• Year: 2005
• Make: Ford
• Model: Escape
• Trim: XLT
• Body style: SUV 4X4
• Mileage: 78596
• Engine: 6 Cyl. 3.0
• Trans: Automatic
• Exterior Color: White
• Interior Color: Gray
• Stock: 3000
• VIN: 1FMYU93125DA14221

Visually, the Escape Hybrid is barely changed from the standard Escape, and most people won't even notice that your SUV is different that the rest. There are small Hybrid badges just behind the front wheels and also on the rear hatch. The hybrid also has a vent built into its left rear quarter-panel glass; this vent helps cool the battery pack.

The 2005 Escape gets a redesigned interior. The shifter on automatic models has been moved off of the column and onto the floor. Other changes include new gauges, upgraded seats, new fabrics, and more interior storage.

The Escape is a compact SUV, so the front seats are nearly as roomy as the Explorer's. However, getting in or out of the front seats is made easier by low door sills and wide door openings. The XLS has manually adjustable seats trimmed with cloth. XLT gets premium cloth trim. Leather is optional.

Ford upgraded Escape's interior for 2003 with improved interior materials, but for 2005 a substantial interior restyling includes a standard console and floor shifter. (Apparently the voice of the customer was heard.) Illuminated switches for the power windows and power locks make them easier to find.

White-faced instruments are set in a simple, easy-to-understand instrument panel. The audio system and heating, ventilation and air conditioning controls in the center stack are angled slightly toward the driver for easier access while driving.

Side-impact airbags are standard on Limited, optional ($345) on XLS and XLT. Pretensioners combined with load-limiting retractors are standard on front-seat belts. In a crash, these pretensioners automatically tighten the belts, while the load limiters are designed to reduce the risk of chest injuries in severe collisions. (We strongly recommend always wearing seatbelts as they are the first line of defense in a crash; more than half of the nation's approximately 42,000 traffic fatalities each year are people not wearing seatbelts.)

The rear seats offer good knee room. The rear cargo area offers 69.2 cubic feet of space with the rear seats folded down, 33 cubic feet with the seats in place. The rear seats are split 60/40 for greater versatility. The rear-seat cushion can be removed for more load-carrying capacity. The flip-up rear glass offers easy access to the rear cargo area for small items. Escape Hybirds come with flint gray interiors, either in a nicely patterned premium cloth or leather. The driver's seat has standard six-way power adjustment controls. Also standard are an in-dash six-CD changer, a tilting steering wheel with cruise controls on the wheel, a message center and a special set of hybrid gauges.

Gauges have black figures on a white background and are easy to read in even bright daylight. At night, the colors reverse, with white numbers against a glare less black background.

The biggest difference is seen on the tachometer, which reports the revolutions per minute of the engine. In the Escape Hybrid, the tach needle has a sub-zero setting that it uses to indicate that the car is running only on electric power, such as while sitting at a stop or even while traveling on the road in certain conditions.

Switchgear is easy to find and to use.

Seats provide an elevated vantage of the road ahead. They also are comfortable around town or on trips. The rear seat has ample room and a 60/40 split back that provides several options for expanding the size of the flat rear cargo floor.

The Escape Hybrid we tested was equipped with the optional energy, audiophile and navigation systems. The navigation system includes a Home button that can lead you back to whatever location you set as your home base, or you can easily program it to take you to various destinations.

When you switch over to the energy reporting screens, the next navigation instruction remains as the bottom line on the display, sort of like the line at the bottom of the screen in some television newscasts. This can be a handy feature for those who aren't sure of their route but also want to keep an eye on fuel economy is shaping up.

The screen isn't as large as those in some other vehicles, but its graphics are extremely clear and we had no trouble reading even the smallest details, either at night or while wearing sunglasses in bright daylight.

On the road, the Ford Escape offers responsive handling and brisk acceleration performance. Larger-diameter front shocks and a new front stabilizer system have been fitted for 2005 to better control ride motions. The suspension has a comparatively taut ride quality, without the roly-poly and mushy ride that characterizes larger SUVs with big off-road tires and long-travel suspensions. The Escape handles better than a Jeep Liberty or Toyota RAV4, and is quicker than a Honda CR-V. Steering is responsive, direct and accurate with no dead spot in the center. There's enough feeling in the steering to impart a sense of control. Though this is not a sports car, the tires grip respectably in paved corners. The Escape offers surprisingly good transient response in a series of left-right-left corners. This permits quick, yet smooth, driving that will not upset passengers.

The new 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine may be all you need to feed. It offers more power (more torque), very low emissions, and the availability of an automatic transmission for the first time.

The available V6 engine delivers good acceleration performance. While there's no such thing as too much power, it never feels lacking in the Escape. The engine and four-speed automatic transmission communicate and work well together. The transmission shifts smoothly up and down, and chooses gears appropriately for the situation. The engine's broad power band never lugs or strains. This isn't the smoothest V6 on the market, nor is it the roughest. But it is smoother and more satisfying than the four-cylinder engines found in most small sport-utilities.

We found the Escape's anti-lock brakes smooth and responsive. Four-wheel disc brakes are now standard on V6 4WD models; rear drum brakes are used on four-cylinder and 2WD models. ABS comes into play just when expected and is detectable by the familiar pulsating sensation. Brake Assist, designed to assist the driver with full braking power when it senses an emergency stopping situation, is added this year. Also added is electronic brake-force distribution (EBD) for more effective, more stable braking.

Noise, vibration and harshness have been reduced for 2005. Additional sound-absorbing panels and tighter sealing on the 2005 Escape reduce interior noise. The balance shaft on the new Duratec four-cylinder engine and new engine mounts on the Duratec V6 make both powertrains sound smoother.

We found the Escape comfortable over a variety of on-road surfaces, eruptions and potholes. And this is where most Escapes live. Off road, we found the Escape lacking. Even though it's available with four-wheel drive, it's based on a front-wheel-drive platform. Rough, loose, steep trails leave it spinning its wheels. The suspension does not have the articulation needed for rugged terrain, there is no low-range set of gears, nor is the traction system that sophisticated. For everyday road travel, however, the Ford Escape is an excellent choice.

When properly equipped, Escape has a maximum towing capacity of 3,500 pounds.

As mentioned, the Escape is the world's first production SUV to offer a hybrid gas-electric engine. The hybrid 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine shuts down at rest (at intersections, for example) to conserve fuel. When traffic moves, the battery-powered 70-kilowatt traction motor generator can launch the vehicle on electric power only. It uses a continuously variable transmission, or CVT, and electric power steering. Under heavy load, the generator starts the gasoline engine in less than 0.4 seconds (immediately, in other words). The hybrid storage battery reclaims energy during braking to be used later for acceleration. The benefits include lower emissions and increased fuel efficiency. Hydrocarbon emissions and oxides of nitrogen are 97 percent less than what's emitted by most other new vehicles. Escape Hybrid also produces half the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) of conventional engines. Ford says the Escape Hybrid is as environmentally friendly as a pure electric vehicle because a pure electric vehicle needs to be plugged in to be recharged. The Escape Hybrid never needs to be plugged in and, in fact, cannot be plugged in. It can be driven up to 25 mph on the electric motor alone, using no gasoline and generating no emissions (and making very little noise). Escape Hybrid is expected to get 35-40 mpg on the EPA city cycle, a 75-percent improvement over the EPA city fuel economy rating of 20 mpg for the V6 Escape. To launch the 2005 Escape Hybrid, Ford drove one on every paved street in Manhattan, all 576 miles of them, on a single tank of fuel, averaging 36 miles per gallon in the process, exactly twice the EPA's estimated mileage in the city cycle for the Escape V6.

The EPA rates the Escape Hybrid at 36 miles per gallon in town and 31 on the highway. The reason the city number is greater than the country number is because in slower driving, the electric motor carries more of the load, plus the gasoline engine simply shuts off while you're sitting at a stoplight.

Be gentle with the gas pedal and the car can travel a short ways just on electric power, but don't worry, the gasoline engine restarts immediately if you step firmly on the gas.

We didn't baby the Escape Hybrid to see how high we could get the mileage meter to go. We drove it like we would drive any other vehicle, but still averaged better than 35 miles per gallon around town. The standard Escape equipped with a four-cylinder engine is rated at 22 mpg in town and 25 on the highway.

The Escape Hybrid's optional Energy system provides instant fuel economy on a thermometer-style image at the left side of the display screen with your average economy and a stock market-style chart of fuel use for the last 15 minutes filling most of the screen. By paying some attention to the screen, you find yourself trying to get better and better fuel economy, which is probably the reason you bought this vehicle in the first place.

While saving fuel, you're also reducing emissions. Ford notes that the Escape Hybrid qualifies for super-low (SULEV) or advanced technology partial-zero (ATPZEV) emission vehicle status, and says you can drive the Escape Hybrid 15,000 miles and generate only one pound of smog-forming emissions.

The Ford Escape Hybrid is unique among hybrid vehicles in that its battery pack comprises a tray of what appear to be dozens and dozens of C cells, except they are high-tech nickel-metal hydride batteries and provide 330 volts of power, equivalent to 87 more horsepower. The battery pack is in a sealed box located beneath the rear cargo floor and does not intrude on the Escape's cargo-carrying capability. The battery pack also is warranted for eight years or 100,000 miles.

The batteries do add some weight to the rear of the vehicle, but in the case of the Escape that weight makes the hybrid better balanced than the standard V6 Escape. The Escape V6 has 61 percent of its mass carried by the front wheels. The Escape Hybrid is better balanced. Only 57 percent of its weight is in front. That means this version is more neutral in its handling, staying flatter through corners and under braking. This should provide better maneuverability in emergency situations and enhance front tire and brake wear as well.

The Escape Hybrid's gasoline engine is a 2.3-liter, inline four-cylinder that operates under what is known as the Atkinson cycle, a technology designed to enhance the quality of fuel combustion. The Atkinson cycle sacrifices some horsepower, but keeps intake valves open longer and operates under a higher compre

Ford Escape is a fun, well-balanced on-road SUV. It has a roomy interior and good cargo capacity. A new four-cylinder engine brings needed power and the availability of an automatic. The available V6 engine provides the Escape with strong power. The new interior and suspension tuning make it more comfortable and more convenient. A four-wheel independent suspension and unit-body construction make it ride and handle almost as well as a car, but it isn't designed for serious off-road driving. Styling revisions give the 2005 Escape a fresh face.

The Escape Hybrid is the world's first gas-electric SUV, and can deliver huge mileage gains and greatly reduced emissions, though it adds about $4,000 to the cost. Ford Escape Hybrid competes in a set of vehicles that includes the Honda CR-V, Toyota RAV4, Chevrolet Equinox, Hyundai Santa Fe and other compact sport utility vehicles. But the Escape Hybrid is unique with its fuel-efficient, environmentally friendly gasoline-electric powertrain. The powertrain provides performance on par with a V6 engine, but without the nose-heavy tendencies that often come with putting larger engines in front-drive vehicles.

New Car Test Drive correspondent Larry Edsall is based in Phoenix.

Fresh looks, more power, better ride, and the first gas-electric SUV. Escaping frequent fill ups.

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