Ford's timing is impeccable. As the price for gasoline spurted past $2.00 per gallon (and headed for $3.00 in the Golden State), chairman Bill made good on his all but forgotten promise to boost SUV fuel efficiency. The 2005 Ford Escape Hybrid isn't just a bone to tree huggers or an act of contrition for the 550-horsepower Ford {{{GT}}}. It's also the world's first SUV that real folks who tote kids, toys, and the trappings of modern life can use to squeeze 30 or more miles out of each precious gallon of petroleum.
Like Toyota's Prius, the Escape Hybrid uses an array of electric motors, planetary gears, batteries, and four gasoline-fired cylinders to boost efficiency by approximately 50 percent and to reduce emissions to the SULEV category in California. Both hybrids share a propulsion concept invented by TRW in 1970, but Escape components are substantially larger in capacity to provide the on- and off-road stamina expected of a real SUV. Ford expects to use the same set of components in a version of the 2007 Mercury Mariner and a 2008 mid-size sedan (ne the Ford Futura).
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