So maybe someone can help me out here.

We bought an Escape Hybrid about a month ago and have put about 1000 miles on it - probably a 60/40 city/hwy mix of driving. But we're only getting about 23 mpg overall and in just city driving we get about 17mpg!

We're driving as conservatively as possible. We don't run the defrost or AC. We live on a hill, but even when we're on the flats we're getting poor mileage.

The engine kicks in at about 10 mph every time - no matter how slowly we accelerate.

Ford mechanics keep telling us nothing is wrong with the car, but obviously, there is a problem. Has anyone else experienced this?