2012 Ford Escape Hybrid Trims and Specs

Fuel efficient, yet peppy enough around town, the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid Base offers the traditional plethora of standard features, as well as a handsome profile and 66.1 cubic feet of total cargo area. This 5-place compact hybrid crossover again boasts 16-inch alloy wheels and a roof rack outside, with premium cloth upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat, full power accessories, and a leather-wrapped steering wheel mounting audio and cruise controls all adorning the inside. Tilt-wheel steering and an auto-dimming rear-view mirror remain standard, as do dual-zone climate control and Ford’s ballyhooed Sync/Bluetooth voice-activated infotainment system. Of course, a single-CD player with 6 speakers is once again delivered and remains bolstered by satellite radio, auxiliary iPhone integration and a USB port.

The more tempting options available to this base hybrid crossover trim include a power sunroof, upgraded 16-inch wheels, hard-drive-based navigation, remote engine start, rear-seat DVD entertainment and a 7-speaker premium audio upgrade.

A 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder (I4) gasoline-powered hybrid engine, meantime, mates with a 70-kilowatt electric motor and the standard continuously variable transmission to pump out a total of 177 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. Regenerative braking helps keep the nickel-metal hydride battery juiced up so this compact crossover can get along at up to 25 mph on electric power alone. The Escape Hybrid Base, delivered in the standard front-wheel-drive (FWD) configuration, is estimated at 34 mpg city/31 highway, numbers that are again enhanced through auto engine stop/start technology.

Standard safety features aboard this latest (and last) Escape Hybrid Base, meanwhile, remain 4-wheel antilock brakes (front disc, rear drum), traction and stability control, front side-mounted airbags, and front and rear head airbags. Front fog/driving lights also come standard, as do dusk-sensing headlights, MyKey programmable speed and audio settings, and a post-collision safety system that’s complemented by Sync post-crash safety alerts. Security is once more enhanced by a passive antitheft alarm.

Add full-time all-wheel-drive capabilities to Ford’s fuel-miserly 2012 Escape Hybrid Base to get the Escape Hybrid 4WD. This 5-passenger compact crossover cruises in front-wheel drive, while a dedicated electric motor is utilized to send some added torque to the rear wheels when conditions warrant. It also, apparently, allows Ford to get away with slapping a four-wheel-drive (4WD) label on its smallest crossover.

Not only traction-heavy, this base Escape Hybrid 4WD trim again flaunts 66.1 cubic feet of total cargo area, along with 16-inch alloy wheels, a roof rack, premium cloth upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and, of course, full power accessories. Additionally, cruise control comes standard, as do dual-zone climate control, an auto-dimming rear-view mirror and a tilting leather-wrapped steering wheel mounting cruise and audio controls. Tech-wise, Ford’s touted Sync infotainment system and Bluetooth hands-free technology combine with a single-CD player with 6 speakers, satellite radio, an auxiliary iPhone interface and a USB port for easy listening and voice-activated communications.

Options, meanwhile, remain a power sunroof, upgraded premium audio with 9 speakers, remote engine start, rear-seat DVD entertainment, a hard-drive-based navigation system and upgraded 16-inch wheels.

A 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder (I4) gas/hybrid engine, combined with a duo of electric motors, gives the 2012 Escape Hybrid Base 4WD its go. These components are once again managed by the standard continuously variable transmission (CVT) to put out 177 total hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. Engine auto start/stop technology, meanwhile, helps keep mileage at an estimated 30 mpg city/27 highway, while brake regeneration assists the I4 in maintaining enough of a charge in the electric motors to accelerate this cute-ute up to 25 mph on electric power alone. The electrically driven AWD system, finally, puts the extra electric motor to work diverting added torque from front wheels to all four when surfaces start to get sloppy.

Again for this year, notable standard safety features include front-disc/rear-drum 4-wheel antilock brakes (ABS), as well as traction and stability control, front side-mounted airbags, and front and rear head airbags. Additional standard safety equipment includes Ford’s handy MyKey programmable speed and audio levels, front fog/driving lights, a post-collision safety system bolstered by SYNC post-crash alerts and a passive antitheft alarm.

Need a high-end hybrid compact crossover for an eco-friendly and fuel-miserly commute? Check out the 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited. This flagship trim seats 5 passengers amid leather-trimmed upholstery, heated front seats, a 6-way power-adjustable driver’s seat and a tilt-adjustable leather-trimmed steering wheel mounting audio and cruise controls. A standard roof rack, heated power-adjustable mirrors, 16-inch alloy wheels and a power sunroof endow the handsome profile, while dual-zone auto climate control, full power accessories, a universal remote garage door opener, rear parking sensors and a rear-view camera adorn the cabin.

Entertainment, meantime, consists of a single-CD player with 6 speakers, satellite radio, auxiliary iPhone interface and a USB port, all managed by Ford’s touted Sync infotainment system and further complemented by Bluetooth hands-free communications.

Remote engine start remains available to the top-shelf Escape Hybrid Limited, as do hard-drive-based navigation, a premium 7-speaker audio upgrade, rear-seat DVD entertainment and Ford’s well-wrought Active Parking Assist feature that conveniently parallel-parks this compact crossover with the push of a button.

Doing the grunt work aboard Ford’s high-end hybrid mini-ute is a 2.5-liter gas-powered inline 4-cylinder (I4) powerplant that mates with a 70-kilowatt electric motor and a continuously variable transmission (CVT) for a total of 177 hp and 136 lb-ft of torque. Regenerative braking mates with the four-banger to keep the nickel-metal hydride battery potent enough to power the Escape Hybrid Limited up to 25 mph for short distances, while mileage in this front-wheel-drive-only (FWD) version is estimated at 34 mpg city/31 highway with auto engine stop/start capability.

Finally, noteworthy standard safety equipment aboard the eco-friendly Escape Hybrid Limited includes 4-wheel antilock brakes (front disc, rear drum), traction and stability control, front and rear head airbags, and front side-mounted airbags. Further standard safety features include front fog/driving lights, dusk-sensing headlights, MyKey programmable speed and audio settings, and a post-collision safety system backed by Sync automated post-crash alerts. Finally, a passive antitheft alarm again contributes its share to owner security.

The flagship 2012 Ford Escape Hybrid Limited 4WD compact crossover offers not only brains and beauty, but some brawny traction with its electric-driven all-wheel-/four-wheel-drive (AWD/4WD) capability. The all-wheel-drive system allows this top-shelf hybrid mini-ute to cruise in front-wheel drive (FWD), with a dedicated electric motor kicking added torque to the rear wheels when extra traction is needed.

In addition to the expected 66.1 cubic feet of total cargo space, this high-end 5-passenger hybrid mini-ute boasts 16-inch alloy wheels, a power sunroof, heated power-adjustable mirrors and a roof rack adorning its handsome profile. Meantime, heated front seats, leather-trimmed upholstery, a power-adjustable driver’s seat and a tilt-adjustable leather-wrapped steering wheel mounting audio and cruise controls only scratch the surface of this flagship trim’s interior endowments. A universal remote garage door opener graces the Escape Hybrid Limited 4WD, as do a rear-view camera, rear parking sensors and Sync/Bluetooth voice-activated infotainment and communications technology. Finally, a single-CD player with 6 speakers is complemented by satellite radio, auxiliary iPhone interface and a USB port.

Options, meanwhile, include Active Parking Assist for those tired of bumper-challenging parallel-parking maneuvers, as well as rear-seat DVD entertainment, remote engine start and a 9-speaker premium audio upgrade.

For 2012, the Escape Hybrid Limited 4WD is again powered by a combination of a 2.5-liter inline 4-cylinder (I4) gasoline engine and a pair of 70-kilowatt electric motors, one for engine boost and the other engaged in diverting torque to the rear wheels when necessary. Both motors help to power accessories when the auto engine stop/start capabilities are engaged. Regenerative braking, of course, helps the I4 in recharging the electric motors, and all of the above meshes for an estimated 30 mpg city/27 highway, not to mention the ability to run at up to 25 mph on electric power alone.

Noteworthy standard safety features again consist of 4-wheel antilock brakes (ABS) with front disc and rear drum configuration, as well as traction and stability control, front side-mounted airbags, and front and rear head airbags. Further standard safety equipment includes front fog/driving lights, a post-collision safety system bolstered by SYNC post-crash alerts, and a passive antitheft alarm. Finally, Ford’s touted MyKey programmable speed and audio limiting also remains standard.