2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
Test drove: 7/17/2007 to 7/31/2007
Just Like Grandma’s Sofa
When my grandma moved from Virginia to Colorado to be closer to our family, not only did she have boxes full of knick-knacks that were incredibly appealing to my pre-teen self, she also had an unforgettable sofa: Gold velour with a hateful green and blue floral pattern on it. This sofa’s tacky factor rivaled velvet Elvis paintings. Even worse (because, honestly, a velour sofa could have redeeming characteristics, like being super comfy to lounge on in skimpy summer PJ’s), the entire thing was covered in protective plastic.
Plastic. Not comfy to lounge on, and no fun to drive in. Even if you could get past the Escape Hybrid’s cheap materials, driving it felt like trying to Flintstone Grandma’s plastic sofa up to speed on the highway. I was thrilled the kids were still on summer break while I had this car, as that minimized the number of highway miles I had to log. The continuously variable automatic transmission (a fancy-pants term meaning, among other things, that you don’t get a kick in the butt as the vehicle changes gears), was incredibly frustrating and even louder than Grandma when her hearing aid battery failed.
I did appreciate the rear park assist on this car (you can imagine how important that would be when driving a plastic sofa), as well as the touch-screen navigation system, the sunroof and the easy-to-use Latch connectors.
The modern amenities in the Escape Hybrid would probably make Grandma’s head spin — God rest her soul — if she were around to experience them. I loved the standard auxiliary input jack to plug in my iPod for some serious mood-altering audio therapy, and for the kids’ books on tape (or, rather, books on iPod). The 110-volt outlet in the front would also boggle Grandma’s mind; imagine what she'd think of being able to plug in any number of modern amenities, most of which would best be used when the vehicle is not in motion — laptop, vacuum cleaner, espresso machine with frothing wand … anyone? Anyone?
The center console in the Escape Hybrid has an adjustable cubby-like system to help keep all my mommy things organized. This was a huge benefit and compensated for the inadequate, narrow rectangular pockets in the rear doors, which seemed to fit nothing. Well, not exactly nothing — my sage green travel portfolio, about which I receive numerous compliments, fit perfectly. Why I’d want to store this in the rear door pockets, however, I have yet to figure out.
Attempting to fold the backseat to store antiques, possibly of the smelly velour variety, was also a pain. The 60/40-split folding rear seats required a two-step process to go down. Why Ford uses this mechanism rather than a one-step process — or, better yet, electronically via the push of a button, saving me time and grief — is a mystery. Almost as big a mystery as grandma’s collection of smutty paperback romance novels (eewww!).
Last but not least, trying to close the tailgate on the Escape required near superhuman strength. I’ll be lucky if my muscle tone is still sharp enough to close this tailgate when I’m 80, at which time I hope that the plastic sofa-cover gene will have eluded me, along with the get-my-hair-set-weekly-at-the-$5-beauty-school gene. Grandmas — you gotta love ‘em. The Escape Hybrid? Not so much.
*For more information on the Ford Escape Hybrid and its safety features, visit Cars.com. With questions or comments regarding this review, write to editor@motherproof.com.
LET’S TALK NUMBERS
Latch Connectors: 2
Seating Capacity (includes driver): 5
IT’S THE LITTLE THINGS THAT COUNT
Storage Compartments (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair
Cargo/Trunk Space (Puny, Fair, Ample, Galore): Fair
SENSE AND STYLE
Family Friendly (Not Really, Fair, Great, Excellent): Fair – Great
Fun Factor (None, Some, Good Times, Groove On): None – Some
| Specs | |
|---|---|
| 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid 4WD | |
| Base price: | $27,015 |
| Price as tested: | $31,915 |
| Engine: | 133-hp, 2.3-liter I-4 |
| Fuel: | 29/27 mpg |
| Length: | 174.7” |
| Width: | 71.1” |
| Ground Clearance: | 8.6” |
| Turning Radius: | 18.3’ |
| Cargo space: | 27.8 – 66.0 cu. ft. |
| NHTSA Crash-Test Ratings | |
|---|---|
| Frontal Impact | |
| Driver’s side: | 3 Stars |
| Passenger’s side: | 5 Stars |
| Side Impact | |
| Front occupant: | 5 Stars |
| Rear occupant: | 5 Stars |
| Rollover resistance: | Not rated |
Comments
Maybe after this one gets moved to the Land Rover LR2 platform in another year or so, it won't be such a dog to drive. At least I hope so for Ford's sake.
Posted by: HDC | Aug 21, 2007 11:44:43 AM
Thanks Sara! Flintstone is the newest addition to my lexicon along with snarkarifically snarkified. Ciao!
Posted by: Kristin Varela (Mother Proof) | Aug 21, 2007 2:16:39 PM
How very odd... I haven't driven the 2008 yet, but understand it gets much better gas mileage than my 2006 Escape Hybrid... and mine is incredibly quiet, and has a CVT, so maybe you got a sample that had something wrong with it, or needed to be broken in - the Hybrid takes a few months to break in - my mileage went up from 28 mpg when it was brand new to 36 mpg average in a couple months. Mine also has leather everything, you must've gotten the economy model.
Posted by: Chad | Sep 9, 2007 10:13:55 PM
Really? I've had an '08 Escape Hybrid since Sept. and it's been amazing! I got the leather interior and it's super nice, not anything like sitting on a plastic couch. We're getting 32 MPG even on the highway all while being big enough to haul the family, the dogs and some stuff around. I don't have any trouble with the handling, and once you figure out how to adjust your lead foot (or mine anyway), the transition between electric and engine and engine shifting is very smooth. My opinion is that this is a great family car and costs less than all of the other Hybrid SUV's out there.
Posted by: Mary | Dec 13, 2007 9:24:16 AM
This "grandma's couch" thing is missing the entire point. The point is not to stick you with nasty plastic seats for cheapness' sake--this is supposed to be a "greener" vehicle, and the model you got has the seats made of 100% post-industrial waste (the other option is leather). The 2008 hybrid is much better than its predecessors and the 2009 and later models are even going further with refining this vehicle so that it hopefully will endure for quite some time yet.
Posted by: Wendy Simms | Jan 15, 2008 9:00:04 AM
Nuts! We own a 2008 Espcape XLT, 3.0 liter 6 cylinder and love it. Bah Humbug to you, no personal disrespect intended. You are just wrong, wrong on this vehicle. It is peppy at lauch and a great vehicle with good amenities at a real reasonable price.
Posted by: davdi | Feb 17, 2008 6:53:49 PM
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I"m excited about this new movement to make "Flintstone" a verb!
Posted by: Sara Lacey | Aug 21, 2007 10:00:16 AM