Introduction

Ford Escape Hybrid -- 2005 Review: Sometimes, people do the right thing for the wrong reason. Case in point: fuel economy. We know that fossil fuels aren’t forever. We know that buying a vehicle that sips gas instead of slurping it would make the world’s supply of ex-dinosaurs last longer. But, we are also a culture that likes our trucks, loves our sport utes – breeds perennially on the EPA’s Ten Least Wanted list. Hybrid power first appeared in small cars, but advancements in technology have now made it practical to offer in larger packages, like the popular, compact SUV Ford Escape. With oil prices crashing through the $50/barrel barrier, vehicles like the Escape Hybrid offer hope. Can we really keep our SUV’s without losing our shirts at the pump?

Full hybrid

The key to making fuel economy or alternative fuels popular is to make them transparent to the driver. The more different the vehicle looks or feels from conventional, gas powered cars and trucks, the less likely we are to buy them, which is why the Escape Hybrid offers a full hybrid system. The 2.3 liter, 133 hp, four cylinder motor is teamed with a 94 hp electric motor, and a Continuously Variable Transmission. The “full” in full hybrid means that either power source is capable of powering the vehicle by itself. In addition, they both can work in tandem in high demand situations, like passing, or other foot-to-the-floor situations. One attribute of hybrid systems that can be a little unnerving is the stop/start function. In order to save fuel, the gas engine automatically shuts off when it isn’t needed, and switches back on when it is. In theory, this makes sense. In practice, this takes some getting used to. After years of driving cars, we are conditioned to react with alarm when they shut off without our asking them to. Scientists refer to this phenomena as the Blue Sky Syndrome: when the motor cuts out and we didn’t throw the switch, we get tense, and turn the sky that color.