In order to drive the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid we had to take a breathalyzer test administered by a security guard and sign a waiver promising not to sue anyone if the car explodes. This is an interesting requirement given the 10 MPH posted speed limit for the 1/8 mile basement test track. Still, driving indoors is always fun.

The Escape Plug-In Hybrid doesn't feel like other concepts we've driven and, honestly, It isn't fair to call the Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid a concept vehicle since Ford has delivered dozens of these vehicles to utility providers in Southern California for testing. Based on the Ford Escape Hybrid platform, the main difference is the addition of the "plug-in" capability, allowing owners to plug the vehicle into the wall in order to accrue enough juice to drive without using the engine.

As per the rules of the underground track, and probably in light of a desire not to poison anyone, the Escape is set to drive in electric-only mode. Whereas disabling the gasoline drive is a bit misleading on some of the hybrid vehicles on the track, it's appropriate in this case as the plug-in battery provides charge enough to propel the Hybrid 30 to 40 miles sans internal combustion.

Turning the keys on the plug-in is a bit disconcerting as it makes zero noise, forcing us to look over to our passenger to ask him if he thinks the SUV is actually running. It is, so we shift into drive and take off towards the fake woodland path. Unfortunately, around the first turn is a water hazard setup not by the organizers but by the immense amount of snowfall causing gallons of the wet stuff to pour onto the track through a crack in the roof.

Driving the Ford Escape Plug-In is exactly like driving any of Ford's family of hybrid compact SUVs in all-electric mode. In addition to the lack of sound, the electric motor provides surprisingly quick acceleration through the first, well, 10 MPH. Other than the all-electric mode the vehicle is an Escape Hybrid through-and-through. The biggest visual difference is the blue-lit plug on the front left quarterpanel. It's one of the few ways the car hints it is more than a production vehicle.

Ford confirmed it will bring some form of plug-in electric hybrid to market by 2012 and, given the finished product feel of this version, we wouldn't be surprised if it the Escape is what they have in mind.

Ford: Escape Hybrid SUV

Ford CEO Alan Mulally started this trend by first claiming that he'd drive to D.C and, not surprisingly, showed up in a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid. It shows to Congress and the world how Ford, which is in a better financial position than the other two, is making fuel efficient cars people want to buy and already has good hybrid technology. Ford also showed up with a 2009 Ford Flex to, we assume, move staff around.

Chrysler: Aspen Hybrid SUV

Chrysler's Bob Nardelli also drove to Washington, D.C. in a hybrid SUV: the 2009 Chrysler Aspen Hybrid. How does the Aspen Hybrid stack up against the Escape Hybrid? It gets worse gas mileage, it uses mediocre hybrid technology developed in conjunction with GM and is built into a car that's proven to be wildly unpopular.

But don't worry, they've already cancelled it — just four months after starting production. This not only demonstrates the company is unable to build attractive, efficient vehicles. It's another reminder parent company Cerberus is just waiting for Chrysler to get sold off to someone else.

He showed up to the hearing in a JEEP EV, a futuristic electric vehicle that will be a great halo vehicle for whichever company ends up owning Jeep.

General Motors: Chevrolet Volt Mule/Malibu Hybrid

General Motors' man at the helm Rick Wagoner drove to Washington, D.C. in a 2009 Chevy Malibu Hybrid but drove to the Senate hearing in a 2011 Chevy Volt test mule. There was also a Chevy Suburban and Cadillac CTS in the area, perhaps to shuttle executives around when not in front of the camera.

The fact that GM brought two different hybrid vehicles down shows the company is willing to work hard for the money, so hard for the money. The Volt prototype clearly demonstrates they're on the path to creating a mass production hybrid vehicle. The Malibu just shows they're not dumb enough to drive around Washington, D.C. in something unreliable.

The Entourage

Special thanks to STR8SIX for getting these live shots togther. His report below.

I made a short trip into downtown DC this afternoon. I was only able to spend about a half an hour snooping around the senate buildings. I found the Ford Flex and Escape hybrid from the Ford convoy. I also found an Aspen hybrid. Each of the vehicles had a driver sitting in it with the engine running. Unfortunately, I was unable to locate the Chevy Volt mule. One of the security officers said that GM was giving test drives in the Volt and did not know if it would reappear this afternoon. A dark red Cadillac CTS with the engine running was parked in front of the Ford vehicles. That may have been Wagoner's ride back to the hotel.

[Additional Photos From Win McNamee/Getty Images, Ford, Chrysler GM]

Seven "great" reasons to buy a hybrid

• Your old car is busted and you need a new one anyway
• You get a tax break with some hybrids
• Your employer is a hippy and offers hybrid drivers perks
• Hybrids can drive in the high occupancy lanes where you live
• Better mileage than your gas guzzler
• Hedge your bets against gas prices skyrocketing
• Buy a hybrid to send a message to automakers

• You think it will save money right now
• By some delusion, you think a hybrid is cheaper to own
• You think there's no difference in performance against a normal car
• You think you'll get the claimed fuel economy
• By some delusion, you think you'll never have to service it
• You're buying it as a fashion accessory, thus garnering the full vitriol of the Jalopnik community

Experian claims 47% of hybrid buyers choose another car from the same manufacturer, as opposed to 35% of buyers overall. Sounds like good news, but for whom? While the report may seem like a boost for Honda and Toyota — and it no doubt is — there's also a silver lining for GM and Ford. While the General doesn't have the best name recognition on its hybrid lineup, it does have two new hybrid trucks in the market starting second quarter of next year, which potentially could allow them to capitalize on the trend — especially considering over 30% of pickup buyers buy another pickup. That compares to only 25% of hybrid buyers. Similarly, the Ford Escape Hybrid has a following of its own among green-conscious buyers needing more space, arguably leading to the potential for halo sales of additional Ford products — including other SUVs of the non-hybrid variety.

Jalopnik Snap Judgment: Maybe it's not all roses, but there's an opportunity for domestic manufacturers to build a few more sales off hybrid pickup and SUV purchases. Of course, they'll both need to sell more than the token few hundred (in GMs case) or the token few thousand (in the case of Ford). [Detroit News]

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid
For 2009, although virtually unchanged visually (the only distinguishing difference is a deeper chin spoiler) the new Hybrid Escapes see the 2.3L four cylinder engine upgraded to an Atkinson cycle 2.5L for a total of 177 net horsepower. The CVT gets a more aggressive software package and some improved tuning on the hardware side. Also new for '09 is the inclusion of Roll Stability Control and the fancy pants Limited trim.

Change for the Hybrid program for '09 focused on fixing the annoyances from the '08. The brake pedal feel was the biggest offender, it had been sort of a stepped feel, the first inch of travel was like a weak spring, second inch was like pushing through warm butter and the final was like real brakes, it was very disconcerting. Since the braking is done by wire, simulating the brake feel with a vacuum module was the solution and it is much, much improved. Braking feels direct and linear — just like real brakes!
The next little annoyance was the steering — with electric power steering, the on-center feel was about as natural and smooth as Bush delivering the Gettysburg Address. Tuning the amount of assist through software has greatly improved the feel of things.

And then there's the handing. Across the range a rear anti-roll bar has been added and across the range the ass end feels a lot more controllable, far more confident on high speed sweeping corners and through tight apexes alike. So how is the hybrid on the road? Sports car? Far from it, it still understeers like a pig, but that's the safety police for you. The engine note has moved one notch closer to throaty and the additional power is notable in a straight line. The hybrid system is FAR more willing to go into all-electric mode with the new tune, you find the engine shutting off all the time when lifting off the pedal. Engine on is barely even perceptible, like the best tuned automatic transmission in the world gently kicking down a gear.

Overall, the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid contains a lot of touchy-feely improvements. The advances come from driver feel more than anything else, as a result its all very subjective. Regardless, the simulated inputs make this feel just like a real car, and if you didn't have that little leafy badge on the side, you'd be hard pressed to guess it was a hybrid.

2009 Ford Escape V6 4x4
The '08 Ford Escape was a lesson in engineering timing. The 200bhp V6 was forced to live with an outdated and unloved four speed automatic which liked to hunt and peck at gears, making spirited driving mean-spirited. With the 2009 model, both engine and trans get makeovers. The massaged 3.0 liter and gets a whopping 40bhp boost up to 240, but it's also mated to the new 6F35 six speed automatic. That new six speed goes out of its way to make the engine seem like a superstar. Combined with the anti-roll bar in the back, the new Escape V6 is... dare I say it? Kinda fun to drive. With the added power and defeated traction control, you can actually get a little tail happy with this thing.

Combined with an improved and easier to use Sync system and the optional and subscription-based Sirius Travelink, the "do I have to drive it?" idea actually starts to shift to "this isn't half bad". You won't find anyone spouting off about quarter mile times or comparing the styling against anything from Italy, but Ford seems to be making progress on its mini-UV's. It says something to note that we wouldn't be averse to actually spending a week with one. What kind of apostasy is this?

Thanks to this hoon son, who put the Escape in a ditch on the way to "get ice cream," cabinet ministers will have to buy their own vehicles, but still be allowed to claim mileage when using the vehicle for government purposes only. Take that, Canada! Now if only we can get Rep. Slaughter to give back her Lucerne. (h/t Acidic)[CBC]

Suitability Parameters:
Speed Merchants: No
Fashion Victims: Yes
Treehuggers: Yes
Mack Daddies: No
Tuner Crowd: No
Hairdressers: Yes
Penny Pinchers: No
Euro Snobs: No
Working Stiffs: No
Technogeeks: No
Poseurs: Yes
Soccer Moms: Yes
Nascar Dads: No
Golfing Grandparents: Yes

Also Consider:
• Toyota Highlander Hybrid
• Toyota Prius
• Lexus RX400h
• Chevy Tahoe Hybrid
• Saturn VUE Green Line
• Visiting New Orleans to help rebuild houses for lower-middle-class white people

Vitals:
• Manufacturer: Mercury
• Model tested: Mariner Hybrid
• Model year: 2008
• Base Price: $25,765
• Price as Tested: $31,000
• Engine type: 2.3-Liter I4 Electric Hybrid
• Horsepower: 133 (gas) + 94 (electric)
• Torque: 152lb/ft @ 4,250 RPM
• Transmission: Electronic CVT
• Curb Weight: 3,638 lbs
• LxWxH: 174.7" x 71.1" x 68.0"
• Wheelbase: 103.1"
• Tires: P235/70R16
• Drive type: FWD
• 0 - 60 mph: 10.7 Seconds
• 1/4-mile: 17.8 seconds
• EPA Fuel economy city/highway: 34/30
* Jalopnik Average: 26.1
• NHTSA crash test rating: N/A

Also see:

• 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Part One
• 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Part Two

Acceleration:**
You would think that with two propulsion sources this thing would get going a little faster. You'd be wrong. Though acceleration is on par with the V6 model, it's a complete crapshoot on anything but a clean start, thanks to the E-CVT transmission that never manages to predict what you want.

Braking:*
The line about regenerative braking is always "stopping helps you go." More like "stopping helps you go insane." Ignoring the serious effort it takes to slow the thing down, once you do start to stop there's an annoying dull click as you let off the brakes. This isn't to say they're so bad that you'll run over anyone, but the feel is all wrong.

Ride:***
The ride is remarkably smooth for what's supposed to be an SUV. Aware that no one with sense will be taking it off road, the Mariner's suspension is tuned to absorb every pothole and hobo with nary a bump.

Handling:**
Like a girl who offers you sex out of pity, it'll do what you want it to do but in the least enjoyable and most perfunctory way possible. But unlike pity sex, you're not going to brag about driving the Mariner to your friends afterwards.

Gearbox:*
As mentioned above, the continuously variable transmission is less a gearbox and more a complicated way to suck just that much more fun out of driving.

Audio:***
Like the 2008 Ford F-350 SuperDuty, the Mariner features the six-speakers-and-a-subwoofer Audiophile system. Unlike the F-350, the Mariner is so quiet that it is possible to hear your music. Using the standard audio input jack I was able to listen to my iPod through the system as I cruised for Etruscan pottery. The only thing this system is missing is thumb controls for the audio, something a car in this price range needs badly.

Toys:****
In addition to backup sensors, touch screen navigation system and one-touch moonroof, this is a hybrid. Though it doesn't get earth-shattering gas mileage, the hyrbid system is basically one big toy and with the navigation screen you get to watch as power is routed between the engine, motor and wheels. There's also a full 110v electrical output for keeping your iPod charged.

Value:*
When all is said and done, I can't imagine putting down nearly $10,000 over the base price of $21,300 for what is still a Ford Escape. By the time you get around to making up the difference in cost you'll have already sold it or set it on fire for the insurance money.

Overall: **
The Mariner Hybrid is nothing to write home about. You could drive hundreds of miles without realizing that you've been driving at all because little about the car is so offensive or so outstanding as to deserve any notice. There's probably a market for that, but we're not in it.

Also see:

• 2008 Mercury Mariner Hybrid, Part One

I've got to think about something while driving because the Mariner practically drives itself, leaving me free to remark aloud to my passengers about the possibility of converting a large closet to a "coffee and tea nook." Those words actually came out of my mouth: "coffee and tea nook." I'd like to contend that I'm a victim of geography, living in the über gentrified Lakeview neighborhood of Chicago, putting me within a five-minute walk of a specialty cheese shop, an all-independent theatre and a place that sells only cupcakes.

But no one put a gun to my head and said "you're gonna live in a post-war mid-rise apartment building across the street from a kitschy Korean fried chicken place or else." People in my neighborhood don't carry guns. They carry lattes and keys to their Mercury Mariner Hybrids. Seriously. There are at least half-a-dozen of these around, in addition to the hybridized Escapes, Highlanders and Prii.

And I can see why. If you don't like driving but need a vehicle and you're a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design, the Mariner isn't a bad choice. Especially if you care about the environment enough to spend a lot of money to get gas mileage that isn't much better than the stock four-cylinder version. People go a bit far in mocking the smugness of hybrid drivers, but it is hard to argue that this car is doing more for the environment than the people taking a bus or a train to work.

The Mariner is also quite adept at filling all basic yuppie needs. Assuming you live in an urban area (thus the 'u'), the Mariner's backup sensor and small wheelbase combine to make an SUV that is exceedingly easy to parallel park. This was helpful when I had to pull up to the Paint Your Own Pottery place off Lincoln Ave to pick up the mug I had painted a couple of weeks before.

Smooth enough to keep my painted pottery and white truffle oil tofu pizza intact.

There's also the advantage of having an SUV that neither looks nor performs like an SUV. The chrome-toothed grille and mascara'd headlamps femme out any traces of masculinity found on the Escape, but the easy-open hatch and reasonably sized cargo area swallowed a load of organic groceries with ease. The suspension is tuned to absorb the abundant bumps and potholes of the urban environment perfectly, as well as tuning out all of the driving experience.

Unlike the beefier SUV offerings from other automakers, the Mariner Hybrid is a full hybrid with a system similar to the Toyota Prius. This means that it can run under the power of its 94 horsepower electric motor, 133 horsepower 2.3-liter four banger, or a combination of both. In slow city driving this isn't so bad as it is quiet enough to listen to The Buena Vista Social Club on your iPod without the threat of engine noise. Anywhere else the engine and motor switching on-and-off is unnecessarily noisy.

Power is also created through regenerative braking, whereby all the energy needed to get the brake pedal to work is transferred magically to the battery. If you like the feel of brakes that clamp down confidently, look elsewhere. In fact, if you like driving at all, look elsewhere. The stone-colored leather interior with the dual climate control is a reasonably comfortable place to hang out while passing the time between your studio apartment and a screening of a newly cut version of Fritz Lang's Metropolis at the Museum of Contemporary Art. But it's not a good place for someone who enjoys the time between point A and B as much as point A or B.

And that's me. I may have traded some of the punk rock edge I'd once felt was important for a pair of comfortable loafers and a swish looking jacket from Banana Republic, but I haven't lost my passion for driving. That feeling you get when you sit behind the wheel of a new vehicle and set out on the open road. A feeling that is wholly absent in the urban accessory that is the Mariner Hybrid.

FORD DELIVERS FIRST ESCAPE PLUG-IN HYBRID TO SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA EDISON

* First Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid (PHEV) delivered to Southern California Edison as part of unique partnership to advance commercialization of PHEVs
* Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid with lithium-ion battery achieves up to 120 mpg
* Two industries connected through a common fuel, changing the transportation and energy future

ANAHEIM, Calif., Dec. 3 - Ford Motor Company's first demonstration Escape Plug-In Hybrid is ready to roll on California roads. Ford today delivered the first of 20 research PHEVs to Southern California Edison to begin road testing as part of a unique partnership between the automaker and utility.

The Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid, a research vehicle using high voltage, lithium-ion batteries, can deliver up to 120 miles per gallon which would mean far fewer trips to the gas station. The vehicle uses common household current (120 volts) for charging. Full charge of the battery takes six to eight hours. When driven for the first 30 miles following a full charge, the Ford Escape PHEV can achieve up to 120 mpg when driven on surface streets. The vehicle is not range limited by the amount of charge available in the high-voltage lithium-ion battery, because once the charge in the battery has been depleted, the vehicle continues to operate as a fuel efficient, standard Ford Escape Hybrid. The transition is automatic and unnoticeable to the driver.

The delivery comes just five months after Ford and Southern California Edison announced their collaboration to advance the commercialization of plug-ins by exploring the values of new technologies and new business models when the battery is connected to the home and, in time, the electrical grid.

"The electrification of vehicles has sparked significant interest in this country. The delivery of this Ford Escape Plug-In Hybrid research vehicle today represents another step in our development and understanding of the technology and its place in the overall energy picture," said Sue Cischke, senior vice president, Sustainability, Environment and Safety Engineering. "PHEVs are one element of our blueprint for sustainability that includes actions ranging from refinements in gasoline fueled engines and transmissions, to the development of hydrogen fuel cells."

"We are united in a common cause," said Lynda Ziegler, Southern California Edison's senior vice president, Customer Service. "We bring our expertise in energy production, delivery and management, and combine it with Ford's expertise in hybrid technology. Together, we are seeking solutions to address the needs of our shared customers and to ultimately help this nation achieve energy independence and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. "This is not about simply connecting the car to the grid. It's about integrating vehicles and energy storage technologies into the energy system of the future".

The two companies are exploring new business models related to the electrification of vehicles that could help lower the cost of PHEVs to make them more affordable to consumers.

"Although the energy infrastructure is in place, significant challenges remain for widespread adoption of PHEVs," said Cischke. "Cost, durability and reliability issues all need to be addressed before these vehicles can make a significant impact on the global issues of climate change and energy security."

Ford and SCE will jointly conduct testing of the vehicles, some of which may be evaluated in typical customer settings to model overall home and grid values. The testing will provide valuable data related to the durability, reliability and safety of new battery technology. The cost of advanced lithium ion batteries means the technology is currently not economically feasible for widespread vehicle application. [Source: Ford]