Letters to the Editor
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Talk about pointless contests
The Ford Explorer Hybrid and the Prius are not even in the same category of car -- why compare their sales numbers? Why not tally Mini-Coopers to cement trucks I'm sure there is a shocking juxtaposition of numbers there.
I have nothing against the Prius -- other than it is butt ugly -- but the work I ask of my Escape '08 Hybrid would render the venerable Prius into a heap of junk in no time -- and that is assuming you could even get it up (and down) the off-road trails I use. The Escape is a damn fine car for quality, drivability, looks, and it can go off-road and has decent cargo carrying. Ford got it right but they didn't intend it to displace Prius sales.
Dig up the story of Manhattan and SF using the Escape Hybrids as taxi cabs. Want to try that with a Prius?
Speaking of sales -- both Prius and Escape have waiting lists. Ford's sales are limited by production as are Toyota's, otherwise you would see tons of inventory around. Go to the dealership to see how many they have and you will see they just ain't there. Last year the story was availability of batteries; I'm not sure that is still the case.
As for the 100MPG -- there are startup companies that have kits to turn a Escape Hybrid from a 32MPG car (which is what I get) to a 100MPG car by converting from NMH batteries to Lithium-Ion batteries. Ford is experimenting with these as well. Currently the price will set you back north of $30K for the conversion so i would say it isn't worth it. I'm sure they can get even more out of the Prius but then again it is only 60% of the metal.