Interesting about the wipers. Our weather in CO requires frequent washer use and I like the extra wipe that gets those trickles that inevitably run up or down depending on speed. BTW, the "mist" function is activated pressing and releasing the washer once. Press once to wipe once. Press and hold to wash, followed by the extra wipe a few seconds later.

Back on topic, I was one of the first in my area with a Gen II Prius in 2003 but I got rid of it after 2 years. It was in the shop too much and I missed the versatility of my old Outback. I do a lot of outdoor stuff and the Prius couldn't handle it. I tried racks and so on, but eventually got sick of not making a trip or having to leave friends and/or equipment behind. Plus all the service problems. I hear this is not the norm, but it's what happened to me.

Anyway, I dumped the Prius in December 2005 and got another Subaru. I kept looking at the FEH and the HiHy, however, partly because I wanted to stay hybrid and partly for the $5K+ in tax credits. I passed on the FEH due to the cheap interior and annoying, noisy ride. The HiHy was too much $$; plus the V6 is overkill and defeats any hope of exceptional mileage. For me, unless I was towing at least 5 times per year or using the 3rd seat regularly, the HiHy is just "too much car".

A year ago February I saw a 2008 Escape as I passed a Ford dealer and was intrigued. Ford built a lot of hybrids at first, so dealers all had them. I did some test drives and was impressed. The old jiggly ride and road noise was gone, and it went way further and faster in EV than the Prius or the HiHy ever did. Unlike the gen 1 FEH, it was a vehicle I would consider spending over $25K on. I went back to Toyota and researched, both the then-current and then-upcoming next gen HiHys. Still too heavy, too thirsty, too long of a boat ride to get here, too much stuff inside and not nimble. If they made one with the TCH drivetrain that cost $10K less and was built nearer, I might have done it. It's really nice and feels much more quality-made than the FEH. But right now I'd sooner get a non-hybrid that leaves a smaller footprint than get a HiHy. I got the FEH in March 2007. I still like it a year later.