Now that you have all had a little time to digest the news of the three new four-cylinder engines coming to the 2013 Ford Escape, we thought we would also point out the lack of a fourth four-cylinder – the gas-electric Escape Hybrid.
As many had speculated before, it appears as part of Ford’s overall strategy to electrify its North American offerings, namely the C-Max Hybrid and C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid, there will be no room for an Escape Hybrid in the future product mix.
While this may come as a surprise to some given the Escape Hybrid’s relatively high popularity, Ford is counting on the fact that the C-Max Hybrid will boast at least 25 percent better fuel economy as the outgoing Escape Hybrid to keep its customers content. Sure, the C-Max is a similarly-sized crossover, but will customers see it as a direct and, more importantly, viable replacement? Only time in the market will tell.
For now, we know we can expect a turbocharged (EcoBoosted if you prefer) Escape (1.6-liter version) with similar power and “better” fuel economy than the 31 miles per gallon of the outgoing Escape Hybrid, as well as a slightly differently packaged C-Max Hybrid boasting at least 39 miles per gallon.
