I went to my local Ford dealer last night (Feb. 26) to do a superficial comparsion and contrast of the new '08 FEH to the '07 FEH. Most of this post will discuss the cosmetic changes. Some will complain about this, but I contend that cosmetic issues - even for a hybrid - still are important, especially given the cost. If you are not interested in cosmetics, this thread is not for you.

Before I move on to those cosmetic features, I want to mention that the various incentives, like the $2500 cash back or the 0% financing, are ONLY applicable to the '07 model. There are NO incentives for the '08 model at this point (as per the dealer).

The first major change is the exterior, which has already been discussed quite a bit on this forum, so I won't detail it here other than to say that I like the more "masculine" look. However, just as Ford made the EH more masculine, they immediately emasculated it by getting rid of the very sharp Redfire Metallic color (which is, oddly enough, readily available on the regular Escape, just not the Hybrid) and adding in the very effeminate "Light Ice Blue Metallic", which looks like baby blue (pastel blue). The Light Sage Metallic and Silver Metallic are also not available for the FEH. But Kiwi Green Metallic, which is a pastel green, remains. Neither of the pastel colors looked good, IMO, in person. Also, if one wants an Oxford White vehicle, one cannot get a moonroof for some inexplicable reason. So while Ford added some new colors, I was not impressed by the limitations with others, and was disappointed to see the Redfire Metallic gone (as this is what I personally wanted).

In '07 we had a choice of interior colors. Now, one can only get the color "stone" (which looked like a darker gray). Last December, I saw a very sharp '07 FEH with a Red Metallic finish and a gorgeous tan interior. This combination simply does not exist on the current '08 model, which is disappointing. I'm not sure if Ford plans to expand colors in the future, but at present, we have limited exterior and interior color choices.

Much of this info. is on-line, so those who've done their homework may already know this. But, confirming these choices at a dealership and then seeing the actual colors in person left me uninspired. Again, while these are cosmetic issues, I fully believe that cosmetic issues play a role when one buys any car.

Moving on from colors, I did like the other new features. The heat seater buttons have been pushed from beside the seat to the console. Speaking of the console, the new navigation system is run by a DVD, not CD, and the screen is about double in size! This should mean easier to read graphics and a lot more detail (as a DVD holds far more information). The console also features a nice time/temperature guage on top and an auxillary port for mp3 players. It retains the 110v plug option.

The '08 FEH is advertised as 4WD, but does not have a switch to place the vehicle into that mode (at least not on the vehicle I saw). The regular Escape does have such a switch. This may be due to electronic limitations, but from my perspective, this makes the FEH more of an AWD, not 4WD.

The very bulky panel parking brake, one of the worst features in the '07 model as it took up a lot of room, is now gone and placed on the floor. I think this is a benefit.

The rest of the '08 is very similar to '07. Just be careful about the features. For example, the moonfoof feature is now packaged with Sirius Satellite Radio, which doubles the price of this add-on.

I was looking forward to the '08 model, but as there are no current incentives and I cannot get the color I want, I may wait to see what Ford creates as the year advances (especially since I have a fairly economical newer vehicle already).

 

Good summary by the way.... The older models '05-07 also do not have a 4WD switch, they are also an AWD system.

Its important to note that the switch isn't all that makes the difference between an 4WD and an AWD. An AWD system can have the four wheels driving all the time because the differentials take are of any issues where one tire would be turning faster than another around a corner.

A TRUE 4WD system should, in general, NOT be driven in 4WD mode on dry pavement. The differentials aren't set up for it and it will be bad for the tires and detrimental to your handling characteristics. You should only put one of those vehicles in 4WD mode on sand, gravel, snow or ice, etc.

 

There were always limited choices in terms of colors both inside and out (the MMH only came with the two-tone tan interior). I'm not surprised this practice continued though perhaps their color options could have been more desireable. The fact that they only produce a limited number of vehicles means they need to limit the combinations of colors/options to make it more affordable to build....as unfortunate as that may be.

As for the AWD/FWD, I'm pretty sure the 04-07 FEH's had the same automatic system not a switch/button. The Mariner Hybrid is an AWD system as well.

I look forward to seeing the 08's in person.

 

One of the reasons I explored this AWD/4WD feature is for the reasons you both stated. That is, I thought the older FEH's were AWD. I accepted this. But I see the new FEH's are advertised as 4WD. But the '08 FEH 4WD does not have a switch, as the regular Escape does (and which I visually saw in a regular Escape). So, in my mind, this does keep the '08 FEH more of an AWD vehicle. Again, nothing really wrong with that, but I do feel that stating that the FEH is a 4WD is a bit misleading. As TeeSter wrote, 4WD should be used selectively. And with that selectivity, I was hoping that the gas mileage would improve even more! But I guess not.

I also agree that color options are always limited, but why remove one of the best ones and replace it with a baby blue color? Maybe some people would love this color, but I thought it was terrible. It'll be interesting to see how many of these baby blue FEH's are sold. I also would think a generic "red" of any type is still a popular color and given that Ford had the Redfire Metallic with the '07 models, why not just keep it for '08? Oh well.

Bottom line is that because I can't get the colors I want, and as there are no incentives, I will not buy an '08 FEH at this time. While I could still get an '07 in the color I want, I like the interior changes in the '08 quite a bit. Perhaps later in the year Ford will either expand the colors or offer incentives for the '08 model. In other words, I need something - give me incentives or colors!

 

If you can wait, it's a sure bet that later models will have more color choices as well as the second generation hybrid drivetrain. They changed color choices each year between 05-07. My faves were Sonic Blue (05 & 06 FEH), Satellite Silver (05-06 MMH), and Vista Blue (07 FEH).

 

Three updates:

Going to Ford's site, I see that they now advertise the '07 FEH as an 4WD, not AWD. Some spots on the Ford site also state that the regular Escape is "always on" as well, but in the vehicle I saw yesterday, there was a switch. So...

Second, I noticed that both the Oxford White and the Vista Blue Metallic colors don't allow for moonroofs. I'm not sure how the color of a car interferes with a moonroof, but this is another limitation.

Lastly, I am definitely waiting. While I can accept another color, the lack of incentives makes the payments skyrocket an estimated $100/month (that's assuming nothing down and a more "normal" interest rate). Given I have a vehicle that gets decent mileage now and is fairly new, I can wait.

Because I can wait, I'm the worst type of customer for a car dealer as not only do I have time on my side, but I've done my homework. Even the salesman said I really knew these cars. And I want to thank everyone who posts in this forum for helping me learn a lot more about these vehicles - it comes in handy to actually know more than the dealer.

 

I noticed that too, and was quite puzzled by it.

 

I thought the '07 FEH only came with "flint" as the interior color????

 

Some more little differences...

• You get auto unlock, as well as auto lock.
  
• You get the "integral" key, which has the remote locks buttons actually on the key itself (instead of a separate keyfob).
  
• Dual automatic climate controls (the manual doesn't mention that this is an option).
  
• Power outlet on the back(rear) of the center console (I added this to my '07 ).
  
• Steering wheel radio controls.
  
• Message Center now allows for option configuration (enable autolock/unlock, headlight delay).

 

Cool! I didn't see all of these on the '08 FEH I saw. For example, but they could be upgrades.

• I think a key with remote lock buttons is more "standard" these days and I'm glad Ford is doing this too.
• On the website, I did see the "dual climate controls" feature.
• By "power outlet on the back of the center console", do you mean another 110v outlet or a "cigar lighter" style outlet? Both are handy, and adapters are readily available for the latter for most items, but I'm curious which one.
• I didn't see the radio controls on the steering wheel on the FEH I saw, which was disappointing. I wonder if this feature is only available for a traditional radio/CD, but not for the navigation system. If steering wheel controls are an upgrade or if you saw it personally, great! I did notice that Ford had put all the cruise control options on one side now (as opposed to both sides as they've done for years), so that, in theory, does leave the other side open for radio controls. But on the vehicle I saw, which had the navigation system, I did not observe radio controls too (but it is possible I missed it).
• I did see an "auto headlight" feature, although I need to explore this more to see exactly what that means.

Overall, the new features (including both yours and the ones I listed above) make the '08 FEH "better". And as I wrote, I can "survive" with another color choice since my first choice isn't an option (at least not now). But without the incentives, financing is far more challenging and the monthly payments skyrocket. So I will have to wait until Ford has some type of promotion for this '08 model.