After wasting some time looking at Ford Escape, Mercury Mariner, and Mazda Tribute hybrids (essentially the same vehicle), it seems the best solution would be to wait for a RAV4 hybrid - if ever. Although Ford and its conjoined twin Mazda claim to have licensed Toyota hybrid technology (not necessarily parts), they kinda screwed up. Although a new design, Ford didn't put in wheel sensors to support electronic stability control (ESC). Mazda says they have ESC, but they don't have bluetooth. Nobody was rude enough to say "Well, you just want a bigger all-wheel drive Prius", but you know - they would have been right. What to do when front-wheel drive isn't quite up to the task at hand? My last 12 MPG car was the fire-breathing 1966 Chrysler Town & Country. I have absolutely no desire to return to the days of 12 MPG just to achieve two additional drive wheels on the rare occasions the need arises. Highland hybrid mileage isn't good enough to qualify as a 4WD Uberprius and Subaru mileage is unimpressive as well.
Ford paid Toyota a bounty because its hybrid system turned out to have some similar bits and Ford didn't want to get sued.
How do you know any money changed hands? The only public information I'm aware of stated that they cross-licensed some patents in each company's portfolio. Ford had some patents on diesel engine fuel injection that Toyota licensed in exchange for their hybrid technology patents.
What's wrong with a FEH? By most accounts it appears to be a very decent car, and my understanding is that their version of hybrid AWD works quite a bit better than the Highlander's. (There have been quite a few threads on GH describing their various characteristics.)
Because that was the original news before everyone else decided to jump on the bandwagon and claim Ford bought/licenced Toyota's THS system.
Feh? FEH means Ford Escape Hybrid, ja? The only thing wrong with it is that it doesn't have vehicle stability control and - according to the January 2008 Consumer Reports - it has a VERY LONG stopping distance. I don't know what GH means. I think my wife's guess of Good Housekeeping just can't be right. The information about Ford having licensed hybrid technology from Toyota came from my local Mercury dealer. Are you guys trying to tell me that a car dealer would pass out information that was less than 100% accurate? Frankly, I'm shocked.
Ideally, people would spell out the first instance of a TLA (Two Letter Acronym or Three Letter Acronym) in a thread (especially if it is not posted in this thread: http://priuschat.com/forums/showthread.php?t=12452). I think GH is www.greenhybrid.com My boss is also wanting a smaller SUV type Hybrid but isn't too fascinated with the current choices out there. I basically advised that there would probably be some good choices in a couple of years (I believe 2009 calendar year, 2010 models). If he has a huge Hybrid itch now, he could just get a Prius now and trade it in or sell it in a couple of years (although I wonder if the current Prius value will go down when we start seeing Lithium Ion battery hybrids?).
there have been a lot of good reports on the FEH. my sister is a service writer for Ford and their repair and incident report record has been excellent so far and at 30+ mpg... that is pretty good stats. not having any kind of skid control is a mistake imm as well. have seen MANY car experts that say skid control will be the next big thing after seat belts and airbags and i have to agree on that.
The Escape appealed to me until after drove it. It felt "cheap." Also, I thought it was overpriced and there isn't a huge MPG difference between the FEH and the 4 Cyl Honda CR-V or Toyota Rav4.
