ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rating

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Kia has a 2.4L Sorento that gets 22/32 and 25 combined. Not bad for a midsize SUV that's only a hair smaller than the Highlander and has a 7-seater option. I'd sure hope a smaller Escape would do better than that. Who knows, maybe Toyota will have a more fuel efficient non-hybrid offering by then, too.

The Mazda5 available now gets 21/28, 24 combined and is based loosely on the same platform as the C-Max I think. Is the Grand C-Max coming to the USA? If so, maybe it will do a little better than the 5 in terms of fuel economy. The problem with the C-max and Mazda5 is that they are relatively sleek and car-like and probably won't appeal to most SUV buyers looking for a more rugged image.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Yes C-Max shares the C platform with the mazda 5. C-Max hybrid and energi (PHEV) get much better milage. Grand C-Max will not get a hybrid.

Rugged SUV normally means tires that grip and high ground clearance. This increases rolling resistance and air resistance, things that hurt mileage. Ford is trying to get a higher mileage vehicle out there. They will address the suv and truck segments later.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Well that's the point. We have some pretty good higher mileage vehicles out there already for those who want cars and more on the way, like C-Max. On the other hand, there's very little choice for light trucks that consume far more gasoline on a national level.

Perhaps most people don't realize the compromises you mentioned for "rugged". I'm guessing even if they do, most don't care. They want a boxy, tough looking vehicle, mostly for the image reinforced by advertisements. Something with AWD, capable of going to climb mountains, even though they will never actually go there. As long as gas prices aren't $5 a gallon, they also want that V6 power for the freedom of towing something they will never tow. Otherwise, 75% of those trucks and SUVs I see in the urban commute gridlock would be midsize or compact sedans, instead.

If Ford isn't in any hurry, perhaps we need more regulation after all. With gas prices going down and SUV sales going up again, there's really little incentive to make the largest fuel consumption segment of the market any more efficient. Business as usual for gas guzzlers. Lip service to the environment by rolling out stuff like Volt and Leaf for people that would likely have bought a Cruze or Versa anyway.

As a side note, there are a number of LRR tires for SUVs. Most crossovers now come with all-seasons, rather than the all-terrain tires often used on truck-based models sold for offroad prowess.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Certainly true, but the escape hybrid because of price and parts problems didn't exactly set the world on fire. It didn't even give ford the green cred that it desired. It is understandable that Ford is looking to a 40mpg with phev option hybrid for profit and more green reputation. This is a new hybrid, not with many on the road. Toyota thought it was a good segment to address also which is the reason for the prius v.

Escape is losing its V6 for a turbo 4. The escape is not a highlander or yukon that needs a 8 or 6 cylinder

So would you make the highlander hybrid illegal since it doesn't provide the milelage of the escape, or appreciable milage above the ecoboost escape? It seems you are just mad at ford. Otherwise what would that regulation look like.

If you are getting rid of the traction, and don't care about the ground clearance then the c-max seems like a much more frugal in terms of fuel economy option. Its not as if the escape is body an frame or has a truck bed.

 

Re: ABG: Redesigned 2013 Ford Escape to lose hybrid option, but EcoBoost will provide better MPG rat

Exactly. The more greener options, the better. I'm also guessing that many people (like me) don't need a 280hp V6 in the Highlander Hybrid, either.

Quite the opposite. Wanting more efficient choices in light trucks doesn't imply that I am mad at Ford or anyone. In fact, I think Ford and Toyota are setting a great example for fuel efficient cars. I'd just like to see all companies do the same with light trucks, because those vehicles consume a disproportionate amount of gasoline.

What would regulation look like? Perhaps one alternative would be to finally get rid of the CAFE work around for light trucks so they have to meet even stricter fuel economy requirements. If that means that many of them have to incorporate clean diesels, hybrids or other more fuel efficient designs, so be it. Yeah, that makes them more expensive. Call it a new version of the gas guzzler tax that you don't have to actually call a "tax". Unpopular, perhaps, but if the goal is to reduce gasoline consumption, light trucks are the most important part of the auto market in this regard. You need to change preferences to buy them or make them more efficient or both.

I think the C-max is likely to be a great, frugal choice for larger families, as is the Mazda5 (I just reviewed one and it's quite economical compared to minivans and SUVs in general). I thought the same about the Prius Alpha when it was still rumoured that a 6/7 seater would come to the USA. I'd just like to see the same effort in the SUV market as in the car market, at least until the typical SUV buyer decides they can accept something that looks like a car. I think only higher gas prices will cause that to happen.