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| Ford Escape Hybrid |
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Ford Escape Hybrid
In a more NY-friendly move, Ford organized a five-car run for its Escape Hybrid compact 4x4 to test out the most congested commuter routes into Manhattan. The Route 78 into Holland Tunnel from Jersey City was judged the worst, with one 9.6-mile stretch taking 40 minutes (they should try the M25 near Heathrow on a Monday morning…) and the five petrol-electric Escapes averaged 36.4 mpg - a huge advance on the average SUV's 16.5mpg in urban conditions. Ford also claims that they "gave off virtually zero emissions", as the Escape runs in electric mode in slow stop-start driving at speeds of up to 25mph. Ford is upgrading equipment for the Escape this spring, with heated seats and mirrors, premium leather upholstery, improved sat nav and audio and a moonroof all now on the options list. Sadly, there are no plans to bring the Escape Hybrid (a version of the now-discontinued Maverick we saw over here) over to Europe.
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| Ford Tungsten GT |
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Ford Tungsten GT
The Tungsten GT is a special edition version of Ford's supercar, to come in unique silver paint "bringing out design features and subtleties of the car", says Ford. To be available for the 2006 model-year (from autumn 2005) it celebrates the 40th anniversary of the original GT40's 1-2-3 clean-sweep win at the 1966 Le Mans 24 Hours. There are no plans to offer this model in Europe, but Ford is expected to produce at least one more special commemorative edition version of the GT before it reaches the end of its limited production run.
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