Pricing set for hybrid Escape SUV

DETROIT - Ford Motor's new Escape Hybrid sport utility vehicle, with an electric motor to help its engine wring twice as many miles from a gallon of gasoline, will cost at least $3,300 more than a standard Escape SUV, the automaker said Monday.

The front-wheel drive model of the 2005 Escape Hybrid, which gets an estimated 35 to 40 miles per gallon and goes on sale late this summer, will be $26,970,. The four-wheel drive model will be $28,595. Both prices include destination and delivery charges of $590.

The vehicle is Ford’s first hybrid, and the first hybrid SUV on the market. The manufacturers suggested retail price of the Escape Hybrid will be between $3,300 to $3,425 above the price of a comparably equipped Escape XLT model with a V-6 engine.

$1,500 federal deduction

Available & upcoming hybrids DaimlerChrysler Diesel-electric Dodge Ram: Pickup gets 15 percent mileage boost. 2008: Dodge Durango SUV with 25 percent mileage improvement. Ford Escape Hybrid: SUV rated at 36 in city driving with two-wheel-drive model, nearly double that of the gas-only Escape. Highway driving rated at 31 mpg. Mercury Mariner SUV: 33 mpg in the city, 29 on the highway. 2007: Mazda Tribute SUV, no mileage data yet. 2008: Ford Fusion and Mercury Milan sedans, no mileage data yet. General Motors GMC Sierra/Chevrolet Silverado: 2WD models get 18 mpg city, 21 mpg highway for an increase of 10-12 percent over gasoline siblings. Saturn Vue: SUV rated at 27 mpg in city and 32 mpg highway — a 20 percent increase over gasoline sibling. 2007: Saturn Aura sedan, no specs available. Chevy Tahoe, GMC Yukon, up to 35 percent mpg boost. Chevrolet Malibu, 15 percent increase. 2008: Chevy Silverado and GMC Sierra pickups that get up to 35 percent mpg increase. Honda Insight: two-door rated at 56 mpg on highway and in city but discontinued starting in 2007 model year. Civic Hybrid: four-door rated at 51 mpg on highway and 49 mpg in city. Accord Hybrid: rated at 35 mpg on the highway, 29 mpg in the city. Nissan Fall 2006: Hybrid version of midsize Altima. Toyota Prius: Sedan rated at 60 mph in city, 51 mpg on highway. Lexus RX 400h: SUV rated at 31 mpg in city driving, two thirds more than its gas-only RX 330 sibling. Highlander Hybrid: SUV is rated at 32/27 mpg in city/highway driving based on two-wheel-drive model. Lexus GS 450h: Sports sedan rated at 25 mpg in city and 28 mpg highway, along with 339 horsepower. Camry Hybrid: Sedan rated at 40 mpg in city, 38 on highway.

Automakers price hybrids several thousand dollars higher to compensate for the cost of batteries and other components. The recent gasoline price surge has generated interest among U.S. consumers in fuel-efficient hybrid engines, although roomy SUVs remain more popular than smaller cars.

The Escape Hybrid qualifies for various federal and state incentives, including a “clean fuel vehicles” federal tax deduction of $1,500 for 2004 purchases. The deduction was $2,000 for hybrids bought in 2003, and slides to $1,000 in 2005. Some states offer additional tax incentives.

The warranty is three years or 36,000 miles for bumper-to-bumper coverage and eight years or 100,000 miles for the hybrid battery pack.

Crash tests improve
On Sunday, an insurance group said Ford had stiffened the Escape to improve its performance in frontal crash tests, but the small sport utility vehicle still lags rivals.

Interactive Honda hybrid The first gas/electric car sold in the U.S.

The Escape, one of the top-selling small SUVs in the United States, improved its rating to “acceptable” from “marginal” in crash tests done by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety.

Competitors such as Honda's CR-V, Mitsubishi's Outlander and General Motors' Saturn Vue all earned “good” ratings in past frontal crash tests conducted by the IIHS, which is funded by insurance companies.

Fuel economy and tax credit background on hybrids is online at www.fueleconomy.gov.

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