I found this site a couple days ago, and it's more informative than any other I've seen re: the Escape Hybrid, so I was hoping someone might be able to help me out.

The lease on my current car is up in a few months, and I'm tired of seeing 14-15 mpg for my city driving, so I was planning to by the FEH and feel like I was doing something environmentally responsible. But I only put about 8000 miles/year on my car, and my daily commute is about 7 miles each way, mixture of flat and hills. Based on what I've read from some of you, my dreams of doing half of my driving under battery power and scoring mid-30s mpg are unrealistic. If I plan do do most of my highway driving (i.e. family trips) in a different car, how much more environmentally friendly is the FEH than a standard ICE car?

Also, I'm 6'3" and found the driver's seat a little tight during a brief test drive of a V6 Escape -- will I be miserable long term?

Finallly, are there any changes in the 2006 FEH that would make it worth waiting for? The lease terms for the FEH are horrible, so if I get it I'm buying it -- I'd rather wait a bit if there's any technological advantage to it.

Thanks for any information anyone can provide.