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Originally Posted by leahbeatle
A point of clarification- my 'Ford in particular' comment was intended to indicate that they were the company currently under discussion in the thread, not that they were particularly worse than the other companies in the Big Three.
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leahbeatle,
Thanks for the clarification.
I suspect that Ford chose the Escape for its hybrid entry since it clearly was not a *failed vehicle.* It was the bestseller in its class. It satisfied reliability and customer satisfaction standards. And it did not compete in areas that were already pretty well staked out.
For the record, I do not consider the Escape (and Mariner) to be SUV's. Ford does call them that - but I think only because they wanted to compete in that market. My state (Michigan) lisences my FEH as a station wagon. My insurance company calls it a truck, and the Detroit Free Press refers to it as a crossover utility vehicle.
I also agree that we all have different preferences when it comes to selecting hybrids. I respect your choice and have no doubt it was right for you. One of the things I like about this forum is that most of us seem to have more loyalty to the alternative propulsion systems concept than to brands.
I needed room - both for myself and passengers, and for cargo. I drove a Ranger for sixteen years to satisfy those needs - quite good FE before the days of any hybrids. Of the hybrids, only Escape (and now Mariner, HiHy, and Lexus 400h) do this. Without those considerations, I could see myself getting a Prius or HCH.