October 10, 2004
Our New 2005 Hybrid Ford Escape
Today, Ping and I went to the Sheehy Ford dealership (in Gaithersburg, Maryland) to purchase our first hybrid SUV, the Ford Escape.
We've waited to this car back when it was first announced for release in 2002/2003 but develop/production was delayed until now. It is an awesome car and the only thing freaky about driving an hybrid SUV is when come to a complete stop and you think the engine has stalled. In actuality, the vehicle is in electric mode and the gas engine shuts down. When you turn the radio and listen, you hear NOTHING.
According to the specs, the car is to get 500 miles to the tankful. Driven on the highway and got an average of 28.7 miles to the gallon. That's 10 miles more than most SUVs traveling on the highway.
The electric motor can provide cruising speeds of about 10-15 mph which is basically great for heavy city traffic driving. That's where you get the most benefit. Anything faster, the gas motor will kick in to help with assisting the electric drive -- now, this might sound like you're driving a regular SUV from that point on, no -- the gas motor is assisting the electric motor, giving you that extra power for speed. So, you're still using less fuel than you would with normal SUVs.
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Posted by John Highway at October 10, 2004 08:13 PM |
Comments
How Much did you pay for the car?
Can you drive in electric only mode for thirty miles or is that just hype ?
Thanks,
Don
Posted by: Don at October 13, 2004 03:42 PM