Ford Escape

Full Table of Contents
Cover Story
International Cover Story
Up Front
Voices of Innovation
Readers Report
Corrections & Clarifications
Books
Technology & You
Economic Viewpoint
Industry Insider

Business Outlook
News: Analysis & Commentary
In Biz This Week
Washington Outlook
Asian Business
European Business
International Outlook
Developments to Watch
The Corporation
Finance
Government
Social Issues
Defense
Manufacturing
People
Personal Business
Footnotes
The Barker Portfolio
Inside Wall Street
Figures of the Week
Editorials

INTERNATIONAL EDITIONS
International -- Readers Report
International -- Finance
International -- Int'l Figures of the Week
International -- Editorials

PREMIUM CONTENT MBA Insider

BW MAGAZINE Get Four Free Issues Register Subscribe Customer Service

ONLINE FEATURES Book Reviews BW Video Columnists Interactive Gallery Newsletters Past Covers Philanthropy Podcasts Special Reports BLOGS Auto Beat Bangalore Tigers Blogspotting Brand New Day Byte of the Apple Economics Unbound Eye on Asia Fine On Media Green Biz Hot Property Investing Insights Management IQ NEXT: Innovation NussbaumOnDesign Tech Beat Working Parents TECHNOLOGY J.D. Power Ratings Product Reviews Tech Stats Wildstrom: Tech Maven AUTOS Home Page Auto Reviews Classic Cars Car Care & Safety Hybrids INNOVATION
& DESIGN Home Page Architecture Brand Equity Auto Design Game Room SMALLBIZ Smart Answers Success Stories Today's Tip INVESTING Investing: Europe Annual Reports BW 50 S&P Picks & Pans Stock Screeners Free S&P Stock Report SCOREBOARDS Hot Growth 100 Mutual Funds Info Tech 100 S&P 500 B-SCHOOLS Undergrad Programs MBA Blogs MBA Profiles MBA Rankings Who's Hiring Grads

BW EXTRAS BW Digital BW Mobile BW Online Alerts Dashboard Widgets Podcasts RSS

RSS Feeds

Reprints/ Permissions Conferences Research Services

APRIL 25, 2005

STORY TOOLS

Printer-Friendly Version

E-Mail This Story

(Readers' Reviews below)

Editor's Review

The Good V-6 performance from a four-cylinder engine

The Bad No cash back makes it a pricey step up from other Escapes

The Bottom Line A reasonable way to be "green" and drive an SUV at the same time

With the exception of two-tone paint, not available on nonhybrid Escapes, the hybrid looks much the same. There's also a hybrid badge with Ford's road-and-leaf insignia behind the front wheels and on the tailgate, and the hybrid has a small vent on the driver's side rear quarter-window to help keep the batteries cool. Inside, the instrument cluster includes a "green-zone" gauge that indicates when the car is running solely on battery power and another that shows whether it's using electricity or whether the the car is replenishing the battery pack.

An optional $1,850 navigation system that's available only on the hybrid includes more displays of the hybrid energy system, such as an instantaneous fuel economy indicator and a diagram that shows the power flow from the gas engine and electric motor and back to the batteries. That package also has a souped-up audio system. Other options: a 110-volt AC power outlet in the center console ($180) for running small electrical appliances and side air bags and side curtains for crash protection ($595). You can also get a four-wheel- drive version of the Escape Hybrid for $1,625 more.

Here's what's not available: a $2,000 cash rebate, which Ford is offering on conventional Escapes through June.

READER REVIEWS

By Larry Armstrong
Get BusinessWeek directly on your desktop with our RSS feeds. XML

Add BusinessWeek news to your Web site with our headline feed.

Click to buy an e-print or reprint of a BusinessWeek or BusinessWeek Online story or video.

To subscribe online to BusinessWeek magazine, please click here.

Learn more, go to the BusinessWeekOnline home page