I wish Bob would just tell us what happened. I'm so anxious to know the truth, that I'm up at 2:37AM reading this thread.

lcarreau wrote:

KathyW wrote:Poor little Escape - it probably dreams of being a truck with 4WD and skid plates when it grows up. Maybe someday there will also be a truck with 4WD on the market that gets more than 18 mpg on the average. We can all dream.

Sorry, but those are not all 4WD models. I've had two 6 cyl Toyota Tacomas - access cab models with 4WD & automatic transmission - a 2006 and 2010 - and the reported combined mpg is 18 mpg (the reported and actual are close). The 2012 model is also reported at 18 mpg combined. I guess you could go with less than 6 cyl on a small truck and get higher mpg, but that would suck with how heavy the small trucks have become. There is the Chevy Silverado Hybrid, but that comes with a really high price tag.

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSea ... 0&maxmpg=0

By the way, I had a 2003 Ford Ranger - 4WD, 6 cyl, automatic. The combined gas mileage on that one was 15 mpg.