The two front speakers are in the doors, which is not exactly the optimal placement.Īlso due to the navigation system's use of the in-dash CD slot, the six-CD magazine for audio CDs in the 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid is under the passenger seat, a seemingly unnecessary concession. ![]() Most important, few audiophiles would be impressed with the sound, which is average at best and uses only four speakers. Our test car's navigation-system option package ($1,995) also included the Audiophile audio system, which left us cold for a number of reasons. The Escape Hybrid's built-in inverter allows for an AC power outlet. The rear seat does split 60/40 for some cargo versatility, and total storage capacity is unchanged compared with that of the regular Escape, thanks to the placement of the 330-volt, nickel-metal-hydride sealed-battery pack under the load floor. The standard cloth interior (leather seating surfaces are optional) was satisfactory, but the rest of the cabin seemed relatively cheap. Dedicated buttons for home and current location were welcome touches, but finding mapped landmarks and services required a fair of amount of menu diving.Īt our 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid's $30,000-plus as-tested price, we expected better materials inside. View options are limited to zooming in and out, and we wished for zoom levels between those offered, as getting an idea of one's surroundings using the map was made harder by the small screen. Overall, this is a decent option for those with only a few larger dogs or a larger number of smaller dogs if you don’t need the more high-end interior styling found in some other small SUVs.The basic features of the 2006 Ford Escape Hybrid's navigation system work well enough, with GPS acquisition happening quickly and most route calculations taking just seconds. The distance between the wheel wells does mean putting two larger crates side by side might not be possible (most 36″ crates are 24″ wide with SUV-style crates still being 21″ wide), however. The Escape definitely doesn’t have the bells and whistles of other similar vehicles, but it’ll certainly get the job done! With the second row of seats up, you should be able to fit smaller crates in the cargo area, and with that row down, the cargo space is quite flexible and generous for a small vehicle. The seats did fold flat as I mentioned earlier *and* they were very easy to fold – no complicated series of handles and latches here! There is a small light above the cargo area which is great for late night or early morning packing and unpacking. The glass in the hatch opens independently, allowing you to increase air circulation in the vehicle even with the hatch locked. ![]() The Escape, for all of its workhorse styling, does have some nice features. MPG highway: 26 mpg (this was a 2WD model) Width between wheel wells (narrowest part of the vehicle) : 40.5″Ĭargo depth with both rows up: 32.75″ on the floor, 23″ deep at the narrowest point (seat back 20″ above floor level)Ĭargo depth with the second row down: 57.5″ It struck me much more as a basic, no frills vehicle, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing when you’re looking for something that can stand up to use as a dog hauler. Lots of plastic, the carpeting in the back cargo area was very cheap feeling and not well secured, and the dash seemed very light on any bells and whistles. ![]() ![]() Well, it has similar dimensions to most of the smaller SUVs out there, and the seats DO fold flat (yay!), but overall it seemed a lot lower quality inside when compared to similar imports. (not my photo, found via Google Image search)
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