Back in November we bought a 4wd FEH. We thought it would be a great way to do our 5-10 mile commutes to work and tool around the city while saving gas and the environment. We read all the great reviews about how the FEH was averaging high 20 to low 30 mpg.

We didn't take into account where we live and how one must drive the hybrid to get the most out of it.

We live at the top of a three-quarter-mile long hill. In the mornings, when we coast down the hill - the car isn't yet warmed up. So the engine never shuts down and we can't go into EV mode. Thus, not a ton in the way of fuel savings.

The middle part of my 7 mile commute to work is relatively flat, but since the car still isn't warmed up, we once again don't get the fuel savings of EV mode.

The last several miles of the commute is up a slight hill. The FEH is warmed up by this point, but since it's uphill, the ICE kicks in at 5 mph. I only go into full EV mode while sitting at stop lights.

So basically, going to work I get about 15-18 mpg no matter how I adjust my driving style. Going home is even worse. I don't get into EV mode at all the first half of my trip home. And just about the time the car is warmed up, I have to climb a very steep hill that kills my gas mileage.

So we bought this FEH and after several thousand miles, and countless adjustments to our driving styles we sill have an SUV that gets about 21 mpg overall - between city and highway.

Honestly, if I had known this going into it, I wouldn't have bought the FEH. I would have bought a regular SUV that got 18 mpg and I didn't have to drive like a granny or worry how much I'm running my defrost. Until significant improvements are made down the road, I don't think I would buy another hybrid again. It's just very disappointing to know that I spend several thousand dollars extra for a feature that really doesn't work the way it was advertised.

Most people here love their FEHs, but I thought I'd mention that they're not for everyone, and they're not really as good as everyone claims.

 

I really feel for your loss of confidence CopyBoy1. Ford should have targeted much better. Those going short distances without a need for SUV capabilities should not consider this car. If you were to have trips of 30 miles plus it will deliver (given good weather and good hybrid driving habits) much more than 30 MPG. But under that it is not good for short trips because of the amount of time needed to warm up exhaust components and charge the battery.

If you are unhappy with your choice you should probably take advantage of the lull in the market from now until the next delivery of the 2006 in the middle of June and try to sell. Ford has stopped deliveries of the 2005 because they have sold out. Anything now left out there will be MSRP+ until June.

Mike

 

Short distances and cold weather is disastrous to the mileage of my Toyota Prius I. It is almost comparable to an ordinary car.

Did you ever consider an electric block heater (that also warms up the interior of the car)?

 

Yeah, when we take it on longer trips, we get great gas mileage - right around the 28-30 hwy mpg that Ford claims. Unfortunately, we don't drive those distances often.

Ford claims 28 hwy and 31 city, so we naturally thought it'd be better for city driving. They don't tell you over how long of distance that 31 city happens.

 

I'd think you can improve mileage a whole lot if you could install a block heater. Would it be possible to try do you think? Besides the improved mileage, you also get a warm car in the morning.

 

Well, I live in Berkeley, CA, so it's only a few months a year the temperature even gets into the low 40's. It almost never freezes here. A block heater seems like overkill.

Plus, I don't have a garage - I park on the street. So plugging in a block heater is pretty much impossible.

 

Copyboy1,
I was wondering what mileage your last car did, about this time last winter.

If you are thinking a regular SUV will get 18 mpg in your situation and your hybrid only gets 21......

 

My last car was a 1994 Jeep Cherokee (with 250,000 miles on it) that got about 16-17 mpg in the city. I could accellerate as fast as I wanted to, and I didn't have to worry about warming it up, and I could run the defrost whenever I wanted to - and it STILL got close to the mpg my FEH gets now in the city.

I guess that's my biggest beef. Ford touts the fuel savings - they even have a calculator that adds up all the money you'll save on gas on their Website - but in reality, depending on your geography, the weather, your commute distance, and your driving style, it may not be any better than a regular SUV at all.

I wish just one of the many reviews I read had mentioned that. Instead, everything I read raved about the FEH.

 

I agree that Ford (and others) mostly tout the great things about their products and leave out the negatives. Does your soap really make you feel like you are in a rain forest? Will your new stove-oven really cook your meals automatically?

Worse, the reviews we read are mostly written by people who see the car, or more rarely drive the car, for a short time and do not get a real feel for the positives and negatives of the product. Some reviewers even get payolla from the manufacturer so they have a vested interest to sell us.

The best reviews are from forums like this where us regular people can discuss things without being owned or closely-held. Unfortunately, many of us like to live on the edge and buy before the free product forums can be established.

The way I look at it is to ask myself the following:

Maybe the car does not live up to the ads but is it better than what I had and was it worth the extra I paid for it, taking into account the feeling of superiority of being a pioneer.

I love my car. Maybe my wife, over time, was not as advertised during our dates but I have grown to love her positives and worry less about the negatives.

If someone buys and is not satisfied I say sell it and take the loss as a lesson to be learned. If someone buys and it is really a lemon (which I do not feel the H-Escape is) go after the dealer or the manufacturer.

Ford does not have to try to over-sell this car. It fits a need if only the needy are given the true facts.

Mike

 

copyboy1, if your JGC got about the same MPG as your hybrid escape in the same route, same conditions then there must be something wrong.

Lately I've been taking the kids to both schools in the morning. Both the weather and my car (Parks outside) is stone cold, battle the hills & 2 school's traffic, and still return home 3.6 miles later with at least 47MPG.