While the Escape PHEV’s powertrain is an efficiency pro, the rest of the vehicle is hardly at ease with itself. Tall on efficiency, short on polish and pizzazz The Toyota RAV4 Prime, by contrast, is far more powerful and has a rear motor, allowing all-electric all-wheel-drive operation, while a larger battery pack simply adds in more electric range up to 42 miles. The Escape Hybrid is now offered with available all-wheel drive-via a propshaft system-but the Plug-In Hybrid remains front-wheel-drive only. And on another informal loop of shorter, around-town errands, the Escape PHEV settled into an average that was close to 40 mpg. On a 53-mile loop I’ve done with a range of hybrids, going from about 300 feet altitude up to 1,000 and back, incorporating lighter freeway driving, rolling country roads, and 40-mph boulevards about equally, I averaged an excellent 46 mpg. The Escape PHEV is excellent at hybrid efficiency, without any plug-in charge. I followed a loop I’ve done in a number of other plug-in hybrids: 8 miles of 65-mph freeway, 8 miles of 50-mph boulevard with occasional stoplights, then the remainder on 30-mph streets with more frequent stops.įord does charging scheduling and climate preconditioning well, and if you drove an Escape PHEV every day, you’d have it in the routine of warming up the cabin ahead of the commute-and likely then doing several more electric miles. Fully charged again, I headed out into drizzling rain and 46 degrees-a Portland winter mainstay-and drove electric for more than 27 miles. Altogether, the system makes 200 hp when run as a hybrid, or 221 hp with plug-in juice added to the mix. It’s part of a hybrid powertrain incorporating a 165-hp, 2.5-liter inline-4 engine, running on an efficiency-and-emissions-focused Atkinson cycle and part of the fourth-generation version of Ford’s planetary-gear hybrid system. In fairer temps, the battery pack enables an EPA rating of 37 all-electric miles. Oddly, the 12-volt accessory battery is relegated to a lonely looking well under the cargo floor where a temporary spare would otherwise be. The Escape PHEV packages 14.4 kwh of liquid-cooled battery-more than previous Energi models- under the rear seats, where it wouldn’t interfere with the cargo floor. That said, you’re not giving up any space or utility in going with the Plug-In Hybrid versus hybrid or non-hybrid versions. Smart packaging and excellent real-world mpg It’s one of the strongest use cases for having a plug-in hybrid, and Ford isn’t working with its own data showing-as it did to us ad nauseum years ago-that PHEV customers were willing to plug in very often. But it seems hard to believe that someone wouldn’t want to keep electric-only while bringing the kids to school in the morning, or making a quick run to the grocery store, no matter how chilly. Of course the electric-only range was a lot shorter than it would otherwise have been because of the extreme cold. And it even let me turn on resistive heat and climate control, to keep the windows clear-not something I can claim of all PHEVs. The engine stayed off and let me drive tailpipe-emissions-free for 22.1 miles on some suburban errands (note in the photo below that 0.3 mile of obstinate gasoline use). I rebooted twice more, and the third time was a charm. This is a normal function of the system and your vehicle returns to EV Now mode when possible.” Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid - EV Now interruptedĪccording to the owner’s manual: “Your vehicle could enter Engine Enabled mode if system conditions require it.
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