![]() ![]() Back at its inception, this one would have returned 27mpg. Now, Ford’s Escape Hybrid strategy has changed little over the past 15 years electrically boosting a 2.5-liter 4-cylinder/eCVT pairing to produce better than car-like fuel economy in a small SUV. Hybrids used to be burdened with too many annoying traits, overwhelming their MPG advantages but much work has been done to, not only make them more likable, but in some instances actually make them the preferred powertrain. In city driving in particular, the Escape beats the RAV4 and CR-V at hybrid economy. Forty-eight percent of my weekly miles didn’t use any gas. By the way, Ford offers one of those too. And this one can do its fair share of electric driving, far beyond what you’d expect from a hybrid without a plug. And with a weight loss of about 200 pounds, the Escape Hybrid smoothly and decisively steps off with an EV-like immediacy. Mated to the electronic CVT, total system output including the 88 kW electric motor is 198 horsepower. Though its displacement is the same, Ford says this 2.5-liter 4-cylinder, running on the hybrid-friendly Atkinson cycle, is all-new. So engineers were able to improve head-, shoulder- and hip room while mostly limiting the reduction of cargo volume as compared with the gas model…it loses about 5 cubic feet. The Hybrid ‘s new briefcase-shaped lithium-ion battery resides outside of the vehicle under the rear seat area and takes up only a third of the space of the old battery. With AWD and nicely optioned, this one checks in at $35,295. But here I have the SE Sport the most affordable Escape Hybrid. ![]() Originally produced between 20, it didn’t make the cut for the redesigned 2013 model year. There are 9 specific trim levels with a starting MSRP of $26,130 and look who’s back the Escape Hybrid. Thankfully, this is the Escape’s worst crime as the rest of it is actually very good. Lower, wider, longer and more aerodynamic, the new Escape resembles less the tough little SUV it once did and more the bastard child of a Porsche Cayenne and Tesla Model 3. Having been on the road now for 20 years, it’s where we’ve turned when the patriotic pangs pull us away from the RAV4, CR-V and Rogue.Īnd now that Ford is almost exclusively a truck and SUV brand they’ve seized the opportunity to morph the Escape into something a little more car-like so as not to alienate shoppers who aren’t SUV crazy.Īnd yes, believe it or not, those people still exist. The venerable Escape has long since been a small SUV favorite but as you can see Ford has taken its styling in a decidedly car-like direction repositioning it in their reborn, utility-focused lineup. ![]()
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