I have had the FEH (FWD) for a couple months now and have noticed that now that the weather has FINALLY warmed up around here, my average miles per hour has gone up by about 1 to 1.5. I only have 4000 miles on it so it is tough to tell if it is due to the warmer weather or just the vehicle being broken in. My lifetime average mpg according to the gauge is 32.1 mpg.

I also have an '04 Escape with the V-6 and the Hybrid will outhandle it any day. Both are FWD only. The only handling problem I have seen is if you accelerate heavily from a stop with the wheels turned (like changing lanes in traffic)- major torque steer when the gas engine kicks in. Once you know to expect it, no problem.