2005 Ford Escape Hybrid

Can you have it all with this "no compromises" SUV?

How do we escape from our dependence on high-cost foreign oil? With petroleum prices surging to record levels and turmoil wracking the Mideast, that's a question that has moved from the fringe and into the mainstream of debate.

A growing number of motorists are taking the issue into their own hands. Demand for Toyota 's Prius hybrid-electric sedan has surged so dramatically that in some parts of the country, dealers are reporting an eight-month backlog of orders.

That could be good news for Ford Motor Co., which in August will belatedly launch sales of its the world's first gasoline-electric sport-utility vehicle. Ford has dubbed the new Escape Hybrid a "no-compromise hybrid," promising that the SUV won't sacrifice comfort, convenience, or utility in the bid for higher mileage.

The Escape Hybrid hits market more than half a year late, time largely spent fine-tuning the hybrid powertrain. But with the way fuel prices are surging, this case of dumb luck could play out in Ford's favor if buyers really do think the new ute lives up to billing.

Hybrid basics

To find out, several members of TheCarConnection team flew to Los Angeles to spend some time behind the wheels of the Escape Hybrid, driving a route that included plenty of traffic-packed streets, as well as open highway and a modest loop off-road. But before we report on our findings, it may be best to present a short primer in hybrid basics.

Even the most efficient automobiles normally waste a tremendous amount of energy. Hybrids use several methods to recapture that energy. So-called regenerative brakes generate electric current, rather than heat. And electric motors attached to the drivetrain can recapture waste energy when the vehicle is coasting or idling.

There are two basic types of hybrid on the road today. Honda's Insight and Civic Hybrids are so-called "mild" hybrids. Recaptured energy is stored in a small battery pack. When a boost of power is needed, it's used to power that motor/generator, which acts like a sort of electric supercharger. To further save fuel, a mild hybrid will quietly shut down its internal-combustion - gasoline - engine when idling, say, at a stop light. Tap the accelerator and the engine instantly starts back up.

Full hybrids, such as the Prius and Escape, also can operate in fully-electric mode. In heavy traffic, where you might only move a few feet at a time, a full hybrid will keep its IC engine shut off and rely solely on battery power.

There's been a fair bit of confusion, incidentally, about Ford's decision to sign a licensing agreement with Toyota . The U.S. automaker insists Escape's totally home-grown, but that some of its technology was close enough in concept to possibly trigger a patent infringement suit. Ford claims it was easier to simply pay a small royalty. Toyota officials concur.

Four plus 94

That said, the Escape Hybrid follows classic hybrid form, combining IC engine and electric motor under its hood. The gasoline-powered portion is essentially the same 2.3-liter in-line four engine found in the basic Ford Escape. In this case, it's been modified to run on what's known as the Atkinson cycle. This maximizes fuel economy, though at the cost of low-end torque.

That's acceptable in this application because when you nail the accelerator at a light, or start a passing maneuver, the 70-kilowatt electric motor kicks in. That translates into 94 horsepower, and when you add it all together, you've got nearly the performance of the V-6 Escape - albeit for relatively short bursts.

Our initial experience inside the Escape Hybrid didn't make much use of this feature. We picked our hybrid ute up at the Sony Pictures studio in Culver City, and immediately began a five-mile mileage run. It was a board-flat stretch of city streets that offered a chance to maximize the potential of a gasoline-electric vehicle.

The most fuel-efficient conventional Escape with an in-line four engine, five-speed manual and front-wheel-drive, gets 24 mpg city, 29 mpg highway. The V-6, with an automatic and all-wheel-drive, drops that as low as 18/22.