AutoblogGreen

That's funny, I saw a Saturn Vue hybrid in Florida just recently.

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from the people who bought you the 30,000 smart car, the 50,000 lancer evo and 40,000 Mini its STEALERS!!!

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So, the Escape hybrid is just GREEN-WASHING. Ford has no intention of meeting actual demand. There's just a limited number "for the press".

MORE PROOF the Auto-Industry is a Subsidiary of Big Oil, but since we don't see any money from big oil on the balance sheet's it must be Direct Compensation to the Auto Industry CEO's.

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Hybrid SUVs are just a joke.

Do you figure the rest of the world is using little cars for the pleasure of feeling like a fish in a box ?
Can't you imagine another good reason ?
Does "money to buy then money to run" rings you a bell ?

Some day you will have to wake up and realize that moving 2 (or 3-4) tons of metal just to move one's ass isn't really "efficient".

Hybrid SUVs have 5 years to live, if auto industry is longer than that to commercialize, history shall never remember of that type of car.

Downsize or vanish ....

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Just shows how good idea the Prius actually is. Since it doesn't have an non-hybrid sibling, it's 'premium' cannot be criticized with nerd rage on the intertubes.

I mean, how much would anyone pay for a Prius-looking car with just the ICE? Several thousands less .. and people would get annoyed at toyos pricing. Now the whole issue is averted.

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In my neighborhood, the difference is more like 7 to 8 thousand bucks. it still takes a long time to break even. The dealer has them in stock, ready to drive.

The Toyota Camry comes in both hybrid and regular, with various base prices:

LE $21,885
SE $23,050
XLE $26,460
Hybrid $27,160
XLE $30,470 (6 cylinder)

So the hybrid can cost as much as $5275 more, or $3310 less than an ICE version of the same model.

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There are no Escape hybrids available, they all go to taxi and gov fleets. Can you imagine paying a $10,000 premium for a so-so SUV with bad brakes, no stability control and an interior by Rubbermaid? Even on the "fancy" model, it looks like a cab inside. The CRV, Forester or Rav4 are far superior and only a few mpgs away. Take the $10,000 and buy fancy bikes to make up the difference.

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I purchased a 2008 2WD FEH at $98 over invoice in August 2007. At the time that was only $3860 more than the I4 2WD Escape XLT. After you factor in the $3000 federal tax credit, my local state credit of $600, my $125 reduction in insurance premiums for owning a hybrid and the $100 I'll save this year in oil changes, my hybrid-premium payoff was $35. Yes, one tank of gas... I saved that much in a little over 800 miles. I say all of this because at the same time I bought mine there was a dealer on the other side of town that was selling the same model for $1000 over MSRP. Markups come from bad dealers and people not willing to shop around and have impulse control issues.

As for the FEH being Green washing, check with the IRS. As of the end of 2007 Ford had sold nearly 4 times more hybrids than GMC and that doesn't count the huge Taxi (NYC has 800+) or Fleet sales.

And don't forget that the FEH meets Super Ultra Low Emissions Vehicle (SULEV II) and Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards. Compare that to your CRV, Forester or Rav4.

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I get a kick out of the RAV4, CRV, escape, ridgeline etc you know the "cute" utes. Many are now or were based on car platforms, and have little utility to offer. They come with FWD or an awd with no low range, and towing capacity not much more than a mid sized car.

So rather than getting 30's or 40's on the hwy they get 20's. A full size truck might get teens or low 20's but a full size truck can tow 10,000 lbs and can go off road.

I don't get it, if you are willing to put up with the poor mpg you're getting in a cute ute why not drive something that gives something in return for that poor mpg?

If you asked a farmer or a trucker if they'd like to get better mpg they would say YES. Every $ spend on fuel is less profit. They buy a vehicle with the capacity needed to do their job, it does not matter how good the gas mileage is in the honda insite because it can't do the job. And yet these folks get bashed for driving gas guzzlers, give them a better mouse trap and they will use it, while other people run around bragging about the MPG their vehicle gets like their poo doesn't stink and they singlehandedly are saving the world.

The only reason I can think of that these cute utes exist is so the manufactures can keep their ave fuel economy in spec and still sell "real" trucks. Even the neon based PT cruiser is sold as a "truck"
the higlander, and the rav4 are and/or were also based on cars but sold as "turcks" their mpg is too low to be sold as "car" which they are but when they are sold as tuck it helps balance out the sequoia, land cruiser etc.

What a mess.

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rj: What's low about a solid 32MPG on a vehicle the can easily carry 5 people and 2 dogs? At 32 mpg the FEH is out performing MANY smaller cars and does it with far more space/utility and MUCH lower emissions. Sure I can get better mileage with an Insight but then I couldn't carry my family. And I could get MUCH worse mileage driving a bigger truck/SUV but I'll never need to pull 10,000lbs.

If you're looking to bash something... the FEH (or even the new two-mode Vue) is not the place to start. There's way more lower hanging, rotten fruit to be had.

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And that is exactly why people refuse to go green . Because of stupid shit like that . These manufacturers are only making these " green movements " just to please the press and say "we did it " yet do not mass produce them so that the general public can purchase one at any moment. I woudl refuse to pay even 3000 more for a hybrid car much less 5 or even 10,000

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Why an SUV? Hybrid or otherwise.
There are scads of small 5 passenger cars that get better mileage, have low emissions, are far cheaper, and don't have the filthy batteries.

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yeah a big truck that will tow 10,000 lbs your not gonna see 20 MPG youll see 13-15 in real world. While towing try 8 or 9. Most people that claim they need a big truck to tow things maybe tow crap once a month. if that. Rent a freaking truck Uhaul rents brand new 1500 pickup trucks for 20 bucks a day and lowes will rent one for 20 bucks an hour but its a 2500/3500 depending on the luck of the draw

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Here's why you go Green with the Escape: Katrina. Remember that big 8 hour traffic jam? You won't run out of gas with a Hybrid.

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George Krpan: Why an SUV? Because you can't safely fit 5 people, two dogs and luggage in ANY car. The small SUV is the smallest vehicle that can and, in the case of the FEH/MMH, is the most efficient. If you look at the emissions of the FEH it is less than almost all the other vehicle on the road (except for a few other hybrids and Green state only edition vehicles). Reference http://www.greenmachinestour.org/factsescape.shtml if you need to see it in graph form how the FEH stacks up.

As for the battery, they aren't nearly as filthy as you make them out to be. They are recyclable and don't spew pollution all over the public at every stoplight. Besides, what else, other than maybe hydraulics, is practical at the moment to store excess energy on-board? Unlike you, I'm not happy to keep wasting energy slowing my vehicle to a stop or idling unnecessarily. I'd rather capture/save that energy for later.

Unless you have a better, practical solutions, stop bitching and holding back technology. Not everyone fits your small view of what vehicle needs are and some of us are using our dollars to push for a better future.

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