Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

Hi gang,

new 09 Escape hybrid owner as of last week. So far so good, we absolutely love this thing ! :)

I'm looking at putting some nerf bars to make it easier to get in and out of the vehicle, and looking around on eBay, I can get them for about $200 shipped, as opposed to $400+tax at our dealer. However, I'm wondering if the 08 bars will fit on an 09 - my understanding is that they are the same, but I would like to confirm before I plunk down the $.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

This doesn't really answer you question but may help in your decision...

We had the nerf boards installed after we bought our vehicle mainly for asthetic reasons. We just thought the looked great. Because of our heights (we're both about 5'6") we do not EVER use them to get in and out of the vehicle so they serve no useful purpose. If your sole purpose is to make getting in/out of the vehicle easier, it may not be worth the $$.

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

The only thing FEH/MMH NERF bars can reasonably provide is dirty pant legs for your wife to put in the wash, or worse yet take to the dry-cleaners, each week. If you're short enough to need NERF bars on the FEH/MMH then you're probably not old enough to be driving anyway.

Buy/install lowering springs instead, added good looks, appearance enhancement, and no dirty pant legs to boot.

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

We had that thought also when we bought ours since we have boards on the Expedition (obviously a taller vehicle) and we have kids, still pretty small, 4-7 at the time. But after hearing the same remarks about more dirt than actual use, and the fact they wern't availalbe when I bought mine, we have decided to 'tought' it out and go w/o boards or bars. We're only 5'-4" & 5'-6" and the hardest thing to learn was getting my feet over the floor pan. The X has a smooth floor pan, the Escape sorta rolls up a bit, I kicked it for a week before I finally re-learned how to enter/exit by lifting my feet that extra 2" ;)

This of course is our opninions, I like the looks of nerf bars, but it's your ride.

The single best mod I think I made for appearance is the side bumpers, it breaks up the large boring sides, and if I ever decided to park near other cars, might provide door ding protection ;)

As to the orginal question, I can't confirm they are same/different, but after a major redesign I can't see the body being changed from 08 to 09 either. Might as the dealer if the $400 set fits 08's & 09's? And easy/sneaky way of finding out?

And where's the pics??!!??!!
What did you get? options, colors, (prices?) details please!

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

Thanks for the input, folks. I never thought that might be an issue... My wife and I don't really need them, but my mom had a bit of a hard time climbing up when I took her for a spin over the weekend. However that's a pretty rare occurrence so maybe I'll hold off at least for a bit.

Our FEH is very much similar to yours, minus the mods and the moon roof: 09 FWD Ice blue with chrome package. No nav or anything else, it's pretty much 'naked'. We've been really pleased with it so far. After taxes and everything else (we are in Canada), we paid $36K. We will be getting a $2k tax rebate from our provincial government (Ontario), so that will lessen the sting a bit.

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

Or old enough to need some help.... I've had to take grandma places and at 94 she can't make that step without some help.

There isn't a heck of a lot of LOWERING one can do without the wheels hitting on the '06. and frankly I think "lowriders" look stupid but thats a personal choice... falls into the same category as spinners and the green neon they outlawed.

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

Ford sells a really nice Running board that is the same one installed at the factory. It is an actual step and is functional. My wife used it everytime she got in. The boards are $395 installed at your local ford dealer. Be sure you tell them you want the step style running board, not the nerf style. Also make sure you tell them you want the Ford Factory ones, not aftermarket.

hope this info helps,

Re: Is the body on the 09 same as the 08 ?
 

I have the Ford bars on my '07 and I like them. For me, they come in handy for washing and waxing the roof. If I were to do it again, I would consider an aftermarket ones like WAAG or Go Rhino that are made of stainless steel and/or powdercoated for extra durability. One issue with some Ford step bars is that they have structural parts that can rust out.
As for '08-'09, it's a safe bet that Ford didn't change frame dimensions between those years. Even an older model Escape step bar may work since overall dimensions changed only an inch between '07-'08.