2008 Ford Escape Hybrid First Impressions
4-11-2007
by
Michel Deslauriers
, Auto123.com
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A round of
improvements makes this battery-backed SUV better
Gatineau, Quebec - After a successful launch of the Escape Hybrid in 2005, Ford must now perform
some tweaks to its compact SUV in order to keep it competitive.
 | | The refreshed and improved 2008 Ford Escape line-up. |
For 2008, the whole Escape line gets a reskin as well as a redesigned interior.
And just like before, the Hybrid model is visually indistinguishable from the
conventional ones; only small hybrid logos on the front fenders and rear
liftgate reveal its identity.
The inside
Ford has listened to actual Escape owners through fuel economy training
sessions, as well as scanning websites and forums, to gain some input on how to
improve the SUV's cockpit. The dashboard now looks like the ones in other Ford
trucks, such as the Edge and the Explorer. And although there is still a lot of
hard plastic, it looks much better and more serious than the outgoing model's.
The old green instrument panel backlighting has been gladly ditched in favour
of a more soothing ice-blue scheme. The new climate control buttons and rotary
dials are easy to use. Most of the displayed information has been moved to the
top of the centre stack, including climate control settings, outside
temperature, compass, date and time. The navigation screen is too small but at
least it has a touch-screen.
The seats suited me just fine, and the optional leather in the Escape Hybrid
model I drove felt pretty good. The cloth seat fabric is made from 100%
recycled materials. The centre armrest has a very deep storage bin, which is
handy while trying to hide your valuables when the truck is parked. In back,
the seats are also comfortable and space is sufficient, but it is a
compact-sized vehicle, so sitting three across is tight.
The outside
When the Escape hit showrooms for the 2001 model year, it looked good and had
clean lines. But there are so many on the road now that, in my opinion at
least, it quickly started to look old. A careful evolution has been done, and
the new Hybrid now shares the tough-guy front-end appearance with other Ford
trucks. The edgy, chromed-plated facelift works well for now, that is, until
the Ford sells another million of them.
According to Ford, the raised greenhouse and bulging hood are the main reasons
some people think the new Escape looks bigger, although dimensions remain
largely unchanged. It's an evolution rather than a revolution.
 | | The new Escape might look bigger than its predecessor, but it is not. |
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