Excellent points Unit...
My sister had a '90 Ranger that had a Mazda motor and tranny
My mother has a '01 Ranger with a Ford 4.0L
Kinda confusing, I realize, but the old ranger is where I came up with the ranger being a glorified mazda...
My sister's '01 Chevy Trailblazer is an awesome SUV or whatever you wish to call it, 270hp in-line 6 pot! Damn, it's smooth!
As far as the hybrid technology goes, the Ford Escape hybrid due out in 2003 is claimed to get up to 40 mpg with its gas/electric engine.
"For all their benefits, however, hybrids do cost a few thousand dollars more than their gas-only counterparts. While you may be able to recoup that money in fuel savings within 10 years, it's still a big initial investment. And the batteries are guaranteed under warranty for only eight years, at which point customers may have to shell out as much as $2,000 for a replacement.
'People are not willing to pay extra money for fuel economy in the U.S.,' says Rich Marsh, who heads GM's hybrid-truck program. That's why GM plans to market its hybrid Sierra and Siverado pickups, due out in 2004, not on their tiny 2 mpg improvment in fuel consumption but on the benefits of their onboard electric generators and standard outlets for plugging in power tools."
...I just read this in TIME magazine. I would rather see cheaper prices at the pump than electric vehicles with no power. In the article, the author stated that Ford would not let him drive the Escape up the steepest of hills during a test drive.