Ford’s Escape Hybrid is mileage leader among compact SUVs

Special to the Star-Telegram

With gasoline prices climbing again, consumer interest in cars with great fuel economy is rising again as well, and Ford Motor Co. is among the leaders in the miles-per-gallon race for 2010.

That made the company’s vehicles quite popular with consumers during the recent Cash for Clunkers program, causing many Ford dealers temporarily to run out of the most fuel-efficient Ford vehicles – including the best-selling SUV during the program, the compact Ford Escape, whose hybrid model is among the most fuel-efficient SUVs available.

Ford also has joined the hybrid revolution in a big way for 2010, adding gasoline-electric versions of the redesigned 2010 Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan midsize sedans to its lineup, which already includes the Escape and Mercury Mariner compact SUV hybrids.

The sedans come with a new hybrid drive system that gives them quite impressive EPA ratings of 41 mpg in the city and 36 on the highway.

That’s a significant improvement over their key competitor, the Toyota Camry Hybrid, which manages only 33 city/34 highway, and it approaches the 51/48 ratings of the Toyota Prius.

For consumers looking to buy sport utility vehicles, the mpg leader in the compact class is the Escape Hybrid (along with the Mariner Hybrid), whose EPA ratings are now 34 miles per gallon city/31 highway for the front-wheel-drive versions, and 29/27 for all-wheel-drive models.

Even front-drive versions of the gasoline-only Escape are rated as high as 22 city/28 highway, which helped make the Escape the most-popular SUV sold under the clunkers program, which was designed to help people trade in older, less-fuel-efficient vehicles for ones with better mileage.

The Escape and Mariner hybrids have been around since 2005, but they were redesigned just last year, along with their gasoline-only versions.

Fuel economy of the hybrids was increased with the redesign, but so was the mileage of the gasoline-only models, thanks to new engine and transmission combinations that also boosted their power.

The gasoline models rank among the best for fuel economy in the compact SUV segment when equipped with the base four-cylinder engine, six-speed automatic transmission, and front-wheel drive. The highway rating was increased by two mpg by replacing the previous four-speed automatic with the new six-speed. It saves gasoline by providing two additional overdrive gears.

Other fuel-efficiency measures used on the new models – hybrids and gasoline-only -- include refined aerodynamics and new low-rolling-resistance tires. Ford says the new 16-inch Michelin Latitude Tour tires have a unique design that uses both reduced weight and a special tread pattern to help reduce fuel consumption.

Many automakers are adding lower-resistance tires to their lineups as part of their overall efforts to boost fuel economy. Less rolling resistance means the engine doesn’t have to work as hard to move the car, which results in less fuel being burned.

Aerodynamic refinements to the redesigned Escape and Mariner included a new front bumper spoiler and rear tire spoilers. The rear spoilers are being used for the first time on a Ford SUV.

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