New 4 Wheel Drive Hybrid

My mom bought herself the new Escape hybrid - she did a lot of research and thought this was the best fit. She lives in Cleveland and they can get as much as 16 inches per snow storm, yet she still needs to get to work. She absolutely loves hers - she was able to get out and about last week after the blizzard. The city had run out of salt, the streets were a mess and she needed to get to my Grandmother's house. She did so no problem. She and my Dad have contests to see who gets the better mileage (her car has a feature that gives the current mpg). My dad is considering trading his Escape in for the hybrid version.

I bought a Honda Civic Hybrid in '03. It was one of the best vehicles I have ever had. Unfortunately, there wasn't a larger version (we have 6 in our family now), and we out grew both of our vehicles. I am going to look for larger hybrids - like the Toyota Highlander Hybrid - and will purchase one of those - the only issue I ever encountered was at the begining, was locating a place for oil changes due to needing 0w or 5w oil. When my battery died once (only once because my interior light was left illuminated all night), I replaced it with a motorcycle battery. The upkeep was extremely managable. I miss it!!

I don't have one, but a gal in my networking group does. She can't say enough good things about it. She LOVES it. She said it does take a bit of getting used to when you're at a stop light, etc. but has nothing negative to say about it at all! It's made me consider getting one and I wasn't even considering it prior to.

E.,
My husband has been in the car industry for over 15 years and we both have driven nearly everything desirable that is out there.
My view is that it's a wonderful thing to support the technology right now, because we need to do that in order for more newer technology to be utilized in our vehicles. The technology, however, has not been perfected, so, what that means is that whatever you choose may not get exactly the mileage that the car company boasts on the sticker.
Your best bet in order of performance and market resale value is the Toyota Prius, Lexus 400h, Honda Insight and then Civic Hybrid. Do Not Buy New. Purchase one of these (pre-owned) for your best price.
Hope this helps.

I have a friend that has a newer hybrid Ford SUV & loves it!!! She loves the size (not too big, but not too small, either) and they get decent fuel milage, too. Hopefully you'll get some other responses, but I think it's worth looking into! :)