Diver,
Out of all the advice in this string, I believe the best advice given to you is the advice given about knowing what you need in a vehicle (hybrid or not.) I have an '05 FEH 4wd. The only problem I have had so far (knock on wood) was with a hydraulic part that works with the brakes. I purchased my FEH last August and I have 22,000 + miles on mine. I traded in a '99 Durango with a 5.2L V-8 when I purchased my FEH. So the biggest issue I had to get over was the fact the FEH didn't have the power I was used to (then again, a conventional Escape didn't have the same power either - 4cyl or 6 cyl) Once I got over that issue, I fell in love with it.
I also have a family member that drives an '05 Prius. Bumper to bumper, the Prius is actually a little longer than the FEH. I've also driven the '06 Highlander Hybrid. Though it has the comperable power to what I was used to, I didn't like the gauges. However, my wife loves the HiHy (shortened verison found in this web site) Though I did like the fact it seated 7 compared to the FEH's 5 passenger capacity. But since I refuse to tow anything with my vehicle, towing capacity means nothing to me.