Standard on the regular gasoline escape is anti rollover technology and it's not available as an option on the hybrid and it is on the highlander.

 

Its up to you... if you feel you need stability control by all means get a vehicle with it... but SUV's have been on the roads for years and the death rates have gone down during those years for traffic accidents. So they are hardly the deathtraps they are made out to be.

Everyone makes their own assessment of risk... I was fine without the stability control, but I got every kind of airbag option available for mine including side curtains, so I'm not going to knock you for wanting ESC.

Actually a recent study said that people tend to drive worse in cars with more safety features and on the average the posistive effect of those features is negated by their driving. So if you get the Highlander, don't be one of those people and drive like ice is dry pavement. okay

 

It sort of baffles me that so many folks are going through a HyHi vs. FEH decision. Even the Govt classifies the FEH and the HyHi in different categories. (Small vs. Midsize SUVs) Hybrid drivetrain is practically on the only thing they compare close on.

Seating: 5 person(FEH) vs. 7 person(HyHi)
FE: 30mpg (FEH nom.) vs. 25mpg (HyHi nom.) - 20% delta per the GH database
Curb wt. etc.
Wheel base etc.
Length etc.
Price etc.

If you need the capacity of the Highlander ...then you don't have much choice on hybrids.

If you don't need the larger capacity....and Hybrid technology is important, you have the FEH/MMH.

If you don't need the size, and do not need to make a "statement" with a hybrid, and are still willing to go with only 20 - 25 EPA mpg then you have Subarus and others to choose from.

From my experience(and imho), the HyHi and the FEH serve different markets.

 

personally, i have no interest in the Highlander at all. Only the FEH. So im trying to figure out all i can. The guy at the dealer has 2 05's available. one with 20,000 plus miles, the other with 30,000 plus miles, both in the 20,000 dollar range. The FEH is the only SUV highbrid Im interested in. ( My Dream is to have a Hybrid Xterra, but will have to take the Escape! lol)

I don't know a lot about cars. I thought the electronic stability thingy ws something that kicked in in bad weather like the 4x4! lmao

 

I will stick with the ford I already put a deposit down and even though I feel the highlander is a safer more reliable car It's more than I can afford by at least $5000.00. I can always trade down from an escape to a prius which is front wheel drive.

 

I have minimal interest in the HiHy. I've owned Ford cars for years, so I realize the strengths and weaknesses - no need to convert me to or away from them. And with that background, I acknowledge that Toyota simply has a far superior rating. Hence, I considered the HiHy a bit as an alternative.

However, not only is this a much bigger vehicle than I need, it does less gas mileage and it costs $10K more. That last item is the biggest - I simply cannot afford a $42K+ car (one that is loaded with features). And why spend $35K for a "stripped down" vehicle? In contrast, for $32K, I can get a FEH loaded with features and it gets better mileage. Plus, thanks to the many threads here, I can see that the FEH is a good vehicle - Ford owners are happy with this one! This gives me confidence.

While I'm disappointed at the color choices, I am thrilled with all the other features offered on the '08 FEH. Right now, though, I don't drive enough to justify a hybrid (i.e., by the time my car warms up enough to kick into all electric mode, I'll be at work). My Saturn Vue already gets great mileage and is an '06 model. Also, the lack of incentives mean that I simply cannot afford an '08 FEH now. But I do predict changes in the coming year and at that time I may jump to the FEH (especially once Ford adds some incentives).

I did look at the '08 MMH. I was hoping that Ford would have different colors with the MMH - but alas, it is very similar to the FEH - in fact, a bit too similar (except for the front of the vehicle). Comparing the two, I like the FEH design more. But who knows - maybe by the time I'm ready to buy, Ford will have an '08 Version 2 out or even their '09 models out! It'll be interesting to see what changes those will have!

 

The Highlander is definitely nice, no question. I shopped for one but gave it up.

First it was at least $5K-$7k more. Then there's the tax credit problem. It's a V-6, which I don't want. Mileage results posted around the 'net seemed low-ish and EPA greenhouse gas emissions numbers are definitely higher. regardless, I went ahead with a test drive anyway. Nice on the inside, but it seemed heavy so I checked the specs and was surprised to find a curb weight almost 500 lbs heavier than the Escape! I do a lot of outdoor stuff and mountain driving, so efficiency and light weight are important to me, and one reason I bought a Prius in late 2003. At nearly 4500 lbs, I didn't see any reason to keep considering the Highlander.

The good news is that you can go to a big Toyota dealer and pick out a unit today. The Prius is 15-20 deep at most dealers in my area, and the Highlanders are plentiful too.

As for safety, I have not seen ratings on the '08 Escape so I'm slightly dubious of any assertions regarding that until I see numbers. The old one was not great and I know that Ford wanted to take Escape's ratings to the next level, but we'll see...

P.S. As for quality, I am open to the idea of a Ford. The absolute worst car I have ever owned from a quality standpoint (I've bought about a dozen new cars) was my 2004 Prius. Although it never had to be towed and always got me to my destination, it was in the shop more times than I can even count in the 30 months I owned it. 42 MPG on average was great, but 3 recalls, 4 safety campaigns, and numerous other problems made my first (and last) new Toyota ownership experience a really bad one. I guess I got the "bad" one!

 

The safety rating isn't as good as it could be because Electronic Stability Control isn't available even as an option. It is available on the non hybrid 2008 escape

 

Oh that is a very good point. I did not see that in the original post but it makes sense now.

The no-RSC-on-the-hybrid thing with the new Escape is really weak on Ford's part. From what I've read, they would have had to re-do all the computer code to make the hybrid drivetrain compatible with RSC and the accountants vetoed it based on the low hybrid volumes. But still, it's weak. Hybrid buyers tend to value safety.

While they are at it they really should be able to include other basics like steering-wheel mounted audio/climate controls, a rear seat which folds in one step like everyone else, and a telescope adjustment on the steering wheel.

 

I checked out the HH before getting the FEH. One of my requirements was that the cargo floor be completely flat when the rear seats are folded down. The FEH does that. The HH does not and has a pronounced slope to the cargo floor starting (as I recall) 39" from the rear. Makes it difficult if not impossible to carry bikes or sleep in the back, and that's what I use an SUV for.