From the size of the dash, I expected the glove compartment to be cavernous, but it’s actually quite small.įinally, there is the price. I would be hesitant to take a long haul in this SUV. The plastic is hard and the seats won’t exactly cradle you (though the heating feature is a nice touch). While the interior is roomy enough and the leather upholstery is decent, this is no luxury vehicle. Speaking of boats, there was a bit more body roll than I’d prefer in this vehicle, but it still absorbed bumps relatively well. At times I didn’t know if I was driving a car or manning a small boat with an outboard motor. While power from the gas engine (rated at 153 horsepower/136 lb-feet torque) and electric motor (94 hp) was adequate, the Escape Hybrid still droned at highway speeds.

Towing capacity is 1,000 pounds, and the Escape Hybrid itself can be towed on four wheels behind an RV. The rear seats can fold in a 60/40 fashion to provide even more room.

Rear cargo space, at 27.8 cubic feet, is fine for most trips to the market. While this Escape featured full-time all-wheel-drive (others are front-wheel-drive only), you wouldn’t want to attempt the Rubicon in this thing since it lacks serious-off-road features such as locking differentials and hill descent control. Visibility is good, and the backup-safety sensor is welcome, even on a relatively small SUV such as this. It’s more angular than rivals such as Toyota’s Highlander and RAV4 or the Honda CR-V. Plus, this little five-passenger ute takes good ’ol 87-grade juice. With over 200 miles driven, I’d still used only half the fuel in the 15-gallon tank. The Escape Hybrid two-wheel drive has a city mileage rating of 34 mpg, while the four-by-four I had is good for 29 mpg in the city.īy easing on the throttle and using electric power as often as I could up to about 20 mph, when the 2.5-liter, four-cylinder gas engine kicked in, the fuel gauge seemed to be in slow motion. A base Escape Hybrid starts at $29,645.įirst the good, and topping that list is the aforementioned fuel efficiency of this model, which debuted in 2004 as the first hybrid SUV. My tester was a top-of-the-line 2009 Hybrid Limited with four-wheel-drive, which rang in at $35,4745, including a nearly $700 destination charge. To find out, I spent a week with one in real-world, Orange County driving. Ford proudly bills its Escape Hybrid as “the most fuel-efficient SUV on the planet,” but how does it fare in its other characteristics?

2009 ford escape