Actual Mileage for Ford Escape Hybrid

oh - some important info... NJ driving, escape hybrid 4wd.

Oh yeah, and how does it do in 4wd?

Joan - sounds like you are averaging about what we would expect. You should get better economy numbers in city driving because part of the time you are operating on electric motor power only.

I've been told that if you run with the A/C on, it will keep your gas engine running and affect the city numbers.

Question for new Escape Hybrid owners - Is the steering effort hard to manage with the gas engine off? Has Ford figured out a way to electrically boost the steering, rather than relying on a gas engine hydraulic pump?

If the steering effort is high, Mama is not going to like it. If it is as easy as the Aviator, she will love it.

Red-
You're right..."A/C max" keeps the engine running, but I am able to run on battery only with the lower, regular A/C setting. My mileage is getting better as I learn to coast and stay off the gas pedal. I also live in a hilly neighborhood north of Malibu, so the inclines are taking more engine power.

As far as steering, I have no trouble negotiating parking or turning when running on battery, the Escape handles well...I do not perceive any difference in steering from engine to battery. Don't know how cold weather will effect mpg, will be interesting to hear from the colder climate owners.

Just thought I'd chime in. I've had my Escape 4WD HEV for a month now, logging over 1500 miles of mixed driving in the CA Bay Area (Oakland) -- city, freeway, foothills. It took me a while to re-learn how to drive in order to take full advantage of the hybrid's benefits. Here's what I've found:

First, I've been averaging about 27mpg on my first 4 tanks of gas. Second, the traffic conditions don't always allow for optimum economy. For example, when I accelerate from a stop, I'll drive differently if there's someone behind me. When I ramp on to the freeway, I want to get to 60-65mph as quickly as possible to get with the flow of traffic. As much as I love watching my fuel economy, I want to be considerate of other drivers and don't want to sacrifice safety for economy. Finally, having driven an Escape and now an Escape Hybrid, the Escape is definitely a peppier car.

That all being said, I love my Escape HEV so far. I was running a Honda Civic (32/38) for a few years, but found that its utility was limited. It was great for jaunting around the city, but became a bit of a drag on long trips. I coach a traveling team, and on a couple of occasions, I needed to rent an Escape to haul members of my team (and their gear) up to Reno for tournaments. There's just no way I'd make that trip in a Civic with 4 kids and their attendant equipment.

The Ford has proven to be of great utility. A given weekend might include a pleasurable drive up to the foothills with my wife and 4-year-old daughter, blasting Queen or Chris Whitley on the upgraded stereo. The Escape HEV navigates dirt roads and twist country roads with equal grace. With the three of us and a weekend's worth of gear, we still manage to grab a good load of firewood which gets stashed in the rear. All this, and 27mpg.

Sure, a Porsche Boxter would be more fun, a Prius gets better fuel economy, and a pickup would do a better job of hauling loads, but the Escape Hybrid, while a compromise in every area, still represents an excellent 1-vehicle solution.

I've had an Escape Hybrid AWD for about 3 weeks now. I've driven about 600 miles in all types of traffic conditions and have only been able to squeeze out 22 mpg! I've taken it to the dealership, and they don't seem to know what is causing this. Has anyone else had similar problems?

"There seem to be two schools of thought with respect to economic driving. One is to accelerate a slowly as traffic will allow, the other is to get up to cruising speed quickly to extract the maximum energy from the gas engine since it's running anyway. "

There is one way to find out, and that is with a controlled test.
One could drive to a seldom used country road and find a flat, level dry patch about 2 miles long.
Make sure the pack has a normally full charge and you've driven it for at least 1/2 hr to 45min. (Warmed up)

At one end of the road find a "Finish lline" landmark then go back to the beginning.

Reset your Fuel Consumption Display.
When all is clear floor it and hold it until 55MPH is reached, then back off to the ammount to hold it steady at 55 until you reach the finish.

Write down your MPG.

Now go back to the beginning again, this time accelerate extremely slowly up to 55MPG and hold it steady there at 55 until you reach the finish.

Compare your MPG with the first time.

Do the test a couple more times to confirm your results.

Try it half throttle.

If you take the short time to do this then you will learn your vehicle that much more and know better how to handle certain situations more efficiently as long as you own it.

Yes the Honda IMA is a different puppy but wide open throttle plunges my HCH's MPG down by half.
"Brisk" throttle was better, but very slow starts are the key.
Your Escape is different than my HCH.....why not do the test?

I've learned over the years on automotive sites that you can't diagnose a vehicle on line. Nothing replaces seeing and driving the vehicle.

Some of the questions I would have relate to the load you are carrying, how much the gas engine is running and why, the terrain, speed, traffic, tire pressure, brakes dragging, AWD/FWD, miles on the vehicle, modifications, intake/exhaust restrictions, etc. Seeing the vehicle might answer most of these questions and generate a few more.

If this is your first 1,000 miles, they will likely want to to wait 'till it is broken in to determine if there is a problem with the vehicle. While there are variations between vehicles, generally the driving style dictates your actual mileage.

just an update, after several months of owning my 4WD HEV (escape) I average when driving conservatively - about 33mpg in mixed city, highway. Around town I still do a bit better.

When I drive as I did with my gasoline car I do something closer to around 26-28mpg for the same trips.

Note for me conservative driving is basically maintaining posted speed limits and no jackrabbit starts. I did notice a small drop when it's very cold (under 20 f).

Driving "normal" is typically a bit more leadfooted and driving 70-80mph.

Hope this helps

In response to my last note, we just went through the big SNOW of Jan 15 here in the mid-Alantic states. We got about 4-5 inces on top of sheer ice.
My hybrid Escape 4 wheel did wonderful. All I did was drive. Have had a big 4 wheel prior to this, I purposely when into a fe wsnow piles to test it out. It did great! I am so pleased. Good job Mr. Ford!

Hi Jim-

Congrats on getting your new Escape HEV and on doubling your mileage from your Bronco days. I'll have to look for you on PCH...I'm on there quite frequently. Haven't seen any other Escape HEVs on the road yet, hope to soon! I'm getting 30-32 mpg regularly, now that I know how to handle my 2WD model.

EITHER YOUR FULL OF BS or you need to take the PARKING BRAKE OFF!. Only if the elec. motor is locked up, could you be getting that mileage. Go to a srink, he or she might fix your problem, not Ford.

Anon, he did not offer any driving conditions, good or bad. He talks like FORD is the problem. He doesn't compare any other thing or car here. He says the dealer knows "nothing". Most people would take that issue higher up in Ford if they paid that much for a vehicle and got that mileage. He gave no mech. problems he is having like poor performance if the computer wasn't working right.

If you own a FEH, I think you might think this person doesn't own a FEH. I thought his statements were to bad mouth FORD. His statements also bad mouth all Hybrids in my opinion.

I could be wrong about the intent of His statement and I agree I was harsh. People who are looking at this site thinking of buying a Hybrid need true facts. Not strange problems without any details.

BTW, maybe I should have ask him if he has problems with math also! Just Kidding

I am a new Ford Escape Hybrid driver. I am getting about 21 miles mostly round town and doing about 5/6 miles per trip. I am in the Nevada City/Grass Valley area California. I was disappointed at first but when we called Ford we were told that it would do better when we had put on more mileage. They did not give a figure. I think also I am still not using it in the best way. I am driving as I drove my last car, a volvo. I intend to try new tactics and see what I can do that may give better mileage. I am not bothered about the mileage at present. I love the car, the visibility, the space and the handling. I feel more in control and I am comfortable in it. It is useful to have learned from other drivers that I should not be using air conditioning and expecting good mileage at the same time. Thanks.

Anon Woman Driver:

As I am sure you have seen -- short trips, like the 5/6 mile trip you write about are not the most efficient. Try taking a 25-45 minute trip. My guess is that if you do it in a city (without to many San Francisco style hills) or a mix of city, highway, and country roads (45 speed limits) you'll get an idea of how/when the car is most efficient.

Terrain and time of travel are really big components in mileage.

Enjoy the car.

"We're trying to switch to hybrids and just bought a Honda Civic Hybrid to replace another car which is supposed to get 48-50mpg. However, after a number of months, attempting to drive optimally, many miles, trips, etc., it gets around 37-38mpg, especially on long highway trips at 70+mph. "

I suggest a diesel. They are much better at long highway trips. Our Passat TDI will typically get 38-42 mpg at 70 mph cruise (in winter except in the deepest cold!) in straight highway driving, and it is a larger car than a Civic. Our Jetta will break 50 mpg on long highway trips. Diesels = highway, hybrid = city.

Mike G.

Gary - Your results certainly sound optimal. What, specifically, do you do to achieve those results with respect to your ongoing driving habits that might differ from what other people seem to report. And, when you see those mileage results, are you primarily the only driver with no other cargo in the vehicle? If so, do you have mileage results for when you are not the only person in the vehicle and when the SUV is loaded for a fun outing (which is, theoretically, why you would need an SUV). Thanks for any insight you can provide.

In the case of the Honda Civic Hybrid, it begins to pale rapidly under load. If any out-of-work jockeys are looking for jobs as Hybrid EPA rating test drivers for Honda, send in your resumes!

After purchasing ours, we noticed that it had a cargo limit of 800 lbs. (I think that's right). So, if you're planning on carting around 4 big guys, that's probably not a good idea. :-) I'm not sure how that compares to other non-hybrid cars in the same class, however.

I'll have to check - does anyone know if the FEH has a reduced weight allowance vs. the gas-only version? Does anyone have any off-road mileage stats?

Dave - I am the primary driver but the FEH is now the family car. Everyone in my family is on the large size with me at 280 pounds. With regard to the weight effect on the FEH, it does real well. The only thing that seems to matter is taking off on Electric. Keeping it in elec. mode from a start to 32MPH is harder but can be done with a full load. Weight does effect gas mileage but alot less than you would think. The tork of the electric motor helps.

My wife drives the FEH like she drives any other car with no regard of the electric motor or saving gas. She has a heavy foot BTW. She mainly drives the kids places, shopping, etc. and she always drops my computer 15 min. average of about 41.5MPG a few MPG.

Right now the FEH is in the driveway with a 15min average of 55MPG on the computer. I filled up yesterday and reset the computer. I drove about twelve miles along the Jupiter Island coast where the speed limit is 30MPH most of the way. With my battey fully charged, I can stay on elec. only for about 1.6 miles at 30MPH. The engine starts up (1500RPM's at 30MPH) to charge the battery for about the same distance (1.6 miles) and the battery is full and ready for another 1.6 miles on electric, just tap the brakes. During this drive along the coast, the computer stayed at Max MPG which is 60MPG or above. The reason I have 55MPG on the computer is because I had to drive in rush hour three miles to my driveway from the Island.

I try to find as many routes like this as I can so when I get on the Interstate, fast traffic etc. My average is overall great. Parking the FEH with a low battery is also my goal. The engine will alway run till it reaches a set temp., why not let it charge the battery during this time. I also reset the computer at differant speeds to find out at what speed I got the best average MPG with the engine. Between 40-46MPH the computer average stays at around 42MPG. Under 40 and over 46MPH the mileage drops off due to overdrive (under 40) and wind resistances (above 46MPH). I try to drive routes with a 40-45MPH speed limit also. Normally you would choose a lane at a stop light with no big truck in front of you. I choose the big truck lane so I can take off as slow as it and stay on elec. longer. I use speed control on elec. and gas speeds. Others have said it reduced gas mileage. Not here in South FL.

Joan, if your happy with 30-32MPG, that's fine. I was not talking about resetting your computer to make it seem you are getting better gas mileage. I was stating it was a test to find the best gas mileage at a set speed. This is with a fully charged battery in ideal conditions.

The point I was tring to make was if you want better gas mileage with the FEH, it's up to you to find routes and control the SUV to save gas. What I like about my FEH, it give me that choice to run on elec, gas or both. When my wife drives the FEH, I have to work harder to get the computer average back to 41MPG, not reset the computer. This is not easy in some cases but my average is much better than 30-32MPG. It maybe because of living in a flat area in warm weather, I'm not sure. I just know I control the MPG better than than I ever did before.

I'm happy with my FEH at 37-40MPG also.

Staying in the elec. mode is the key. Saving gas was my first goal but now I've gone to saving battery life also. If you have the nav computer, you can watch the battery level and which way power is going. You'll find that when your on elec. and let off the gas pedal, you stop draining the battery. I found that cruise control on elec at 32MPH was nice but it also keeps the pedal draining the battery. The more use of the battery the longer it takes the engine to run to charge the battery. This causes the engine to use more gas to charge and drive.

Same thing is true in the engine mode regarding the use of gas. Get off the pedal whenever you can and coast to slow traffic or stops. Also, when you reach your desired speed, let off the pedal to stop the high revs from the CVT. The trans will settle alot quicker and you save alot of gas.

You control the pedal and the pedal controls the MPG. As far as weather, if you have a garage, use it. Not much else you can do.

Overall on my first tank of gas, I got 28 mpg.

So far in my second tank, I'm getting 30 mpg, with about half the driving coming on the highway and half in town. I've been as high as 42 mpg in town. I was also pleasantly surprised to see my mileage, at 65 mph on fairly level terrain and with wind less than 10 mph, to be 30!

If you're paying attention you're wondering where the low mileage must be coming from. I've noticed that it takes about 4 or 5 miles of in-town driving to get the engine and battery optimally "synced". But my commute is only 8 miles, and in the morning, includes a couple of significant uphill runs. Thus, my morning mileage is "only" 25 or so.

I have to keep reminding myself that even my lowest mileage in the FEH is higher than anything I got in my conventional Escape 4WD.

I drive 52 miles to work and on I-95 in Maryland (65 mph) I am averaging 35 mpg (35.5 now and climing) on the highway. I belive my success is due to setting the cruise control at around 68 mph in 65 mph road and around 59-60 on a 55 mph road. I've always gotten 40 - 42 mpg on just short trips around home. They stated that just running on the battery would work at > 24 mph, butmany times I have it running just on electric at 35 mph.

certainly - use it.

the hybrid is a basic combustion engine with an electric assist.

it will not hurt the car in any way.

see ya

Garry:

I tried doing your over-speeding and coasting idea and it seems to work great. I get it going just a little faster then I really want to go and then I trottle back, coast a little and give gas a little. It seems like it stays in hybrid mode longer (both doing a more electric then gas thing). My mpg has increased from 30-32 to 34-36 in mixed traffic.

Hi, I just purchased an Escape HEV FWD. So far so good. When I first picked it up from the dealer it had 14.5 MPG, now I'm up to 24.5 MPG. I think it had alot of idle time on it before I got it. This is just after 170 miles and I still have about 2/3 tank left. I haven't reset the average MPG. Most of my trips have been short, just 2 or 3 miles. After warm up I can travel at 30mph on electric only with the cruise on. My problem is the battery never gets fully charged. Is there any techy out there that might be working on adapting a 330 volt charger to plug in and top off the battery with a peak charge? It can be a trickle charger with auto shutoff like the battery tenders for motorcycles. I don't want to burn gas just to charge the battery. Now if Ford can make this an E-85 vehicle as well I would be in seventh heaven.

I have 4800 miles on my FEH now and the besy mileage I have ever gotten so far is 24.2. That sucks! I am a mechanic too so I understand ully about the throttle down, driving conditions, heavy foot, everything...Ford can't give a reason either. I have done everything driving conditions wise to the "tricks" mentioned in all these post...reving up then coasting, easing the pedal, staying in electric mode the longest, etc. etc. Check my air pressure- nothing gives me more than 24.2. That is horrible. I can't believe how all these people are getting in the 30's. I wouldn't complain if I could get 28 MPG, but that seems like a long shot. This vehicle has become the worse deal I have ever purchased. I wished I never would have bought it because the primary reason I purchased it was soley for the fuel mileage, which it DOES NOT get. I think I have bad luck and got a bag egg from the factory because mine doesn't put out so matter what you do. I thought it was the "break-in" but come on, surely in 4800 miles it is broken in already....

DMS,

Are you Josef Anon the mechanic?

I have heard a couple of cases of lower than anticipated mileage in the Escape, but I've also heard several cases of well over EPA mileage.

So far we've been unable to figure out what the difference is. I have a 4wd model with about 10,500 miles and am getting right around 29 MPG with my regular commute (about 30 minutes each way, anything from freeway speeds to stop and go driving). Some folks are approaching 40MPG.

I do know the "sweet spot" for mileage on the Escape appears to be in the 40-45 MPH range. Speeds above or below that see a drop off of efficiency.

Hey DMS-

So sorry for your bad mileage experience. I get 30-32 with my front wheel drive FEH, but I recently took a trip up interstate 5 where high speeds, max A/C and a full load brought my mpg down to 22...but these were extremes. I hope your dealer and Ford are quick to respond.

Best,
Joan

I've done everything there is to do. I've done the rev up to 4000 RPM and then coast and it backs off. Most of my trips are 20 min or less but, like I said, I think it's a ford problem with mine b/c out of all the times I get it to drop into the EV mode it doesn't get good milage. Actually when I baby it I drop off .1-.3 MPG then when I drive agressively. It's weird, and oh...btw I never use max a/c. I live in New England and don't need max a/c so it's dropping into EV a lot but not getting good gas milage. I got a lemon I'm afraid. The only other thing I can think of is that CT adds ethynol to the petro up here and maybe that's why I'm not getting good fuel efficiency is b/c the gas up here isn't pure gasoline...it's gasohol.

I think vehicle weight and driving habits play a big part in MPG. The FEH is 3,800 lbs and has a small ICE which is subject high RPMs. If you try to move the FEH like a light weight car , the higher RPM's will kill your MPG. Thats why I say let off the gas and let the RPM's down for a second. You can then stair step your speed using the electric motor assist.

If there is a problem with the FEH or programing, that is one thing. If its running as designed and your getting bad MPG, you need to figure out the FEH or sell to someone else and buy a vehicle you can drive for your needs.

What I like about the FEH is I have a big say in how much gas I will burn. Example, yesterday I needed to run up and down the highway (225 miles) with a little city stop and go. I let a semi cut a hole in the wind in front of me on the highway at 65-75 MPH and my MPG averaged was 44 with the A/C on. When I got off the highway with a full battery charge, I drove in EV and brought my average to 48 MPG when I got back to the highway.

When I found out I could not only match EPA estimates but far exceed them, let just say I plan to buy an FEH for my son when he graduates at MIT in 2007. BTW, the Nav. computer/GPS is very nice if you can af-Ford it.

Driving style has NOTHING to do with it in my FEH. I have tried numerous driving habits. I've driven it "jack rabbit style", slow grandma style. Driving paying attention to every little weight and balance of my foot to mak it drop into EV mode and stay there from a dead stop and longer, etc. etc. etc. In my FEH it doesn't matter which method I use. It doesn't matter the wind velocity. it doesn't matter how light you are on the pedal or how heavy you are. I get the same thing + or - (.1) mpg. It's ridiculous. I wish I would have never bought this piece of crap. The best vehicles out there are the TDI VW's. They Do get 44mpg+. I've had one and I regret ever getting rid of it. And you don't have to change your driving style for those either. I have been a mechanic most of my life and the flaw with my FEH is in the vehicle, not the driver. I assure you...

I have test driven two at local (Las Vegas) Ford dealers. I saw about 20 MPG on the first one but didn't know about resetting the trip computer so it probably had a lot of running-in-the-parking-lot 0 MPG time on it.

The second drive, I saw 22.7 after some rush hour stop and go driving and city street driving. However it was 117 degrees outside (no kidding) so I was using MAX A/C which I know keeps the engine running all the time.

I am considering buying one because I think the MPG will sort itself out. But, two questions for the group:

1) Those of you getting 30+ MPG - how are you using the A/C? What MPG do you get at, say, 65 MPH on the interstate with the A/C on?

2) I'm moving to Italy in about 3 months. Anyone have any idea what getting a FEH serviced in Europe is going to be like? I know there is a Ford dealer in the town I'm moving to (Ferrara), but I don't want to be left high and dry if the battery won't charge or something.

Thanks in advance,

Hey Brion-

Your 17 mile commute on surface streets should get you the 30-35mpg you're looking for. I'm assuming streets are relatively flat, lights are timed and your speed will be between 20-40 mph. That's when the Escape HEV really shines, because you'll be able to drive in electric mode for most, if not all, of the commute.

I get my best "in town" mileage driving surface streets for longer than 15 minutes (usually 32mpg). My best average mileage overall is stop and go L.A. freeway driving (36mpg)...the HEV has provided a silver lining to rush hour traffic. Just had my 10,000 mile service, and am still really happy with my Escape.

Good luck with your decision,
Joan

"Driving style has NOTHING to do with it in my FEH. "

I hate to be harsh, but that is an absolutely ridiculous statement. Every car - Echo, VW, Grand Caravan, Hummer - will get different amounts of MPG based on the user's driving style. Science, government studies, and empirical data bear this out -- you can effect your MPG by at least 25% depending on how you drive, maybe more.

Making a statement like this just calls into question the rest of your argument.

I have no idea what mileage to expect from any of the new hybrid SUVs. But what I *do* know is that your driving style will without question make a profound difference in your results.

I bought a 2005 4WD Escape Hybrid 1 week ago. I have been trying to the most MPG by trying to keep the gas engine off as much as possible. ( very slow starts, never use MAX AC and unly used regular AC twice ) At least 75% of the driving has been city driving. The strange thing is, the computer says I am getting 26-28 MPG but I have only traveled 200 miles and have used up 3/4 of a tank of gas!! My calculation says with a 15 gallon tank, this is only about 18 MPG. The "Miles until empty" screen started at well over 400 miles but drops 20-30 mile for every 10 miles I drive. I asked the service department and they said they did not know why this was happening. Anyone else have any suggestions or insite?
Thanks

Thanks Randy,
Can you point me to a site that discuss driving techniques?

The FWD FEH are the only ones getting good mlage. The 4WD don't. 24.5MPG is what I'm at now at 5400 miles. It has gone up frok 22 since I bought the vehicle. I get the best milage now by following the practices of accelerating up to 4000RPM and then letting my foot off the gas pedal. If you want an efficient vehicle buy a VW TDI for milage. You won't ever get it on a AWD or 4WD vehicle, hybrid or not. That's just the truth speaking...I am still going to contact the area Ford manufacturer representative to discuss the false EPA sticker numbers of MPG on the 4WD FEH b/c they are very wrong....

I have had my FEH for about 3 months now. 2006 model. I am getting about 29-31 mpg fairly consistently. I heard tonite on the news something that was interesting, that the Civic Hybrid isn't tuned to gas mileage, but to performance, using the hybridized component to cut about a second off the 0-60 acceleration time.

Also for those interested, www.calcars.org reports to have had success improving the gas mileage of the Prius to 250 mpg by replacing the battery pack, tweaking the computer to allow more electric driving, and adding a plug in at night feature that costs 25 cents to 1.00 in electrity cost a night, but gives you the first 40-60 w/no gas. Their site says they will be trying to mass produce a retrofit in the next year. To me this would be great.

PS I bought my car after a cousin of mine died in Iraq. I won't politicize this conversation by stating my opinions, but I will say that the cost benefit justification of buying a hybrid really doesn't matter as much to me anymore. Decreasing dependance on oil does.

Any purchase of this technology supports what will come later, and what will come later will far surpass the mpg we get now. I'm looking forward to 250 mpg!

Hey Joe-

You and your wife experienced what so many of us have been noticing for years...the nightly news used as marketing tool. NBC/RCA/Vivendi Universal is owned by parent company GE, which also owns many energy and gas companies. Wonder why they wouldn't like hybrids and would want to discourage folks from purchasing them? hmmm...
Check out the new documentary "The Corporation" for an interesting look at conglomeration in the U.S. Very eye-opening. It's available on DVD.
Congrats on your hybrid and keep enjoying the money you're saving...and keeping out of the wallets of rich middle eastern and Texan oilmen!

Have had a 4WD Escape Hybrid for 5 months now, and have never gotten more than 310 miles on a single tank. Strangely, whenever I go to fill up (I run the car until there's an eighth of a tank left), it always fills up to 10.5 gallons, but the car has a 15 gallon tank, so there's 4.5 gallons that are not being accounted for. The dealer says in New Jersey (where I live) the gasoline sold contains high amounts of sulfur, which coat the gas sensors, and this causes the fuel gauge to misread the amount of actual fuel in the tank. Does this make sense? Anybody else have this problem?

I agree in that the mpg does work out to a good number. My problem is that I don't trust those trip computers. They are notoriously inaccurate in all other cars I've driven, but I'll give your suggestion a try. The screen name is a college nickname that we gave to one of our friends who always had bad breath because he ate too much tuna fish. Gross, but that's the story behind it. Thanks for your advice!

I didn't notice if anyone else had mentioned the effect of ethonol blends on the Escape Hybrid milage. I got some of the 10% blend in Minnesota or Kansas and it reduced my highway milage from 32MPG to the 22 to 25MPG range. I don't know if milage is reduced as much in regular cars but the Escape doesn't appear to like ethanol. I'm not sure I didn't get more than 10% ethanol. The 85% ethanol is selling about 40 cents a gallon cheaper than unleaded so there is some incentive to put more ethanol into the mix and increase the profit per gallon. Anyway, I would avoid any fuel with ethanol if you want to brag about your gas milage.

Right now we have a full size truck and are getting killed on gas cost. We do alot of highway driving. For instance, I drive 136 miles roundtrip each day for work. This drive consists of about 80 miles at 70 miles per hour and the remainer around 50 miles per hour.

From what I have reviewed here, I can expect 27-30 mpg with the Hybrid AWD escape under these driving conditions.

At the above gas mileage, why not just get a Honda CRV or Toyota Rav4? Any thoughts on this?

I have a strange question. If you run out of gas, can you still drive (albeit very slowly) for a short distance to reach a gas station?

I've have a FWD since May and was tempted to try yesterday. I was on my third "beep" for low fuel and wanted to get to the cheaper station.

Does any one have experience with putting trailer lights on FEH?
I use my feh on my farm. can only fit 30 1/2 bushel boxes in the back with the seats down need more cargo capacity. Needed minor modification to attach oem hitch. I also installed a moon roof- I don't like AC.

A point of interest- the slow leaking tire I had had a bigger impact on fuel than my other modifications. It took a week to notice the tire was going down but the fuel gauge showed the problem first.

Regarding my experience over the last 11,000 miles-
-battery is not strong enough for rolling hills even at slow speeds engine kicks in too soon for my liking.
-the engine will kick in regardless of recharge demand -for example coasting down a hill, careful to keep under 40mph and careful to gentle brake to get charge not actual braking, the engine will still come on to recharge?
-My v8 dodge pickup got 8-15 mpg my FEH gets 25- 29 with the same application- you know I love that,,
-awd is excellent.
-Road trips of 10 miles or more can result in best mpg, short trips shoot the average, unfortunately in my life I do lots of short trips.
-my best tank average was 30 mpg. 22 worst.
-My son and I who are geeks about the car get at least 3 mpg better than my wife who thinks it is just a car with a good cd player
-computer overstates actual fuel use by +/- 2mpg
-it is still hard for me to get used to 4000rpm needed on steep hills. I do try hard to keep rpms below2000.
-for best results. the idea of start on battery then once engine kicks in -usually between 20and 30mph, but always by 40- push up to appropriate driving speed by going to 2500-3000 rpm, then drop back to under 2000 results my FEH best efficency

I just wanted to add in my experience with my 2005 AWD Escape Hybrid which was purchased 5 months ago. I live in a hilly city in Colorado and our in-town mileage has averaged about 29mpg. But when we are cruising in the mountains we get 32-35 mpg. We haven't had any performance issues going up hill. we hold our own with most of the other traffic on the interstate highway passes. We've taken it on dirt and gravel mountain backroads and it has performed well thus far. Curious how things go in the snow this winter? To date, I'm a happy customer. But they really should revise the city EPA rating since it seems hardly anyone achieves that. I usually got EPA on other vehicals that I've owned in the past. That said, this SUV has performed very well.