Score one for the activists. I suppose after infamous misses (such as animal rights, which denies you your right to enjoy a slab of meat like your Cro Magnon forefathers and guilts women into looking like the living dead because it would be “cruel” to test makeup on animals), the odds were in the activists favor to get one right. The Birkenstock-clad made up for all their past wrongs with the Ford Escape Hybrid.
Just how environmentally friendly is the Escape hybrid?
Extremely. It meets the Clean Car Campaign’s good fuel economy and near-zero emissions standards.
Fine. I’ll help save the environment. But I’m no sissy treehugger. I want a real man’s car.
Well, with 129 ft.-lbs. of torque and 155 hp from the combined output of the gas and electric motors, you’re in luck. Oh, and did I mention 1,000 pounds of towing capability?
I’m not driving my pink Barbie PowerWheels Corvette anymore; I don’t want to plug my car into an outlet each time I drive it.
It takes an extremely confident man to admit he opted for the pink Barbie version and not the rugged Jeep Wrangler. Don’t worry, powering the hybrid is much easier than … say … what it was for your mom to convince your dad it was OK for you to drive a pink car. You’ll never have to plug your Escape into an outlet because the regenerative braking system in the vehicle automatically recharges the battery.
What do I do if my hybrid breaks down?
This is an understandable concern. Some time down the road, you’re going to be driving cross-country for a protest and forget to fill the tank because with your fuel-efficient hybrid Escape, getting gas is no longer a constant concern. This isn’t a problem really, since the Escape can be jump-started or towed like any other vehicle.
I’m fine with helping the environment, but will the Escape only come in stupid colors like Granola Brown and Moss Green?
Nope. Not only does it come in slick colors like Red Fire Clearcoat Metallic and Sonic Blue Clearcoat Metallic (sorry, no pink), but the appearance of the hybrid Escape is no different from the regular Escape – so you won’t feel like you’re climbing onto a soapbox every time you get into your car.
Ask not what your Escape can do for the environment, but what it can do for you.
It can save you money. A lot of it. The Escape Hybrid is reasonably priced at $26,970 for front-wheel drive or $28,595 for 4-wheel drive – with a range of 30 to 40 mpg. And the 400 to 500 miles you’ll get per tank will save you even more
long-term.
I don’t believe you. After all, I don’t know you from Adam. In fact, I don’t even know Adam.
Fine. For you skeptics out there, Ford has included a fuel-savings calculator to the Escape Web site -www.fordvehicles.com/escapehybrid/how/index.asp?movie=savings&bhcp=1- to show you just how wrong you are. Plus, for being a good little citizen and buying an environmentally-friendly car – instead of riding in a chauffeured limo like they do – government officials are going to give you the “clean fuel vehicles”
tax deduction.
Liz Blickle is an intern for BodyShop Business and is not an activist. She likes steaks and makeup and wishes there was some way to switch her Barbie PowerWheels from battery-powered to fuel-gulping, like every good car should be.
