Missouri Mule

My 2003 Escape got about 20-21 overall and the lowest I ever got was about 18 mpg and that would have been virtually all city driving over a long period of time where I didn't do much driving. My new 2006 Hybrid gets right at 30 mpg overall for a 50% improvement. The fuel mileage in the regular V6 is not that great which somewhat suprised me. But then again, no SUV gets real good mileage. It is probably the wind drag. Even a Jeep Liberty with the diesel gets lousy mileage.

Very impressive post. I concur completely with your comments about the 500. I have driven it three times and I agree with the power. It is plenty for that market segment. I think it is also beautiful, and I've seen a bunch of them where I live in Texas. I think the Crown Vic has run its course and the Ranger is badly in need of an overhaul. I personally own a 2005 F-150 which I love each time I use it and my new 2006 Escape Hybrid which is my second Escape. Ford is making some mighty good products. They just need to get the customers into to drive these vehicles.

I've thought for some time that GM has no real choice but to go Chapter 11. It will do so to shed its legacy costs. But that brings with it a bigger risk to Ford in that in so doing it will give the GM coming out of Chapter 11 a competitive advantage to Ford which will still have the legacy costs. The government will not bail out GM. There's no money in the kitty. GM doesn't have the product line. They can't sell them. They put all their eggs in the SUV/Truck market. $3.50 a gallon and they are DOA. GM is probably worth more dead than alive. The best plan for Ford would be for GM to simply liquidate the company sell off its assets, real estate and everything and distribute the money to the shareholders and employees. At that point Ford would be in the driver's seat because by default Ford would inherit all of the loyal American domestic buyers such as myself with two new Fords in my garage. Ford has the product, the goodwill, and will have the market to itself (for the domestic market) and could remake itself into the premier American company in future years. But GM has to liquidate first. A Chapter 11 and reorganization and a smaller GM coming out with legacy costs gone puts Ford into the worst possible situation. Then it is Ford against GM with lower costs of $1500 per vehicle and Toyota. That's a "lose-lose" situation. Better hope for liquidation of GM.

I can confirm that it will achieve its stated mileage. I am well pleased with my 2006 Escape Hybrid.

This subject was discussed on the "News Hour" on PBS tonight with Jim Lehrer. The bottom line problem appeared to be the jobs bank issue. I tend to agree. The "legacy" costs can be absorbed over time but not paying people for not working. That is unique to the auto industry and may well be its undoing.

I really don't understand why this is a problem. My 2005 with the V6 has no vibration; never has had. I put a custom hitch receiver on it and had to relocate the damper but it still has no vibration. I'm surprised that the engineers haven't figured this one out. Seems they could put it into a similator to isolate and remedy the problem. All of this other stuff done seems to be strictly amateur guess and replace nonsense.

I don't get the new RAV4. It isn't particularly good looking in my opinion and C&D's "observed" gas mileage is only 16 mpg. What's the market for an ugly SUV with lousy gas mileage? If this didn't have a Toyota badge on it, I don't think they could give them away. But that's just me.