Hi -
I'm investigating hybrid SUV's - my fiance and I have a corolla that we will soon be replacing with a Prius for regular highway driving.

But for my ecological field work, as well as trips up to Tahoe and camping trips that take us deep down rough dirt roads for which we sometimes need even low range 4WD, we need an SUV or truck.

I'm mostly interested in boosting my mileage and reducing emissions, but for 4WD, it's clear the best option is an Escape, made by Ford, whose reliability I have had horrible experiences with.

As a current Toyota owner - having had a Tacoma that has 200,000 miles on it and has needed little more than oil changes and other routine maintenance, I'm terrified of going back to Ford (my last Ford - an Explorer - required much more frequent and costly maintenance than the Toyota).

If Toyota made more Escape-type hybrid SUV with a 4 cylander that gets better mileage than the Highlander, the choice would be a no-brainer. Also 5-speed (I much prefer stick to automatic - much better control).

What is your experience with RELIABILITY of the Escape vs. the Highlander hybrids?

FYI given the state of hybrid technologies and offerings, I have to consider this upcoming purchase to be a bridge car to have for a couple of years until better mileage, and optimally plug-in hybrid or even hybrid diesel SUVs and trucks are released. I can't wait until they combine the higher efficiency and fuel flexibility of diesels (they can run on regular diesel, biodiesel, vegetable oil, or recycled veg oil) with hybrid and plug=in hybrid technology!