Ford is first to market with a hybrid SUV. The promise of the hybrid SUV is that you have increased fuel economy, decreased emissions, and little compromise in performance. The tradeoff may be that full hybrid vehicles are some of the most complex vehicles on the road. The Escape hybrid marries a 133hp 2.3-liter four cylinder to a 65kW electric motor. A second generator recharges batteries during braking. The hybrid technology starts and stops the gasoline engine depending on driving conditions and the level of charge in the 250 battery cells mounted under the cargo area floor. Ford claims that the escape hybrid can reach 35 mpg in city driving which is large improvement over the 20mpg of the standard 4-cylinder escape.

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The Hybrid Escape is the first gasoline/electric hybrid vehicle to reach the market. The hybrid system marries a 2.3L four cylinder to an electric motor and a generator/control system that can start and stop the gasoline engine as it is needed.