GreenHybrid - Hybrid Cars - View Single Post

sweetbeet · #2 (**permalink**) 08-02-2005, 11:36 AM

We have a 2002 V6 Escape, and a 2005 Hybrid; both are 4WD/AWD (whatever you want to call it). We bought the 2002 (gently used, near the end of 2002 or early 2003, can't remember exactly when) because we couldn't wait any longer for them to release the first hybrids. We figured we'd make sure we really liked the vehicle before springing for a new hybrid, and that worked out just as planned.

We get about 18-20 mpg with the '02 V6, and about 30-33 mpg with the '05 FEH. I wanted a hybrid because of the low emissions, "coolness factor", and increased mpg. They say three kinds of people drive hybrids - "greenies", "techies", and "cheapies" (I saw that in someone's sig on this forum). I am all three! While the gas savings might not have been worth it alone, the other factors tipped the balance for me. I admit, driving the FEH in my (feeble) attempt to "hypermile" is FUN for me, kind of like playing a video game the whole time I'm driving. And we live in NY, which up until recently had a $2,000 tax CREDIT (not a deduction, like the Feds) for purchasing a hybrid. That, coupled with the Federal deduction, and the fact that I don't get any special pricing deal (X-plan, A-plan, or whatever), made the price difference less for me than what you're quoting.

Also, I put a lot of miles on a vehicle in a year (probably upwards of 20,000), so my gas savings will add up faster than some people's.

The only other things I can think of as advantages are the extended warranty (which only covers the special hybrid parts, so I guess that's a wash), and the need to do oil changes only every 10K miles (don't know if they've changed the schedule for regular Escapes as well, by this time). Oh, and having the fuel economy "meter" on the dash (I don't even have the "Audio/Nav" package, which provides even more info) does make it easier to adjust your driving to save even more gas, if that's of interest.

Some (minor) disadvantages (IMO): no cargo-area power point, no bright yellow color, the shifter is on the floor (the '02 has it on the column, don't know about newer non-hybrid Escapes).

I WOULD avoid the regular 4-cylinder Escape; I think you need the V6 or hybrid system to get anything like reasonable power/acceleration, given the weight of the car (if you will be doing anything other than simply bopping around town/suburbs at relatively low speeds, under which conditions your mpg will be even better in the hybrid and worse in the non-hybrid).

Hope this info/opinion has been helpful. I will probably get another hybrid when the '02 wears out, but remember I'm a cheap, green techie!