I've basically sold the wife on the Ford Escape, but we go back and forth on the issue of hybrid vs regular ICE. The main issue we have is the FEH is selling for 10k more than a fully loaded V6 and close to 12k more than a loaded 4 cylinder (after taking the family plan pricing into account). As much as I would like to purchase the hybrid, I have reservations about the huge price difference ford is currently pushing. Is the hybrid really worth the 4-figure markup? Are there any differences besides the low emissions, better mpg, and navigation system?

 

We have a 2002 V6 Escape, and a 2005 Hybrid; both are 4WD/AWD (whatever you want to call it). We bought the 2002 (gently used, near the end of 2002 or early 2003, can't remember exactly when) because we couldn't wait any longer for them to release the first hybrids. We figured we'd make sure we really liked the vehicle before springing for a new hybrid, and that worked out just as planned.

We get about 18-20 mpg with the '02 V6, and about 30-33 mpg with the '05 FEH. I wanted a hybrid because of the low emissions, "coolness factor", and increased mpg. They say three kinds of people drive hybrids - "greenies", "techies", and "cheapies" (I saw that in someone's sig on this forum). I am all three! While the gas savings might not have been worth it alone, the other factors tipped the balance for me. I admit, driving the FEH in my (feeble) attempt to "hypermile" is FUN for me, kind of like playing a video game the whole time I'm driving. And we live in NY, which up until recently had a $2,000 tax CREDIT (not a deduction, like the Feds) for purchasing a hybrid. That, coupled with the Federal deduction, and the fact that I don't get any special pricing deal (X-plan, A-plan, or whatever), made the price difference less for me than what you're quoting.

Also, I put a lot of miles on a vehicle in a year (probably upwards of 20,000), so my gas savings will add up faster than some people's.

The only other things I can think of as advantages are the extended warranty (which only covers the special hybrid parts, so I guess that's a wash), and the need to do oil changes only every 10K miles (don't know if they've changed the schedule for regular Escapes as well, by this time). Oh, and having the fuel economy "meter" on the dash (I don't even have the "Audio/Nav" package, which provides even more info) does make it easier to adjust your driving to save even more gas, if that's of interest.

Some (minor) disadvantages (IMO): no cargo-area power point, no bright yellow color, the shifter is on the floor (the '02 has it on the column, don't know about newer non-hybrid Escapes).

I WOULD avoid the regular 4-cylinder Escape; I think you need the V6 or hybrid system to get anything like reasonable power/acceleration, given the weight of the car (if you will be doing anything other than simply bopping around town/suburbs at relatively low speeds, under which conditions your mpg will be even better in the hybrid and worse in the non-hybrid).

Hope this info/opinion has been helpful. I will probably get another hybrid when the '02 wears out, but remember I'm a cheap, green techie!

 

Sweetbeet pretty much hit the nail on the head, especially if you can't get a good price.

I'm guessing the large price difference is because you're not getting a deal on the FEH but you can on the regular Escape?

I know three people who have Escapes, and they get 12, 16, and 18 MPGs. This tank, and the last tank, I've been at 33. (Okay so maybe I'm just bragging, but still...)

 

Hello Doozer!

I can't tell where you live, but don't be discouraged by the price you got from your local dealer on the FEH. Several members of this forum have been able to negoiate deals from dealers outside of their local area to get pricing at, or near, invoice.

That said, Pravus and Sweetbeet have made some excellent points. I, too, get about 30-33 (actually my wife), on our FEH 4WD. We have had the vehicle since December and have over 15K on it. The amount of miles per year you will put on the vehicle should be a major contributor. I have a roof top luggage carrier (Coleman-- nothing fancy) to augument storage capacity, and still get 30-33.

It's a nice car, and my family of four (two seven year olds) love the car.

 

Also, look into Federal and State tax incentives. These wiped out almost the entire price difference for me here in NY.

 

Same here. Check out the federal and state tax incentives where you are. Since I bought my '05 Hybrid at invoice, the incentives wiped out any price difference between the FEH and an Escape XLT AWD with just about the same equipment. The NY State incentives - real money off the 2004 income tax form, plus a separate incentive that refunded part of the sales tax paid - were really super.

 

Thanks. I had wondered how much the regular Escape got (mpg). I live on an island and got no breaks on price. In fact, I have paid something on the order of 8 grand for the privilege of owning the FEH. Doesn't look good if it is just for the numbers, but I wanted to get a hybrid and Prius won't cut it where I drive.

 

I had a 2001 4wd Escape and traded it for my 05 Hybrid 2wd Escape. The 2001 had 138,000 Miles when I traded it in and Lifetime MPG was 19.8 mpg.

I have setup my MPG spreadsheet to estimate my fuel savings with the Hybrid vs the 2001 Escape. As of 18,787 Miles I have saved about $657.69. With Gas at $3.00/Gal I saved $15.64 on the last take alone.

My spreadsheet makes an assumption that I get 10 mpg better with the Hybrid. I take the actual miles and gallons used on each tank then calculate how many gallons of gas it would have taken if MPG was 10 mpg less. Multiply the difference in gallons used by the current price to get the savings.

I will be listing my savings on each tank I enter. Hover over the '[MORE]' on each of my tanks to see tank savings as well as Lifetime Savings.

 

Well, you sure came to the right place to ask your question. As you can tell by all our views, we strongly believe the price difference shouldn't play a big roll in your decision. Yes you may realize a $10K savings today, but how long you do plan to keep the vehicle?

I went to www.fueleconomy.gov to do a side by side comparison of an Escape vs the Escape Hybrid. These numbers were created using 15,000 miles per year on the vehicle and the cost of gas at $3.39. They don't have '06 models listed so it's based on '05's


FEH vs V6
34 - 19 / mpg
$2.49 - $4.46 / cost to drive 25 miles
$1496 - $2676 / annual cost of fuel
5.7 ton - 10 ton / greenhouse gas

In gas usage alone, with a hybrid you'd save almost $1,200 a year, multiply by 5 years vehicle ownership and there's a saving of $6K, add in the tax incentives offered this year and that big $10K price difference is down to $2 to $3K over the lifetime. (And that's if gas stays at $3.39/gallon for the next 5 years.)

Then look at the environmental side and if this doesn't help you make up your mind to go green, just trying to beat your mileage tank after tank will. Driving has become a game; seeing how long you can stay in electic mode, cursing the darn hills for sucking away the precious mileage on the uphill climb and then cheering as you coast down and get the mileage back. You'll be amazed at how quickly you laugh at the driving techniques of others as they "waste fuel" with their jack rabbit starts at lights or flying down the highway.

Hope all of us at GreenHybrid have helped you with your decision and maybe we'll see you posting your tank results with us soon.

 

A 10K premium for hybrid is unreasonable, and will not continue. Five to ten year calcs in figuring out savings is reasonable for the right people in cars with excellent track records. Unfortunately, Ford Escape is not in that category. Also, you may be looking at high depreciation.

1st Recc: Don't buy an SUV at all.
2nd Recc: Toyota Rav.
Alt 2nd Recc: Wait a year.