Consumers I’ve spoken with say they would be interested in purchasing a hybrid for one or both of two reasons: to do their part for cleaner vehicle emissions and to significantly increase fuel economy. The hybrids will certainly meet the cleaner emissions expectation, but don’t expect 40, 50 or 60 miles to the gallon. I recently tested the Escape Hybrid, and while fuel mileage is rated at 36 miles per gallon in the city and 31 on the highway, the best I achieved was a considerably less 29.2 miles per gallon. Expect the four-wheel-drive version to get less mileage.

For comparison purposes, the base 2.3-liter non-hybrid Escape is rated at 24 miles per gallon for city driving and 29 miles per gallon on the highway. The base price for the front-wheel drive Escape Hybrid is $26,970 ($28,595 for all-wheel drive); the 2.3-liter gasoline-powered version starts at $19,855. In other words, my Escape Hybrid returned about the same mileage per gallon as you can expect from the 2.3-liter Escape, and it costs a whopping $7,000 more. Of course the mileage you get depends, in part, on how you drive, but at that rate the Hybrid will never pay for itself if in fuel economy.

You may qualify for a one-time federal tax deduction of $1,500 on the Hybrid, which is worth about $420 if you are in the 28 percent tax bracket. But again, Ford is currently offering a $2,000 rebate on non-hybrid Escapes. It seems the only reason to choose the hybrid is for environmental concerns, which for many consumers is reason enough.

The Escape Hybrid is propelled by 2.3-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, augmented by a 65-kilowatt electric motor. When the vehicle is at a stop, or near to it, the gas engine shuts off instead of idling inefficiently at a stoplight or in stop-and-go traffic. It is quietly propelled by the electric motor until the vehicle reaches the 20 to 25 mile per hour range, or until the driver stomps on the accelerator. Then, the gasoline engine automatically kicks in. It takes a gentle touch of the accelerator to get the vehicle to 20 to 25 mph without engaging the gasoline engine. The combined hybrid horsepower is 155, comparing favorably to 153 horsepower in a regular four-cylinder Escape.

Acceleration is quite responsive, and on the highway, the hybrid drives pretty much like the non-hybrid. The battery pack sends power to the electric power steering and power brakes so the driver feels no difference in either. That isn’t the case, however, for the engine-belt-driven air-conditioning compressor that shuts down when the vehicle is in battery mode. That won’t do for hot Arizona summers and the Escape interior gets uncomfortable quickly. To keep the AC running, you have to choose the “Max AC” setting or direct the air to windshield defog. This completely defeats the advantage of the hybrid mileage, since these measures keep the gasoline engine operating with the vehicle stopped.

The vehicle’s battery pack, consisting of 250 D-size nickel-metal-hydride cells, is located behind the rear seats under the cargo-area floor. Several times I heard an unexpected sound that I later discovered to be a fan that keeps the battery pack at the proper temperature. A huge advantage of the hybrid is that the Escape never needs plugging in. Regeneration occurs as the vehicle slows, and the motor becomes a generator.

The only available transmission is the continuously variable transmission (CVT) that employs belts on variable-diameter pulleys (rather than gears) to keep the engine running in its most fuel-efficient range.

The exterior of all Escape models has been freshened up for ’05 and has a cleaner look. The hybrid is identical in appearance to the standard-issue Escape, with the only visual differences being a hybrid emblem with a tiny green leaf adorning each front fender and rear lift-gate, and a rear vent window on the driver’s side that automatically opens to help cool the battery pack.

Inside the cabin, the Escape is rather plain and plasticky. Nothing about the interior, including build quality, is more than average. Our tester had the optional $1,850 in-dash hybrid energy display system, which includes audiophile and navigation systems. This hybrid display gives real-time and continuous average mileage readouts on a small screen in the center of the dash. The color screen graphically shows how power is flowing between the gas engine and electric motor, and when the battery pack is recharging. I found it easier to tell when the vehicle was in electric or gasoline mode by watching the tachometer; when the needle dropped to below zero rpm and rested at the battery icon, electric power was engaged. Push a button and you’re returned to a graph showing fuel economy for any continuous fifteen-minute period with the actual mileage indicated on the center of the screen.

Ford covers all of the hybrid components and the CVT with an eight-year/100,000-mile warranty with the balance of the vehicle covered with a bumper-to-bumper three-year/36,000-mile warranty.

Escape earned four out of five stars for frontal crashworthiness from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and it got a perfect five stars for its side-impact protection. It scored mid-pack for rollover resistance.

In the final analysis, the Escape Hybrid won’t make economic sense for many buyers, especially those who aren’t concerned with the social responsibility of cleaner air. For those who are, the cleaner emissions outweigh the increased cost of the vehicle.

Ford plans to produce 20,000 Escape Hybrids for 2005 and more than 40,000 buyers have expressed strong interest to dealers. I would like to have seen better fuel economy, but in general the Escape Hybrid is a very nice package with an impressive driving experience.

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