I wish the FEH had a "tap the brakes" switch on the steering wheel.
I find myself in situations where I'd love to stop the ICE, but I don't want the driver behind me thinking I'm just stupid.
A button that would suggest to the computer it's coasting time would be nice.

I wish the FEH had a battery meter that shows the amount of charge (voltmeter?) with LEDs to indicate charging or discharging.
That "Charging/Assist" meter is a waste of space.

I wish the cruise control announcement on the information screen would go away by itself after 10 seconds or so.
I can feel when the cruise control is active, I don't need a reminder that I have to reach over and clear with the Set button.

I do love the FEH. 3 months and 3500 miles (2000 highway, 1500 local but not really city) and it reports 30 MPG.
My calculations have it a bit higher than that.

I wish the FEH had some indication that the cruise control was ON, even if it's not active.

I also wish it had a temp gauge for the engine, so I know when it's warmed up.

You two covered two of my minor complaints about the FEH. I would trade the charge/assist gauge for a temp gauge any day. Any why can't the speed control be a light on the dash like every other car?

One of my bigget complaints about the Escape itself is the stupid power window lockout switch. Why does the swith lock out the driver to when the driver can control the lockout swith? Every other car the driver has the ability to override the lockout instead of having to turn off the override....Being picky, I know.

The '06 FINALLY has auto door locks so I can quit griping about that.....

Oh yeah, and give me a pushbutton that I can manually turn the a/c on and off when I want and allow ME to control where the cold air goes.

And I am really P.O.'d that my '05 has virtually no anti-theft system.

Other than that, great vehicles.

I do like the Honda Civic Hybrid's instrument panel with the Electronic IMA Display that shows the battery charge and temp.

I know not everyone has this, but isn't the energy flow diagram on the A/N system enough? I can with a glance know if the battery is low or not, and the arrows indicate the power flow direction, when needed.

A turn off the ICE button would be nice, but it's no big deal to me. Heck, going into my subdivision more often than not, it shuts itself off, rather than me having to tap the breaks to get it to go into EV mode.


Actually, my mother has an '02 Focus, and it doesn't have a light when the Cruise Control is on.



We agree there. That is really annoying. The drivers window is the only one that overrides the lockout. Which makes you wonder why if that window is programmed to override the lockout why the rest aren't that way.

I would've loved a memory button on the drivers side power seat, that remembers my settings on where the seat is. I've allowed my mother to drive it, and I took it in to the dealer to get the keypad entry system installed and both times it took a day or so for me to get the seat back to the way I like it.

One of my own minor peeves is perhaps not that unique to the FEH, or even the Escape, but I don't like how the second row headrests limit my view in the rear view mirror. I've been tempted to remove them.

First 4WD Hypermiler

Have you read the FEH FAQ?

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I'm one that doesn't have that.
I'm just thinking that gauge "real estate" could be put to better use.
A small Temp/Volts/Oil Pressure gauge for example.
Amen to that. Mine are in the garage.
Amen to that too.

Wish list:

Padding on the driver door elbow rest
Extensions to block more of the space between the visors
Engine coolant temperature guage
Faster response from the GPS
A tire jack that works

1. More storage nooks and crannies in the back for gloves, road flares, spare tools, hand wipes, etc.

2. A neater way to finish the rear floor covering after showing off that monster battery than mushing the material back into the floor gap. The current method looks like they forgot to design a proper lid.

3. Delete the turn-signal on warning beeper. I know its on, sometimes for what the car might think is too long. Don't bug me about it if the traffic is slow.

4, A prettier outside design with more available color choices. It should not cost more to design something tasteful, with a few more curves, rather than the Exploder/Escaper basic box.

5. A better, tougher, Scotchguarded covering for the seats. On my Silver '05, the light, smooth, grey material will show every stain instantly. Darker velour hides spills better. Put a bunch of pockets in the front seatbacks as well, something in which the kids can put their CDs, books, gum wrappers, etc.

6. A cabin air filter holder that actually has a filter in it.

7. A GPS that allows searching on a destination while underway. I suspect that for safety reasons they want us to pull over rather than mess around with stuff on the dash, but FEH owners are already of superior intelligence (right?) so that we can handle the multi-tasking of getting a destination into the box. Other GPS's can do this, so I know it is not a limitation of the basic GPS technology. Keeping the kids quiet is much harder than telling the GPS to take me to the nearest McDonalds.

7. Side door map pockets that are large enough to actually store a bunch of maps or field guides. My old Legacy had 'em. These are too short, too shallow and a goofy triangular shape. Compared to the departed Soob, this is a big car, but its interior storage space is poorly designed.

8. A useful, Ford-sponsored web site like this one that they pay attention to. I have sent them e-mails but have never gotten a reply.

9. Dealers should not try to sell us a $500 aftermarket undercoating or interior stain repellent. If this car needed something like that, the factory should put it on in the first place. Same with the clear coating on the top.

Thanks, I feel better.

Oh yeah, almost forgot...

I wish the lights flashed when you unlocked the doors with the fob.

A good place to install a ham radio,
Aux/ipod inputs on the stereo,
smart key system like the Prius,
"No Boundaries" rack system like what you can get on the other Escapes,
20A 110v power outlet like you can get on the GMC Silverado "hybrid"

A way to program the nav system while moving and turn off the silly dialog.