Here's my ride. '08 Ford Escape Hybrid. No, the pics aren't mine but it might as well be one and the same.
Bought her used in '10 with like 24K miles on it. Now have about 77K, so that's an average of just under 9K/yr.
Gets a reliable 30 mpg on 87 octane, and goes into hybrid mode when the revs/speed is down to some point. In any case I've never been able to tell when one stops or the other takes over, with the rare exception of pulling up at a stop and then the combustion engine quits. That took some getting used to as I thought the car had died.
Haven't had any mechanical problems at all. No breakdowns, no won't start issues. And the AWD handles like a champ in snow. I once literally blazed a trail in like 9" deep snow coming off my steep hill one winter, and I didn't even have snow/studded tires. Very impressive performance.
Still have on the original tires and they may indeed go another season or two. Not even close to the wear bars yet. Very impressed with these tires and will replace with the identical model when the time comes.
I've normally changed cars every 5-6 years or so with a few exceptions, but right now I'm so sold on this Escape that I don't plan to part with it anytime soon. In fact a guy on another forum who works for Ford said that the Hybrids routinely go 200K without any major issues and are used by cabbies in NYC.
Never thought I'd be a Hybrid fan since I don't particularly like the Prius, but that's more of a style thing. Guess they get like 50+ mpg, which is not to be sneezed at. Yet to me they're butt-ugly. And feminine!
Oddly enough, in my past Fords weren't particularly highly regarded..(their cars anyways not their trucks). Used to have several acronyms back in the70's/'80's like-
Found
On
Road
Dead
Fix
Or
Repair
Daily
I've lots of respect for Ford trucks. Had a late '70's F150 for a short time, and seriously considered another one around the time I got in the '08 Escape. If I was in the market for a pick-um-up truck that would be my first choice hands down.
As it is I'm well satisfied with the Escape. Too bad they discontinued the Hybrids, and the current styling doesn't appeal.
Cheers,
RR