Hey I resemble that remark! I love the look of my 08 FEH. I even opted of the crome apper. pack! So that i could have even more crome. No offense to those that have 07's and earlier but I really dislike the older style. IMHO.

 

I like the chrome... cars today don't have any character. I would drive a 100% chrome car if I could. Well... maybe the windows can be made of glass.

 

thats what I'm saying!! I would love to get the crome 17" wheels if they offered them on the hybrids!

 

I had an '05 FE and traded in for the '08 FEH. I love the look of the new ones. Much truckier (yes, that's a word). The '05s were cute. I like turning heads with this one. And I totally agree that the more chrome the better. I don't think the '05 had any, which is a crying shame considering FOrd used to put chrome on every surface they could think of!

 

I agree with just about everything. The 05-07s look good - I'd call them "sporty." The 08 looks like a small truck. It helps distinguish them from the "cute 'ute" category better. Given the option between an 07 and and 08 exterior, I'd vote for the 08 (hence my purchase of one).

I'm split on the chrome ... personally I can only handle so much; hence, no chrome package on ours.

-Andrew-

 

We have a 2007 FEH, mainly because we "needed" a replacement vehicle back in December, and the 2008s weren't due in showrooms until April. We could've chosen either 2007 or 2008 designs had both been available. That being said, we like our 2007 a lot, and were really pleased to have it through the winter months.

It's already June, and we haven't seen even one 2008 Escape (of any flavor) anywhere on the road. There certainly are huge herds of 'em sitting on every dealer's lot we pass. Around here, Ford is just getting around to getting the word out the 2008 Escapes exist.

At the January DC Auto show, the only 2008 Escapes to be found were a pair of FEHs stuffed back in a shady corner of the huge Ford area, with no signage other than their side badges. People were using the Escapes to lean against while they oogled the big Ford SUVs, F trucks, and muscle cars up on their rotating pedestals with the booth dollies. Their loss.

...Karl

 

I need to determine if a Hybrid would be a good purchase for me. I live in Ontario Canada, near Lake Huron. I am a widow who knows nothing about car but I need to have reliable transportation as I live in the country. I currently drive a 2003 Escape and I love it, don't really care if it is ugly. I use it to carry my dogs around to vet visits, kennel etc.
Any help would be appreciated.

 

I think it would be hard to find a much more reliable vehicle than a new FEH.

Finding local Hybrid service might be a problem however.

~John

 

Maxie-
It totally depends on how much you'd use the electric aspect of the vehicle. It runs on battery power at slower speeds (usually 30MPH or less). If you do a lot of sitting in traffic or short errands in town, then a hybrid might be right for you. However, if you do live in the country, all wheel drive might be helpful, and that reduces the fuel economy of any vehicle. I had an '05 Escape with a gas V6 engine and AWD. I got about 20 MPG. I now have an '08 FEH, 2WD. I'm getting nearly 33 MPG. I sit in rush hour a fair amount, and can keep it in electric mode a good portion of the time I'm driving on city streets.
I do agree with John--finding someone to service it might be a bugger. The new '08 gas models (with smaller engines) get better gas mileage than their predecessors. You may want to see if that makes more economic sense for you. Good luck!

 

Agreed! Plus I would settle for simply a chrome wheel, 16", upgrade option for the hybrid.

BTW, I am not too sure why the hybrid has unique wheels. They aren't all that unique enough that they scream "hybrid here!" to anyone glancing that way. They also don't look like they help much, over the regular Escape/Mariner aluminum wheels, with mileage. Is it just the rear disc brakes that the hybrid wheels really accommodate?