Well I went from a 4wd F150 that I really did like.. to my 4wd Escape Hybrid and I have really done well on gas so far... I drive 98 miles/day commute that should be 75% highway at 70mph... except that traffic is all stop and go now, and I was only seeing 12 - 14 mpg in my F150. I am around 30mpg now and I would estimate that I spend half as much on gas every month than before... and I really enjoy the vehicle.
It's the stop and go traffic that really makes the Hybrid the great choice over the V6. I also expect to wear the brakes less than I did on my F150.

 

$28,500 Price loaded, except Sun Roof and AWD
0% 60 month financing
$2,600 tax credit
44.5 cents per mile from my employer
30.5 mpg overall since purchase

And I really like the vehicle.

 

Our tax credit will be closer to $3500 just this first year. Up to $1500 each following year until they change the rules for it. With barely over a $4k difference in vehicle cost compared to the non-hybrid, we will have recouped the difference within a year quite handily.

Then again, with the latest sales push and move to allow purchase under x-plan (which is a very popular corporate discount), good luck finding one sitting on a dealer lot. We hit it at the right time and got one hell of a deal in my opinion.

 

I'll break this down even further:

With the $1500 tax credit our state provides - assuming it continues year after year - and the 18000 miles a year we anticipate driving it, at $3.50/gallon we will be getting paid back for 3/4 of the gas we use. Drop that to the current $3.02 we now pay, and our fuel cost for that 18,000 miles remains under $300/year!

Obviously the tax credit issue is going to be a short term incentive, but it had us wondering how anyone could even justify the non-hybrid.

 

I drive over 30,000 miles per year in New England so the FEH was the best choice for me. I'm more comfortable having the AWD and like having the SUV height but still get better milage than most regular cars. At $3.00/gal, it will take me less than 4 years to make up the difference.

 

Just to update, since I'm at home with the spreadsheet. (I'll skip over the boring calculations.)

Total Fuel Savings in 11 1/2 months by having FEH instead of Conventional Escape: $1386.22 (Amount left to Recoup initial 4K price difference: $2613.78 / about 1.8 more years.)

Total Fuel Savings in 11 1/2 months by having FEH instead of '95 Explorer: $2295

I can also give it to you in Gallons used/saved as well, but I like dollars, it's more "direct", and it's based on each tank and the price I pay per tank. (FEH, to date, 480 gallons, $1340.15 in fill ups; in other words, I've already "saved" more gas money this year than I spent.)

 

The way it worked out for us, with a car that was worth $21k on trade, our financing of $188/mo @ 0% is actually a break-even for us given what we are saving by not driving our truck everywhere. At $3/gal, we actually pocket a few extra bucks a month now. Our savings will obviously improve as prices climb.

So now:
- We drive a vehicle that is two years newer than the Subaru we traded in.
- We have a longer warranty.
- We aren't spending ANY extra cash!

It was a no-brainer once we looked at the FE.

 

Why in doing price comparisons does nobody ever figure in that the hybrid will be worth more in the end than the comparable V6. Diesel vehicles always cost more than their non-diesel conterparts but, in the end are worth much more used than their gas equivalents. As gas continues to go up in price the resale value of the hybrids will probably follow.

 

Everyone counts the obvious costs, but not the incidentals. I have a car that qualifies as SULEV-II. So I paid a bit more in my pocketbook.... so what... if people would stop thinking just about themselves and how much money THEY will save and think about the environment as a whole once in a while we'd be alot better off.

I'm not going to make my money back.... I don't CARE! Maybe someone with asthma will breathe a bit easier tonight....

Businessess pump our air and water full of pollution from exactly that kind of thinking..... It doesn't save ME any money to put in a scrubber so why should I?

I'm not saying an FEH is the BEST choice for that either.... A Prius would get better mileage... but not everyone can drive a Prius. At least I helped SOME.

 

Now just imagine how much money and pollution people could save if they either moved closer to work, or got a job closer to home.

Let's see, my F150 gets about 15 mpg on the work commute of 3.2 miles. Working approximately 20.4 days per month, that's 3.2 miles x 2 trips/day x 20.4 = 130.56 miles per month. 130.56 miles / 15 mpg = 8.7 gallons/month, or about $27/month at the current local average of $3.12/gal.

People commuting over 30 miles in the same vehicle would have a nice big $270+ fuel bill every month, not to mention the tenfold pollution increase.

So I suppose I'm saying that I don't feel guilty commuting in the truck to my work. I think we burn that much fuel in the lawnmower in a month. I wouldn't mind using an EV as a commuter, but that would be a huge additional expense given the economics of the short commute.

The FEH on the flip side is expected to run up to 18,000 miles per year as our primary errand and long trip car. With 3 kids and 2 dogs, anything of smaller stature is simply insufficient. (Not that I feel the need to defend myself there.) It is the only hybrid available to date that fits with our requirements.