by Anthony Fongaro - Photos via Ford- 08/11//2022
Plug-in hybrids have been an interesting combination utilizing a gas engine with some electrification. If you’re looking at the compact SUV market, you will see that there are a plethora of these types of vehicles. The upshot of these is that you do get some electric range but you also have a gas engine just in case. When it comes to Ford, its first plug-in was the C-Max. Now, this did come as a plug-in hybrid, but it was a little ugly and didn’t really fit in anywhere. Now, Ford decided to utilize their escape to be a plug-in hybrid. What I wanted to know is why this $43,000 Titanium was so much more than a regular hybrid Escape. Let’s find out!
Looking at the front of the Escape, it is a handsome vehicle. In the front, you have a large silver grill along with headlights that look like they have an almost step-like design. My test car was in Rapid Red Metallic Tinted Clearcoat paint with 18-inch wheels and both the electric port and fuel tank are on the left side. This Titanium model also had a large panoramic sunroof and a slightly sloping rear end towards the rear of the vehicle. As is the trend with every vehicle nowadays, the word Escape is in the middle of the tailgate along with Titanium and Plug-in hybrid badges. The tailgate is electrically operated and it looks like a better-proportioned vehicle than its predecessor.
Although there is a head-up display, I wasn’t a fan because it is a little piece of glass that pops up. It is difficult to get the ideal positioning to see how fast you were going. Along with that, the engine stop-start button is also in a weird position where you have to use your thumb. Thankfully, Ford did separate the climate controls and this vehicle has heated seats along with a heated steering wheel. You also get a rotary shifter along with some buttons that control the different drive modes and modifications to the EV system. One of my complaints about the Escape is that it does not feel like a $43,000 SUV. There are a lot of scratchy materials but the overall build quality is decent. There are also two USBs in front, one USB-A, and one USB-C.
Talking about those different buttons, we have to get to the engine. Under the hood is a 2.5-liter engine with an electric motor producing 221 horsepower/163 kW and 155 lb-ft/200 Nm. Escape Plug-In Hybrids are front-wheel-drive and get from 0-60 mph in 7.7-seconds. You don’t buy this type of vehicle for its straight-line acceleration, instead, you get it for the range and fuel economy. It was indicated that it could do between 45 to 50 miles of pure electric range and sometimes I didn’t use any gasoline during the entire day. If you are running low on electricity, you can use the gasoline engine almost like a generator. There is a very heavy battery which means that cornering isn’t as good as a non-electrified Escape but it does the job although you will have a lot of tires squeal.
On the road, the Escape is pretty quiet and quite comfortable for an Escape. The different drive modes include normal, eco, sport, slippery, and a snow/sand assist. Along with those, you can go between an auto EV mode for normal operation, pure mode, an EV later mode to save the electric energy and EV charge where the battery is charged by the engine. Just remember that when you are in this mode, you go into a pure hybrid mode and your fuel economy will suffer. When I charged the Escape at home, it took well over eight hours to charge. Once you deplete the battery or have to use the engine, it is very loud. What’s funny is the charge port opens by pushing on it, but the gas tank opens with a button in the cabin. Seems weird.
At $43,000, the big question is if you should consider the Escape Plug-In Hybrid. From an exterior design standpoint along with the fuel economy, I would say yes. The interior qualities are a little lower in vehicles such as the Mazda CX-5 does have a more luxurious feeling interior. Plug-In Hybrids are always more expensive than their regular gasoline counterpoints, and the regular hybrid costs a whopping $5,000 less. Other Escape models have turbocharged engines and available all-wheel-drive. Those engines are quicker than the PHEV but get significantly less range and fuel economy.
Driving on the road, you have the full safety suite and it is very easy to use utilizing one to two different button pushes. There are some other plug-in hybrids out, but they don’t seem to prioritize that electric range compared to performance. This may not be a fast SUV, but it definitely is one that does the job. Charging itself is not the worst, taking about two hours to get it from halfway to fully full at a 240-volt charger. As more plug-in hybrids are produced, the Escape plug-in hybrid will have steep competition but is a good combination of range and comfort.
It may have a steep price tag, but that is the sacrifice that most buyers have to understand when they buy plug-in hybrids. If you’re a fan of the Escape and you want to be able to have almost full-electric driving, then I would take a look at the Ford Escape plug-in hybrid in SEL trim. It has almost all of the same features at $39,000. With a great electric range, the Escape can be an SUV that you never have to use gas.
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