Don't try this at home. And, no, it's not a Ford Escape Hybrid... just an ICE-only Escape 4x4 (with some newly-sustained damage to the body cladding )

Ford Escape crawlin' boulders

To make this thread not entirely useless from a HYBRID perspective, perhaps folks with FEH AWD who actually take their vehicles off-road (mttomb, Raven, etc.) have some videos of their off-road experiences to share?

- Shannon (Geeky, Wild Texan)

Hello GeekGal,
I do not have any video right now but can surely work on producing some if i can manage to get a photographer who will not talk me out of it to go along on a rock crawling expedition. i would love to do something like in the video - THAT is what AWD is for! Do you want with or without cosmetic/structural damage? Thank you much for sharing that very nice piece of video.

tom

http://www.toontracker.com/magoo/mmagoo.ram

I'd sure hate to leave the battery pack AC lines on one of those rocks.

Nope, nope not gonna do it.... wouldn't be prudent.

I have 4WD but with the premium painted body panels.... I'm afraid mines limited to URBAN environments. I suppose thats what the grey plastic body panels are good for. I got 4WD for snow, though I probably could have dealt with it fine on most days with FWD.

I winced when it came down on the side panel.... ouch... noooooooo

The first WEEK I had mine, I just had to see what it could do.

No major rocks, but I have a FWD only mind you.

I went up a steep dirt road near Estes Park, CO that quickly resembled less of a road, and more of a trail. I kept going and going... I was having a blast.
This was Colorado, in March, and I climbed higher and higher, and was soon at 9000 feet... above snow line... on a muddy, slushy trail.

It did fine until I hit a shady section, with glaze ice. I could go no further.
Had to make a 3 point turn, and go down the way I came.

It made me not feel so bad, when as I was turning around, an F250 4x4 came along and also got stuck. He put on chains to continue. I had none, so quietly retreated in EV mode.

Yes... I had mud up to the mirrors the first week, and that was the first and only time I tried something like that, but it sure was fun!!!

-John