Are there any comments concerning the review of the 2008 Escape both
regular and hybrid version?

I have a 2007 FEH and think it is a great vehicle. We are geeting
33.3 mph in Southwest Michigan. We traded in a Windstar for the FEH
and have not regretted it.

Also can you use synthetic oil for the hybrid. We are traveling to Cape Cod in 4 weeks and we wonder if synthetic oil would improve
highway mpgs.
This is a great forum!!!

 

Ford uses a synthetic blend (syn & dino) for the FEH/MMH. Many people here including myself have switched to full synthetic. I put in Mobil1 at my 10,000mi change. I don't know that I see a difference in mileage but I think in the long run it will be better for the vehicle.

 

Ford may be using a blend because it stays with the bearing surfaces longer than pure synthetic. Another (other vehicle) website I post to had information that the pure synthetics quickly leave the bearings when the oil pump stops.

...this is the web, so who knows! I use Mobile 1.

 

Welcome to GH, it may help if you could provide a link to said article.

 

Here is the URL:

http://www.usatoday.com/money/autos/...e_N.htm?csp=34

Here is the summary statement:

Short version: If you're looking for a small SUV, there are better ones. If you want a small hybrid SUV, or a small hybrid of any kind with all-wheel drive or SUV-type utility, there aren't.

 

LOL, excerpts from the test:

For 2008, the Escape, a pioneer among carlike SUVs and third-best-selling SUV in the country, is quieter, smoother, uglier outside and possibly inside, burdened by long-in-the-tooth gasoline drivetrains,

Besides the fact it's begun to seem outdated vs. the competition, the '08 Escape demonstrates that, in appearance, Ford again has mistaken clutter, confusion and chrome for class. Hallmarks of the exterior:
•Big, ugly grille that Ford will chrome completely instead of partly for extra bucks. Better you should buy the pricey Limited version to get a body-color grille, camouflaging the dreadful thing

I agree totally............

~John

 

Well, he and I share similar views on the exterior appearance, and some on the interior appearance.

 

I agree 100% about the exterior look, I figured the new grille might grow on me but it hasn't at all.

I drive by a Ford dealer every day on my way to work & the line of 08 Escape's still look atrocious to me (especially that gaudy chrome grille)

I do like the interior, although I don't see it as a major improvement from earlier years.

~John

 

We bought the '08 Mariner (not the Escape) the week it hit the floor. We had been holding out for some of the improvements (noise, display, Nav system) and are pleased as can be. Now, we may have little in the way of fashion sense but, frankly, I like the looks of this rig over it's '05-07 predecessors. (There's no accounting for taste.) My ONLY gripe about it at present is the classic rear-end squeak/chirp which I have queried about in the classic rear-end squeak/chirp thread, convenient located nearby. Hoping to implement a fix this coming week.

And re: the grill, I like it. It reminds me a bit of an old 1930s coupe. A bit of a snarl.

 

My gripes about appearance center more on the interior than the exterior. I actually prefer the look of the 08's outside. The chrome is a bit loud -- but, heck, I grew up in Detroit in the '70s, so I guess it's sort of a happy flashback for me. In general, though, I think that the interior looks kind of cheesy. I checked out a (non-hybrid) Mazda Tribute before looking at the Escape, and it had a much classier look inside. That said, the seats are really comfortable. And my teenagers are quite comfortable in the back, even without sliding rear seats.

But, as a female who made the decision to buy both of our Fords (the other car is a Taurus) -- and didn't even consider a Mercury -- I guess I'm just a contrarian!