Ford designers did find a way to give the Escape some manner of style, with rounded lines and some relatively tasteful lower body cladding, but the Escape has never been a head-turner. So the Escape, which rides on a unibody front-wheel-drive platform, was designed to closely resemble the traditional two-box SUV. When the Ford Escape was first launched back in 2001, rear-wheel-drive, body-on-frame sport utility vehicles ruled the roost. %Gallery-92714% Photos by Chris Shunk/ Copyright ©2010 Weblogs, Inc. We spent a week with a fully loaded 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited 4WD model to find out if Ford's top-of-the-line hybrid CUV is still a serious contender. A certain global financial meltdown is probably to blame, but newer entries in the small CUV segment have also given potential Escape buyers something to think about. In fact, sales have dropped each year since the redesign. But for some reason, all of those changes haven't translated into increased sales. A year later it revamped each model's drivetrain, giving the gas-powered models new or updated engines and transmissions while also upgrading the Escape Hybrid's powertrain with a larger, more powerful 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and new nickel metal hydride battery pack that was 20-percent smaller and significantly lighter. Ford gave the entire Escape line a visual makeover back in 2008. Even the president thinks so, having traded in his V8-powered Chrysler 300C for an Escape Hybrid during the run-up to the 2008 presidential election.
It's just a good CUV with great fuel economy. It's now seven years later and the Ford Escape Hybrid is a well established product that seems to have risen above the hoopla of being a hybrid. Sales have steadily risen each year and The Blue Oval even began eeking out some profit after trimming production costs by 30 percent. It also offered similar performance and handling to its gas-powered counterparts with virtually no compromise. 2010 Ford Escape Hybrid – Click above for high-res image gallery The Ford Escape Hybrid was the first mass-produced battery-assisted SUV on the market when it launched in 2004, and from day one it's delivered on Ford's promise of class-leading economy.
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