FFord produces an assortment of people-hauling SUVs conformed as truck-based sport-utility vehicles plus car-based crossover wagons and a minivan.

For 2005, a new five-door crossover wagon emerges under the name of Freestyle, a word that begins in the letter 'F' to conform to new car-like Ford products such as the Freestar minivan.

Truck-based SUVs from Ford fit in three different size categories and have monikers that start with the letter 'E' -- Explorer, Expedition, Excursion.
From the Escape compact-class SUV Ford spins off the Escape Hybrid, the world's first hybrid electric sport-utility vehicle.

Ford's front-wheel-drive (FWD) crossover wagon foregoes the body-on-frame structure of a truck-based SUV in favor of a monocoque platform that unites chassis and body in a cohesive unit that's rigid in motion. Easy-to-handle driving traits mimic a sedan, but boxy exterior styling works as a wagon. Optional all-wheel-drive (AWD) traction brings tire grip on paved roads as well as dirt trails. Escape's 2005 issues merit a facelift with new exterior styling evident, upgrades for appointments in the five-seat cabin and improvements in powertrains. There are now ten equipment configurations sprinkled in trims segmented to XLS, XLT and Limited.

One new package -- XLS Blast -- puts 16-inch aluminum wheels on the ground and a six-disc CD changer in the dash. A new 2.3-liter four-cylinder base engine pushes 153 hp. For Escape XLT and Limited, the power increases with a 201-horse 3.0-liter V6 connecting to a four-speed automatic transmission. Also new is the optional AWD system, now with computer intelligence and more fuel-efficient operation. Anti-lock brakes (ABS) appear on all 2005 trims. The Escape adds a new optional safety package with front-seat side air bags plus curtain-style air bags above side windows.

Read our Review: Ford Escape

The compact-class Escape crossover wagon spawns a new fuel-efficient hybrid electric vehicle (HEV) for 2005 labeled, logically, Escape Hybrid. The HEV version resembles a conventional Escape, although powertrains differ. For the HEV there's a thrifty 2.3-liter four-cylinder engine aboard that operates on gasoline plus a battery-powered electric traction motor of permanent-magnet design. The electric motor is capable of propelling the wagon by itself, or it can work in concert with the gasoline engine to deliver a power boost that approximates the kick of a V6 pushing 200 hp.

Ford adds an electronic control module to manage all energy produced by the two plants and apply it directly to the front wheels -- or to all four wheels for the optional AWD version -- in infinitely variable measures through an electronically-controlled continuously variable transmission (CVT). Fuel economy figures rise to 40 mpg and above for running on city streets, and the reduced emissions qualify the HEV for stringent Advanced Technology Partial Zero Emissions Vehicle (AT-PZEV) standards. Adding AWD traction trims fuel economy numbers on Escape Hybrid, but not by much. (CONTINUED...)