Archives

Hi All:

___Just a tid bit I picked up from an 08 aficionado over at Mercury News in the 08 FEH review commentary. Now why in the hell was Ford holding the 05 - `07’s back if this kind of FE was there for the taking?The 2008 Escape Hybrid would have gotten 41 MPG city/32 MPG highway under the old EPA testing procedures, which is actually an improvement over the 2007's 36/31. It says so on the info-sheet-sticker-thing itself.
That's pretty impressive when you consider the lighter 2007 Camry Hybrid sedan gets 40 MPG city. The upcoming Ford Fusion Hybrid sedan should be interesting.

___Either way, it gives some credence to the upcoming 08 Fusion having Camry Hybrid (40/38) or better FE numbers later this year. The FEH cannot match the street performance of a TCH and the FFH probably will not either but who cares if the 08 EPA specs trounce the TCH ;)

___On a different note, I have seen 08 - I4 w/ a stick based Fusions listed for < $13,600 on local lots here in the Chicago area. Ford will have a tough sell if they try and price the FFH at $25K like the TCH given what the lesser models are being purchased off the lots for :( In a similar situation, new 08 Escape XLT’s w/ a stick can be found priced in the $15K range. The hybrid premium is a tough hurdle in Ford’s case …

08 Ford Escape Hybrid vs. 08 Ford Escape XLT w/ Auto – Cost and features analysis. (http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=4100)

___Good Luck

___Wayne

Hmmm. That is odd. Though, the Hwy numbers are rather comparable. I wonder if the change is due to 'looser' ICE off specs; IE the ICE drops off under 40 much easier now?

I also wonder if I can get the PCM reflashed with this kind of programming if it's software changes. ;)

Hi Rich:

___The Focus and its 2.0 received a similar treatment and gained 3 mpg highway with this upgrade/update?

___Good Luck

___Wayne

08 4WD FEH would have gotten 35/30 under old test.
Better than 05/06 33/29
Ford must have done somethings to the 2008 FEH

The 2008 Ford Escape offers an all-new Ford Tough Truck-inspired exterior design and a refined interior with an industry-first seat fabric made from 100 percent recyclable materials. A new Electric Power Assisted Steering (EPAS) system contributes to fuel economy improvements of up to 8 percent on gas models and up to 14 percent on hybrid models. Standard safety features include AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control), Ford’s Safety Canopy™ side curtain air bags, side impact air bags and ABS

AdvanceTrac® with RSC® (Roll Stability Control) is currently NOT available on the FEH/MMH.

Work on improving the 2008 over the 2005 model began even before the first Escape Hybrid went on sale to Ford customers. Program engineers starting getting feedback from early test drives, including their likes and dislikes, along with questions of durability. Data and customer feedback continues to come back to Ford from its dealers on a daily basis, which is fed directly to its hybrid program engineers.

The '08 model integrates the Generation II version Sanyo nickel metal hydride battery pack, along with improved electronics and control circuitry. On the cell-side, Sanyo has improved the internal efficiency of the cell so that the power in/out ratio has been improved, along with the amount of power coming from the cell.

In order to refine the transition from electric to hybrid, along with fuel economy, Ford engineers have to literally taken into account hundreds of different factors when optimizing the system. The effort has garnered the company some 200 patents in the control system area alone.

The company's experience to date with the durability of its NiMH battery pack also has been encouraging. Several taxi cab fleets operating the Escape Hybrid now have vehicles with more than 200,000 miles on them without seeing any problems. Consumers are also seeing few issues with their battery packs.