Ford Escape Hybrid reviews

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Review Summary

What reviewers liked most about the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid:

• The Escape Hybrid drives like a normal vehicle, with the engine controls deciding when the vehicle should be using electric power, or gas power, or both. All a driver does is drive.- MSN Autos

• Operating in front wheel drive under normal conditions, sensors in each wheel detect slip, and channel power rearward as necessary to maintain your grip.- AutoSite.com

• Its part-cute, part-tough styling is just inoffensive enough to appeal to a wide demographic. - Motor Trend

• "...storage room is generous. Deep door pockets, a glove box, a big, covered storage bin and a smattering of cup holders and cubbyholes take care of your carry-ons."- AutoSite.com

• "The Escape Hybrid drives like a normal vehicle, with the engine controls deciding when the vehicle should be using electric power, or gas power, or both. All a driver does is drive."- MSN Autos

• "Operating in front wheel drive under normal conditions, sensors in each wheel detect slip, and channel power rearward as necessary to maintain your grip." - AutoSite.com

• ?While more costly than conventional Escapes, buyers of the hybrid version get a one-time $1,500 federal tax deduction.? - MSN Autos

• ...storage room is generous. Deep door pockets, a glove box, a big, covered storage bin and a smattering of cup holders and cubbyholes take care of your carry-ons.- AutoSite.com

What reviewers liked least about the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid:

• "The Escape's seats are arguably overstuffed and too shallow to offer good thigh support to tall drivers?"- Motor Trend

• "...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." - AutoSite.com

• The only bothersome noises are some engine blare...uphill...when it's straining...- Cars.com

• The Escape's seats are arguably overstuffed and too shallow to offer good thigh support to tall drivers...- Motor Trend

• Four-cylinder engine feels unrefined at high rpm...- Edmunds.com

• "The Escape Hybrid is pricey, though. Starting manufacturer's suggested retail price of more than $26,000 for a two-wheel-drive model with continuously variable transmission is some $7,000 more than a base, two-wheel-drive Escape with 4-cylinder gas engine and manual transmission. It's also some $3,000 more than a base, two-wheel-drive, V6-powered Escape."- MSN Autos

• ...so-so interior materials quality.- Edmunds.com

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid Comparisons:

• At the back of the vehicle, there's a bit less cargo room than a regular Escape has because the hybrid's electric battery pack, composed of 250 D-sized cells in a sealed unit, sits under the cargo floor. So, while a regular Escape offers 29.3 cubic feet of storage space behind the rear seats and maximum 66.3 cubic feet if the rear seats aren't used by passengers, the corresponding numbers in the hybrid are 27.6 and 65.5 cubic feet, respectively.- MSN Autos

• The swift hybrid powertrain is nearly as quick as the V6 Escape...- Edmunds.com

• The Hybrid's handling traits differ little from gas-powered Escapes. You can hardly tells it's using electric power steering.- Cars.com

Best one-liners about the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid:

• And, no, you don't have to plug it in.- New Car Test Drive

• "And, no, you don't have to plug it in."- New Car Test Drive

• "You only need the electric motor to get started, but it takes a while to train your brain to this."- AutoSite.com

• Fuel Proof.- AutoSite.com

• You only need the electric motor to get started, but it takes a while to train your brain to this. - AutoSite.com

• "Fuel Proof."- AutoSite.com