lets talk escape hybrids

FoMoCo · #1 02-23-2012, 12:29 PM

parents are looking at trading in their 2006 chevorlet trailblazer for a 2008 escape hybrid...this is the one they are looking at
http://corvallis.craigslist.org/ctd/2835047540.html

what are the positives/negatives

i worked at ford back in about 2006, so i am kinda familiar with the escape/mariners, but not too much with the hybrid versions

please discuss

Rango88 · #2 02-23-2012, 02:12 PM

I am currently reading Lemon-Aid 2011-2012 (a book that takes into customer complaints, issues, recalls, design flaws, etc of the last ten years in most vehicles) and the escape hybrid has really good reviews, its one of the most reliable early hybrids and has decent performance for its time. The only real issue that the book has with the escape hybrid is the fact that they only made it for approx 2-3 years so parts or even any kind of support could be difficult to come by. That's pretty much all I know about them. Hope it helps.

doyouquaxu · #3 02-23-2012, 02:25 PM

i have a friend who got one of these pretty cheap. some dummy bought it to do some "Eco" off roading, then realized it was 2wd a week later.

good car, pretty comfy and roomy

FoMoCo · #4 02-23-2012, 02:28 PM

i've noticed that they are a little hard to find, they are looking at both the escape, and the mariner

Rango88 · #5 02-23-2012, 02:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FoMoCo

i've noticed that they are a little hard to find, they are looking at both the escape, and the mariner

I found the approx sells figure for them (i believe these are world wide

)

Ford Escape - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

2004 183,430[75] - (inc. 2,993 hybrids)
2005 165,122[75] - (inc. 18,797 hybrids)
2006 157,395[76] - (inc. 20,149 hybrids
2007 165,596 - (inc. 21,386 hybrids)
2008 156,544[77] - (inc. 17,173 hybrids)
2009 173,044[78] - (inc. 14,787 hybrids)
2010 191,026 - (inc. 11,182 hybrids)
2011 (ytd - Nov.) 228,729 - (inc. 9,009 hybrids)

FFparker · #6 02-23-2012, 02:43 PM

Well everyone I know told my mom not to get the 4 cyl because it has no balls. And they were right. We got the mercury mariner with the 3.0 i believe. It hauls ass and its very comfy/ roomy with alot of power. I'd drive it.
Oh another thing I heard was the seats in them can hurt your back after awhile. We haven't come across any such issues thus far.

03DJ · #7 02-23-2012, 09:17 PM

Well its an 08. Thats the first year for that body style. All I know is that the engine doesnt have as much horsepower as the newer ones and it doesnt have Sirius Radio pre-installed. Sounds like a pretty good deal other-wise.

FoMoCo · #8 02-24-2012, 02:34 AM

not really worried about the horsepower, they don't want the V6, they are getting away from horrible fuel economy with their trailblazer, they want the AWD for when the weather turns bad, and not do any "ECO wheeling"...lolz

mikesturbo94 · #9 02-24-2012, 04:00 AM

I have a regular 08 escape v6 awd abduction love it gets alil better mph then the ranger did but not much

TomN · #10 02-24-2012, 04:46 AM

My girlfriends mom had one. It had horrible blind spots. She just traded it in on a 2012 Malibu.

djfllmn · #11 02-24-2012, 05:10 AM

my grandpa has a 2010 escape AWD with the 3.0 duratec V6...they get about 25 or so on the highway...and the I4 gets about the same...try and persuade them to get the 6...theyll regret getting the 4

SC Cheesehead · #12 02-24-2012, 05:48 AM

We've got an '06 Escape Hybrid (my wife's primary vehicle). She drives approx. 75 miles round trip daily, and we often use it for weekend trips as well. Just turned over 110K on the odometer, no major maintenance issues, one recall for a battery relay switch (no problems with it, but had it changed out per the recall notice).

She averages 32 mpg, combination of city and highway driving. City driving is higher as it'll operate off only battery power if under light load at 30 mph or less.

This is not the same 4 cyl as the I-4 in the gas model. It was designed specifically for the Hybrid application and actually is fairly torquey. Also, at highway speeds, if you need to pass or put it under high acceleration, a load sensor notes this and will momentarily kick in a battery boost to the electric drive motors, so in effect, you're adding in another 90+ hp, kinda neat.

Another thing, thie hybrid has a CV drive transmission, it doesn't "shift" in the traditional sense of the word. It operates more like a belt drive on snowmobile, where drive ratio varies according to load and speed.

schultzkenneth · #13 02-24-2012, 06:37 AM

My Step grandma has a 2008 Escape with a 4cyl 2wd. She is able to get right around 30mpg out of it on longer trips. She loves it and it does fairly well in the michigan snow/ice. I've drove it a little bit and i thought it was a damn nice ride. As for the hybrids...i ain't a fan of them, but for your parents it may be worth looking into.

mb doug · #14 02-24-2012, 07:51 AM

Don't know personally, but NYC has a fleet of them for the Parks department. I see them everywhere but haven't seen any on the side of the road broke down.

03DJ · #15 02-24-2012, 10:21 AM

I have a '12 Escape. 3.0L V6. It gets 27 MPG. Not a fan for Hybrids, maybe when the gas reaches $8 a gallon, Id buy one. But if your looking into saving gas, I suppose the hybrid is the way to go. The 4WD Escapes are going to eat a little more gas because they have Intelligent 4WD, its on all the time and will kick in whenever you need the extra traction, may lose like two miles per gallon; however you may need it in Oregon for the snow.