Behind the wheel
Inside, there’s nothing really new to report about. Granted, you have to wait a few seconds before the built-in computer springs to life.
Gently depress the throttle and the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid will move along quietly and with surprising enthusiasm, courtesy of its high-torque electric motor. During our test drive, a reckless pedestrian who decided to ignore a red light never heard the vehicle coming and almost got hit.
With regard to handling, braking and overall road manners, this short stint in the streets of Montreal wasn’t enough to draw solid conclusions, but from what we saw, the difference between our tester and the everyday Ford Escape is quite negligible if not totally absent.
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| The Plug-In Hybrid merely adds a couple of lithium-ion batteries that can be charged directly from any power outlet at home. |
We still don’t know how the new Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid will be priced upon its 2012 market release, but we do know that the annual costs of charging the battery for most drivers travelling 18,000 kilometres a year will hover around $250 -- as opposed to $1,300 of gas.
Of course, we’ll also have to wait for the results of the practical tests. In the meantime, one thing’s for sure: Ford effectively whetted our appetite and I personally look forward to trying it out extensively.
photo:Matthieu Lambert, Ford
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