Prius or Escape hybrid?

I still drive a 2001 Prius. How many 2001 owners are stating that they bought too early? How many are saying that it was a smart decision?...at least one. The above logic is essential for GM, but not for Toyota.

 

Tax credit? Corect me if I'm wrong, but I was told it was taken out as of 2008.

 

On the FEH, it won't do an autostop if the AC is set on max AC, it will autostop on regular AC, but then the AC compressor does not run. If you get the nav system, you will get an energy transfer screen similar to the Prius. Keep in mind you will get 15-20 MPG less on the FEH than the Prius. The Mariner hybrid has a better interior than the FEH, and also has automatic AC, which the FEH does not have.

 

Sounds like the smart choice! Even if you're planning to start a family I don't think you'd need something bigger for years... at least one PC'er has 3 kids in his Prius. I have 1 and space is never an issue. 2 would start to get tight, and with 3, we'd max out on cargo and seating all the time, but I still think it's doable. But if I ever have that many, there may be a nice hybrid or EV minivan by then.

You also seemed interested in hybrid-for-the-sake-of-hybrid which I would advise against. If you can get better FE in a smaller conventional car, I think that's a better choice. If you need to wait a long time to buy a Prius, go get yourself a used Corolla to keep you moving meanwhile. Or better yet, ride a bike to work, since 10 miles one way could probably be done in 30-40 minutes, and summer's just getting started.

 

Hi!

Not to promote any other websites here, but my son has a FEH and has written the FEH FAQ on greenhybrid.com. He can probably answer any questions you have.

Hope this helps.

A proud Mom!

Donna

 

As far as I can tell, in New England there are maybe 2 escapes for sale each month. It is just not viable to buy one here--you can not get one.

Not that much trouble getting a prius!

 

We have 4 Escape Hybrids at work. I drive them alot. When I have to go to sites to service them I take one. No comparison to my 07 Prius. None. The Mistake gets shitty gas mileage. Uncomfortable compared to my 07. When I drive the Mistake like I don't care I never get more than 27 mpg's. I drive my 07 Prius like I don't care and always get 46-47 with a lot more comfort. Only thing the Mistake does better is when you punch it, it gets crazy. Goes fast...lots of commotion under the hood. It has alot more torque when you punch it then the Prius. Thats it. Much bigger motor. And it costs you. Who cares.I'm talking flooring it and driving like your drag racing which i tried to see what it can do.
You can feel instantly the Mistake is an American car. Hard seats...strange hyper rev band when floored ( much worse them my Prius CVT )..loud motor...lots of commotion under the hood...poor gas mileage. Just not refined at all. When you drive a Prius you can tell instantly its a Toyota. When I punch my Prius its moving on down the road with little commotion. Lots of torque. Smooth. No commotion. Smooth.

The Prius is so much more refined in all respects.I'd be pissed if I bought a Mistake.

Only reason my job bought them is they think its a hybrid truck/SUV with manners. I'm not one to tell the powers that be they f**kd up. Its really Ford's first attempt at Hybrids which like everything else they have done in the last 20 years they have f*cked up. Its a piece of sh*t.

 

I think it is a mistake to think of the Escape and Prius simply as two hybrids. The Escape is a Ford and the Prius is a Toyota. Four days after taking delivery of our Prius in June, we had to fly from Tennessee to Connecticut and then drive back. At the Hartford airport, we got a Ford Escape (non-hybrid) for the trip back. After the trip, I concluded that if the Escape was Ford's platform for a hybrid, it wasn't going to go well. The build quality of the Ford was poor. It had two significant flat spots in acceleration, the first at 50 mph and the second at 65. Both were quite apparent and irritating. It was noisy. They can make it into a hybrid, but it is still, first and foremost, a Ford product, and simply doesn't compare to a Toyota.