Is the Ford Escape Hybrid a good vehicle?

The Ford Hybrid Escape is the most fuel efficient SUV on the planet!

(http://www.fordvehicles.com/suvs/escapehybrid/ )

It also happens to be extremely reliable, as this article proves:

http://www.autoblog.com/2007/04/04/ford-escape-hyb...

(keep in mind that this article is over a year old (!) and they are still running strong)

I had the distinct pleasure of driving one last year for 3 weeks & it handled great! It also got TWICE as many miles-per-gallon as my previous 'demo' ( a non-hybrid Escape).

It qualifies for THE largest federal tax incentive available for a Hybrid vehicle. (providing that you are the FIRST owner)

Some states & local municipalities also offer incentives.

There is also (at least) one major bank that offers a $1000 rebete/gift-debit-card if you finance your Hybrid Escape with them.

The maintenance costs are actually LESS than a non-Hybrid Escape. (oil changes are only required once a year or every 10,000 miles...whichever comes first) And ALL the "Hybrid-componants" are warranteed for 8 years/100,000miles.

The resale value is extremely high, IF you can find a pre-owned one... I've only seen 2 pre-owned for sale in my dealership in the last 4 years and we specifically go in search for them!

The ONLY drawback to owning a Ford Hybrid Escape.......is finding one for sale!

There is a 6 month waiting list to order one from a dealer, and every one that comes in....sells FAST.

It is the best SUV hybrid on the market right now.

If you live in California, also check out the Mazda Trubute Hybrid (same vehicle, Mazda badge).

Reliability on hybrids are excellent.

Handling will be comparable to other SUV's in it's class. Average, but no worse than any other vehicle its size.

The 2008 Ford Escape hybrid has one of the largest federal tax rebate of any hybrids on the marker right now ($3,000 for the fwd and $2,200 for the 4WD).

The cost of the Ford Escape hybrid is about $26,600 for the fwd. Subtract the $3K you get back when you do the taxes and that is $23,600. That is $500 less than the V-6 and you will average about 32 mpg.

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The Escape Hybrid is the best hybrid on the market but I have known them to require maintenance. The maintenance can only be done at certain places because they require a specialist and may be costly to repair after the warranty is out. Resale value may be good but I think that many people would have trouble purchasing a hybrid that is not under warranty so you may have trouble selling it for any price. Here is a link about the tax credit: <http://www.irs.gov/newsroom/article/0,,i... As far as handling goes, go drive one.

no i work at a ford dealership and it is not a good investment why you ask 1. if you drive over 35mph the motor kicks in and there goes all of the miles its great in stop start traffic not in normal above 35-40 mph driving. Also panasonic used to make the battery for then and toyota now owns the company and ford can not get batterys now so they are not even producint many right now!!! better to go with a car or if you need a suv check out something like a hyundai tucson it still gets over 30mpg

hybrid is the way to go... yes it is a good investment.. but make shure you buy one that has a motor on all four wheels that is a electric motor... also see if its hooked up for dynamic braking like the old trolley cars.. be prudent dont rush out and buy;; wait for a year and then buy that maagazine that rates things.. and see if anyone has discovered flaws that are expensive to repair. ok

all makes and models are good. all makes and models have vehicles that have problems. all makes and models have features/feature packages that can be customized (to a point) to fit your needs, wants, and government requirements.

go for what you need and the government requires (you won't have any options there), but go easy on what you want (the features that would be nice to have but don't need). carefully differentiate your "needs" and your "wants".