I think you can turn off the silly dialog. I don't have the book with me, but there is a settings page where you can set the dialog voice, volume, etc.

 

I wish there was a way to upload objects to the nav system or to have the ability to hook the gps to a laptop.

A good place to install Ham radio gear would be nice as well.

 

Wow... I probably disagree with most of this stuff.

I really want:
- an audio-input jack for my iPod. This is my #1 gripe.
- the "no boundaries" roof rack instead of the basic rack

I also can't help but wonder if I couldn't make it even more efficient. It seems that it doesn't shut off when it should. I know it will run the ICE if it needs AC to cool the batteries, but this still doesn't explain some strangness that I see. Also, I can tell when the battery is "full" because using the brakes will no longer show that it's charging. So you would think that it'd want to dump it's electricity by maximizing use of the electric motor on the next take off from a stop -- my expereience is that once I get to 20-25 and the ICE kick on, the electric system takes a holiday and I'll get no more boosting out of that. Why does it ONLY boost for people who put their foot into it? Shouldn't it be boosting more often? Esp. if it's got electric ower to spare?

Other stuff:

I LIKE the charge/boost meter. If you don't have the Nav system (and I don't) it's the only way to know when the battery system is starting to work. You folks in warm climates don't know this because... well your car is always "warm". Put it through a cold winter and you'll realize that your hybrid system isn't really working for the first 15 minutes until things start to warm up. This meter lets me know when that's starting to happen so I can take advantage of it.

I would never have known about the window lock-out switch if you all hadn't told me. I have no kids, so I'd never used the lock-out. That said, it seems pretty silly that the lock-out switch also locks out the driver.

Storage isn't such a big deal. Maybe a spot for the cellphone would be nice, but that's about it. I hate a cluttered car so I don't put much stuff in my car.

Yes, I have to tuck in the carpet again if I show someone the battery, but this is ONLY because showing it off is a novelty. If it weren't for that you'd never care about it. I guess I'm not willing to pay extra for a cleverly designed cargo-floor that easily opens to reveal the battery since there's no reason for an average consumer to access that space.

Rear seat headrests are now required by law - it's not Ford's choice. They make them pretty small as it is, *and* they're removable. The only thing Ford could do that they haven't already done is to make them transparent. The headrests are a non-gripe guys... sorry.

There's a turn-signal alarm? Really? I've been wishing that someone would make such a feature for YEARS. It's so annoying to have to follow someone for miles and miles with their turn-signal left flashing. Nothing else quite says "I don't pay attention when I drive" like that. Now if only they'd put that on EVERY car we'd be making progress.

 

I wish they'd use higher quality materials in the back cargo area. Every time I push lumber or something heavy in, it catches on those little plastic buttons they use to hold the rear carpeting in and pulls them out.

I wish they had volume controls for the radio on the steering wheel.

I wish you could enter info into the NAV system while driving instead of only while stopped.

 

I'll go with the "map pockets that actually hold maps" one (the ones in my '02 Escape are fine, why did they have to change them?).

More storage space would be good (again, as in the '02 Escape) - they could make some room for it by putting the shifter back on the column. I'm probably one of the few people in the whole world who actually LIKED that arrangement. With an automatic, WHY do you need the shifter on the floor? It just takes up space that could be used for, say, kleenex, change, throat lozenges, cell phone, sunglasses, GPS (I have a handheld), whatever.

Better interior construction, including (1) something more sturdy than those little plastic buttons, and (2) more stain-resistant fabric.

I would like to have another "power point" in the cargo area (as in '02 Escape, again). Really useful for plugging in refrigerated cooler (on camping trips), or kid's CD player (without having cord trailing up to driver's area).

And I agree that the "charge/assist" gauge is *mostly* useless (every once in a while I look at it to see if the battery is full, as indicated by no "charge" activity when braking). Not sure what would be best to put there, though. Perhaps an indicator of battery "percentage full"?

I don't understand the request for seat-back pockets - mine ('05 AWD) has them.

 

I never really noticed this until tonight - the FEH has just one place to hang clothes. The pathetic little plastic hook in the rear cargo area didn't cut it when I went to hang some uniforms on it tonight. And based on experience with my old Focus, hang something on that hook when it is cold and it will snap right off.

Oh yeah, why don't we have the overhead grab bars like I had in my '04? I used to drive holding on to that and I still reach for it sometimes.

Being picky. But at least as of this moment the Sox are winning.....

 

Something else covering the rear battery besides the carpet. How about a plastic lid or something retractable yet strong?
Definitely more nooks in the front dashboard. I used to jam my cell phone in one of the nooks in the radio panel area in my old '01 Escape. Of course I used to rest my hand on the gearshift that was set off the steering wheel .... but I don't want that to return.
A rear power point, just like the '01 Escape.
More room in the door pockets. Can hardly fit anything in there except my pocket-sized NYC Hagstrom map and some other papers.
Moon roof as option for all models, not just the premium.
Better lumbar support on the seats.
And yes, sturdier upholstery.

 

The 2006 is a pain when you want to look in the glove compartment or storage box at night. They did not put in any lighting for these two areas. I keep two LED lights in there to find stuff.

 

My neighbor just bought a new '06 Ford Escape (non-hybrid). Turns out the nook in the dash is still there!

Where we have the the 6 buttons below the radio (hazzard, rear-window defrost, info, set, a blank, and the light that tells you if the passenger seat airbag is disabled), their escape has hazzard, defroster, a nook to put something about the size of a cellphone, and then the passenger-airbag light.

But their escape does NOT have the driver "message center" in the tachometer -- which is controlled by the extra buttons below the radio. It seems that they swap nook for a place to put the message center buttons.

 

Two things, so far (well, of things that I don't believe were mentioned).

I don't know if anyone else is bothered by this, but I'm used to driving a civic, and I always found it nice to have the little light light up on the dash when my windshield washer fluid was getting low. Now I've noticed that it seems harder to get fluid right away when it is low, so I guess there is some indication, but at least having the light on lets you know for sure, especially if you're not the only driver.

Second, I'm not exactly short, and when I drive I have the seat all the way back. So when putting the back seats down to cart around anything requiring more than the trunk, I find that the bench portion of the back seat prevents the drivers seat from going all the way back. Now maybe there's a way to remove the bench portion completely, but from first inspection they seem to be securely attached.

I know there was a third thing, but I can't think of it right now.