Hello all, first timer here. I have been looking for a smaller SUV with decent MPG so was set on the Escape until I came across an FEH. I'm on the fence with my decision. I would love to go with the FEH but I would like some advice regarding the benefits over the regular Escape, given my situation. Here are the details:

Northern Minnesota
Daily Drive of 40 miles round trip on 55mph roads
2006 FEH, Front Wheel Drive, 109,000 miles, clean, $7500

I've been trying to research everything on this site. Is the price point good for that year and mileage, and would I be better off with the non FEH given the harsh winters.

Thank you for your input!

Andy

 

Frankly, the normal Escape might be better for your situation. The FEH really shines for in-town MPG, where the battery can assist most efficiently. Also, the hybrid is not as effective in winter as in other months. I get about 27 MPG on the highway (at about 75MPH) on my 2008. That is with AWD.

Also, the hybrid has some components that are not on the normal Escape, and they can be expensive, namely the electronics pump and the braking system.

I would think that a conventional Escape might fit your bill better. In I4 would get pretty good MPG on the road, they are probably cheaper in price (or newer at the same price), and at higher mileage may be cheaper to maintain.

 

It seems to be about a 10 mpg difference according to fueleconomy.gov but that's only if I get the benefits of the FEH. The conventional is rated at 20 combined and the FEH is 29 combined.

I thought that perhaps driving 60mph would be a benefit but I understand what you're saying about the town driving.

The other issue that is confounding the matter is that the FEH is cheaper than any conventional that I have found.

 

Ouch! I just checked the MPG values for the 2006 I4, what a disaster. The FEH will give better mileage. I had thought they would be in the 27 range or so.

Well, cheaper is better! For your driving situation, I would compare highway mileage rather than combined. If you are willing to drive at 60 I think over 30 may be possible. But also remember to compare if it is FWD or AWD, etc.

 

Prior to purchasing my 2006 FEH, I had a 2002 4WD Escape with the V-6 engine. While pleased with the truck and it's performance, in my typical commute....stop and go...I was getting 16-17 MPG. In my 4WD FEH, driving the same routes and practicing no hypermiling
techniques), I get 30-31 MPG. I'm also driving a near zero emissions vehicle (which is important to me).

 

I think this information from both of you pretty much seals the deal for me. The one I'm looking at is a FWD version which is a little better on fuel than the 4WD so that will help as well. I don't do any hypermiling currently so it's very helpful for you to give those MPG numbers.

Basically, even taking a hit in the winter, I would still be well ahead on fuel savings. The price seems good to me based on what I've seen available. Clean retail at the bank on this vehicle is $9300.

Should I be at all concerned with the miles or look for anything specifically during the test drive?

 

What roads-county/township/state do you travel on and how well do they maintain these roads? The 4wd option-if you can find one- might be a better choice.

 

Potential problem areas:

MECS Pump....$180 part, 20-25 minutes labor

Traction Blend Door Actuator....$20 part, (guessing 90 minutes labor)

HVTB cooling fans....(guessing) $150 part, 90 minutes labor if you do it with the HVTB in the vehicle.

Other than warning lights or codes, the way most realize something is wrong is when the vehicle won't go into EV mode properly. Difficulty with that is you have no real point of reference to differentiate between normal and abnormal. After the FEH reaches normal operating temperature, it should be able to operate in EV mode at speeds below 25-30 MPH with a delicate foot on the accelerator.

In terms of the mileage, take a look at this series of YouTube videos:




They feature tear downs of NY taxi FEHs with well over 200,000 mikes on the clock.

 

I don't know if you made the move yet, but as the owner of an '06 with 80,000+ on the odometer I would say go for it.

At 60mph highway, you will get over 30mpg. I get about 31-33mpg as long as I keep it around that speed (2000rpm or so).

In semi-rural and suburban areas, the Hybrid excels. I lived in a major city for the first 4 years we owned the Hybrid and while it does outperform a standard escape, it will not meet its fuel economy #s in true stop and go city driving. The engine shutdown certainly saves a lot of fuel compared to a standard ICE engine, but in a city the repeated stopping and starting doesn't allow for enough regenerative braking, and also requires too much energy to keep accelerating from stops. Now in the burbs, its a different story. I can always get over 30mpg so long as my commutes aren't short. My wife drives it to the train station now and its only a 7 minute drive up hill. Thats not enough to get the engine up to temps, but with a cold coast downhill on the way home, round trip it still gets 27mpg.

As posted earlier, the "common issues" are the MECS pump, the HV battery cooling fan, and the blend door motor. I would check vehicle history to see if these have been repaired before and if not, expect to do them. Personally, having experienced the MECS failure, I would strongly recommend a proactive approach. The other issues that may arise won't affect the driveability of the vehicle, they will just cause a service light and impact fuel economy until repaired. The MECS, if it fails, will cause your vehicle to COMPLETELY SHUT DOWN with NO WARNING. If it happens on the highway, like it did to my wife, twice, then you will regret it. The dealer will charge $600+ for the repair, but if you are handy and have time you can do it much cheaper.

I would not personally mess with the HV battery myself.

Also, see if they replaced the brakes and shocks/struts. By 100k they should have all been changed out. I did mine at 75,000 as the shocks were completely shot and the brakes were finally wearing out.

 

Be advised if you have a very short commute and live in a cold climate you may have some problems with the hybrid. I am having to get rid of mine after getting a job six miles away. When it is cold the battery will try and warm itself by charging and discharging. At the end of a week during a cold snap the vehicle will not accelerate well at all until driven at least five to ten miles. This can be very bad in the city where merging is tight. I would not get it with a commute under 10 miles. Prewarming the truck doesn't seem to help much either.