary colors. Those who want a monochromatic look can order the appearance package and specify silver clearcoat metallic paint. Five-spoke alloy wheels are 16 inches in diameter and wear 235/70-aspect tires tuned to provide a smooth and comfortable ride, not for severe off-road duty. One very useful exterior feature is the way the glass backlight opens separately from the rear hatch door, providing a quick and easy way to load or unload small packages. We also liked the fact that the top of the rear bumper cover is wide enough that we could set a 12-pack of soda on it while loading other groceries through the open rear window. Visually, the Escape Hybrid is barely changed from the standard Escape, and most people won't even notice that your SUV is different that the rest. There are small Hybrid badges just behind the front wheels and also on the rear hatch. The hybrid also has a vent built into its left rear quarter-panel glass; this vent helps cool the battery pack.

Interior Features

Escape Hybirds come with flint gray interiors, either in a nicely patterned premium cloth or leather. The driver's seat has standard six-way power adjustment controls. Also standard are an in-dash six-CD changer, a tilting steering wheel with cruise controls on the wheel, a message center and a special set of hybrid gauges. Gauges have black figures on a white background and are easy to read in even bright daylight. At night, the colors reverse, with white numbers against a glare less black background. The biggest difference is seen on the tachometer, which reports the revolutions per minute of the engine. In the Escape Hybrid, the tach needle 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 on the road in certain conditions. Switchgear is easy to find and to use. Seats provide an elevated vantage of the road ahead. They also are comfortable around town or on trips. The rear seat has ample room and a 60/40 split back that provides several options for expanding the size of the flat rear cargo floor. The Escape Hybrid we tested was equipped with the optional energy, audiophile and navigation systems. The navigation system includes a Home button that can lead you back to whatever location you set as your home base, or you can easily program it to take you to various destinations. When you switch over to the energy reporting screens, the next navigation instruction remains as the bottom line on the display, sort of like the line at the bottom of the screen in some television newscasts. This can be a handy feature for those who aren't sure of their route but also want to keep an eye on fuel economy is shaping up. The screen isn't as large as those in some other vehicles, but its graphics are extremely clear and we had no trouble reading even the smallest details, either at night or while wearing sunglasses in bright daylight.