Escape-Hybrid observations

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(KMO\";p=\"52691)</div>

hmmm many people said the exact same thing about Martin Luther King...

 

<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(DaveinOlyWA\";p=\"52711)</div>

hmmm many people said the exact same thing about Martin Luther King...[/b][/quote]
Well, he was a baptist preacher. So you kind of expect a bit of sermonising.

Interesting comparison though - it does kind of fit my mental image of John. I suppose we're his congregation?

I think my problem is that sort of declamatory style just feels a little out of place on a discussion forum though. It doesn't really lead to discussion. Instead one kind of ends up rambling on a theme, not actually directly responding to others' posts.

It seems quite appropriate when John writes in this style in his website's diaries, but not here, where there are others sharing the boards.

 

well for many of us who are preaching the virtues of the Prius, we are also seeing a lot of resistance and constantly having to battle falacies, prejudices, and misconceptions.

we are the minority starting a movement that is just beginning to gather momentum. remember that the government did very little for civil rights until they realized that that was what the people wanted, then they acted.

looks like its up to the people to do the same with the hybrids. i'd like to let you know that the tax deduction for vehicles like the hummer is now only a paltry $25,000... but realize this was proposed when the deduction for hybrids was to be phased out to nothing in a few years.

 

A question: have we had anyone on PriusChat who've actually had a chance to drive the Ford Escape Hybrid? For long enough to determine how it works?

I'm really curious whether the FEH has the same level of computer-selection of the electric motor/ICE, or whether it's more manual.

[Not trying to stir up the old arguments -- just want to know if someone's actually had a chance to experiement with one of these critters first-hand.]

TIA!

 

I took a couple of test drives when the Escape tour came through the DC area. It's been a while so my memory is a bit fuzzy. I didn't have much of a chance to experiment since the drive was one of those "follow the leader" things and on my first drive there were folks behind me. Between not wanting to lose the group and just getting used to a different vehicle in general I didn't anything hybrid specific the first time around.

My second turn I was bringing up the rear in the AWD model so I had a chance to hang back a bit and attempt to improve my mileage using the techniques learned from the Prius. If I had started with a full SOC I might have done a little better but I was able to post one of the higher numbers for the day.

My first impression was that "this is NOT a car" -- it seemed a bit rough around the ages and fairly noisy. I haven't driven many SUV's so I don't know if this is a generic impression or specific to the Escape. I definitely noticed when I went in and out of stealth mode by both sound and feel. Once it entered stealth it did seem easier to maintain without doing as much of a feather dance on the accelerator.

One thing I noticed on the Escape that would appear to be an improvement is that the battery vents to the outside and has a separate air conditioning system so you don't have to worry about blocking the vent by either luggage or people in the back seat.

 

So, as far as you could see, there's no "EV Switch" for the Ford Escape Hybrid? I.e., something to manually cause it to switch to stealth mode?

(I realize that since you only had a limited time in the vehicle, there wasn't a chance to figure out what every knob and button did.)

Thank you very much for the information and observations!

 

I didn't see one but like you say I didn't have time to study everything out. I do think that the "tour guide" would have pointed it out if there were one since he definitely attempted to create the conditions on the drive to demonstrate stealth mode.

 

Which is funny as for the longest time, the Hybrid Escape 'ads' on NPR said (sic) "Drives on electric or gas." Definately gives the uninitiated consumer the impression they can choose. I have also heard ads that most would infer means "drives up to 25 MPH on electric then shifts to gas", as if the initial 25 MPG was always electric.

I know, you can only give so much detail in a "sponsered by" ad on NPR

 

The same design of the old ones. They moved them to the inside to increase the life of the battery. The air in the inside of the vehicle is optimal temperature. Outside can be anywhere from -15 to 120. This can potentialy be a problem.