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2008 Ford Escape Hybrid
by Cathy Droz
As featured in nationally published GRAND magazine
The other day, when my three-year-old granddaughter was exiting my car, she held up two fingers and said “Peace out” I wondered where she had heard that expression. I hadn’t uttered that phrase in over 30 years and surely her Gen X father (my son) wouldn’t be caught saying that, as he laughs when I say “cool” or “far-out” in conversation. That’s okay; I snicker at his use of “whatever” or “as if.”
It’s interesting how each generation has their “thing” and history repeats itself. What better evidence than Cher turning sixty and still a household name, cloth shopping bags are all the rage, recycling has its own color can and suede sandals worn at Woodstock are called Birkenstocks. It’s no wonder then, that I liked the 2008 Ford Escape Hybrid for its simplicity, comfort, and environmental commitment. I liked it as much as my son and granddaughter did, which I thought was “far out”.
The Ford Escape Hybrid was the first hybrid SUV to enter the market and for 2008 it’s still the most fuel-efficient. The Ford Escape remains one of the few sport-utilities capable of returning 30 mpg in real-world driving. At the same time it offers ample room for the hippy, yuppie, gen-x, y and z to stretch out and feel safe.
Ford gave the Escape a facelift from ’07, which included a much larger and more muscular grille. I guess they wanted to give their Green SUV a tougher appearance in case Hybrid equated to less masculine in some people’s minds. Fortunately, the Ford designers realized the inside needed a little bit of a lift as well. They designed a more European look for the dash, steering wheel and console. The ice blue instrument panel lighting is very soothing and easy to read; especially for me with my contacts and night driving. The navigation system, which is an upgrade, is easer to read due to the increase in the size of the screen itself. You can also opt along with the navigation system some bundled upgrades like seven speaker audio system with in-dash CD changer, leather upholstery, heated front seats, a 110-volt AC outlet and rear parking sensor. Other important safety features include antilock disc brakes, front seat side airbags and full length head curtain airbags. The rollover sensor is standard on all Escapes
Now for Escape Hybrid 101. The Escape hybrid has a Powertrain consisting of a 2.3 liter four-cylinder gasoline engine, a pair of electric motors, and an electronically controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT) that works much like a regular automatic transmission. The cumulative horsepower rating of 155 may not impress you, but the Escape Hybrid is quicker than the regular four-cylinder Escape and feels as fast as the V6 model. All of this for under $29,000.
The Ford Escape hybrid is a well appointed vehicle and very practical for long trips to visit family, attend rock concerts, or Barney performances. The best mileage however is the short jaunts to the local restaurants, swim meets, and shopping malls. The layout is functional for the grandchildren and for the active boomers still playing with toys themselves. There’s 28 cubic feet of cargo space behind the 60/40 split rear seats, and you can fold them down to open up 65 cubic feet of total capacity. This should fit your surfboard or lumber just fine, or anything else the grandkids can come up with.
The best part for me, is keeping it Green. The standard cloth upholstery is made out of 100-percent recyclable material. Now that’s something to feel good about; especially if you bring along your cloth food shopping bags to the supermarket.
Of course, this new generation will want to take credit for all the tree hugging and alternative fuel studies, saving whales, planting trees, etc. I know that because they are living through rising gas prices, polar bears drowning at the North Pole and the big three auto makers jockeying for positions quarterly. It’s nice to see that a Hybrid vehicle getting 30 miles to the gallon is acceptable to all generations. My next goal is to get Jayden to say “far-out” to her dad the next time my son tells her something “cool”.Grandma Droz has 20 years of automotive marketing experience. She test drives cars for manufacturers and journals her evaluations in print, radio, TV and the internet. Droz writes a weekly column with her daughter Melanie called Boomer and X and has a successful radio show called Two for The road with broadcast partner Bill Z. The proud grandmother of Jayden Droz, she spends as much time with her as she can and takes her on her test drives for fun and research. For more on Cathy and her lifestyle journalism go to www.twofortheroadusa.com