Ford must be using voodoo in its product planning. It's the only way to explain the extraordinary good fortune surrounding the launch of the new Escape Hybrid.
For a start, there's an oil crisis and "gas" prices are higher than they've been in decades. Secondly, Toyota and Honda have done all the hard work in proving the Hybrid concept isn't bogus, thus leaving America ready to embrace the technology in a more conventional, less "look-at-me-I-love-the-planet" type of vehicle.
Finally, the doomsday movie, The Day After Tomorrow, has just scared the bejesus out of even more people, with the end result that over 50,000 people have signed up on the car's website wanting to know where they can post their cheques.
But is the Escape Hybrid worthy of the hype? Is it worth the cost of $3,300 more than the equivalent conventional petrol model?
It all depends on your perspective. From a European viewpoint, hybrids hardly seem worth the effort, because on the open road the latest common-rail diesels are as economical and almost as clean as any of these half-electric-half-petrol cars. Not only that, the newest diesels offer performance and refinement equal to or better than petrol cars. And, best of all, diesel is much cheaper than petrol and diesel cars drawlower emission taxes in most European countries.
So it's game, set and match to "diesel engine road vehicles" - DERVs, as they're called.
In the US, it's a completely different situation. Diesel is the same price as petrol so there's little incentive for people to drive something the neighbours will scoff at for being smelly and agricultural.
In the short term, the supply of diesel cars would have to come from Europe, making them more expensive. Besides, the refuelling infrastructure isn't in place to support a major switch to diesel yet: many US city-centre petrol stations don't even have diesel pumps.
Hybrids, on the other hand, are driven by celebrities, which is the only endorsement that's required over here. Not only do hybrids produce considerably less pollutants than petrol - or diesel - cars, they are outrageously well suited to a country choking on its own automotive over-indulgence. They run silently and cleanly on battery power in stop-go traffic. Therefore, the worse the congestion, the cleaner it is. Now tell me there's no magic involved in that!
The Escape, on sale for four years now, has just been given a mid-life spruce up by Ford to coincide with the launch of the hybrid version. The Escape isn't sold in Ireland, probably because its smallest engine is a 2.3-litre, but it's sold in Britain as the Maverick and we do get its Mazda sibling, the Tribute.
These cars are classed as small SUVs in the US, and the Escape is the best seller in this segment. Smaller trucks make up the fastest-growing vehicle segment in the US at the moment as America tries to wean itself off large SUVs by driving these smaller, lighter 4X4s.
The Escape is a fairly good-looking car with chunky styling and fuss-free detailing, but it's not exactly a head-turner. The interior is functional and well screwed together, but the design and the plastics aren't terribly inviting. That said, everything you'd need is in there, and there's great visibility from the tall driving position.
Turning the key is a strangely anti-climactic affair. It feels just like any four-cylinder car which, to be fair, is what Ford was going for. There are no digital graphs or LCD light-shows to pat you on the back for being environmentally conscious.
A small dial, similar to a fuel-gauge, tells you when you're recharging or draining the batteries - and a green block below the "1" on the rev-counter, indicates the rather obvious fact that the engine has gone for a nap.
Otherwise, it's just a regular Escape. Slot the transmission lever into D, step on the pedal and it pulls away cleanly, the combination of engine, electric motor and clever CVT transmission making the absolute most of its 155 bhp.
It's no ball of fire, but it certainly feels perkier than you'd expect, given its 1,650 kg weight. 4WD, if you order it, adds another 75 kg.
Leaving its hybridness to one side for a while, this is also my first drive a Ford Escape. I'm surprised by how roomy it is inside, especially in the rear. I'm also surprised by how noisy it is, but I've a feeling some of the heavy soundproofing has been changed to offset the 90-odd kg the batteries weigh.
Despite the road and engine noise, it's not a bad cruiser. The handling won't have Lotus engineers tossing in their beds all night, but it steers and stops with reasonable accuracy.
It's not until you get to town that its planet-saving alter ego emerges, shutting down the engine once you come to a complete stop, more-or-less parking you in traffic. Once the lights turn green, you step on the accelerator and the Escape pulls silently away under electric power (I hope Ford's lawyers are ready for the pedestrian law-suits). It remains thus propelled until you reach 25 mph or so, when the petrol engine cranks into life once more and seamlessly adds its muscle.
If you need to take off in a hurry, the engine starts up immediately to give you maximum acceleration. You need do no more than stamp on the accelerator.
Even when in electric mode, it still creeps forward when you take your foot off the brake, just like a regular automatic.
A couple of things struck me as downright bizarre. The air-conditioning compressor is powered by the petrol engine instead of having its own electric compressor - this means it uses more fuel. When the car shuts down in traffic, the vents don't blow cold air any more. Considering how hot and humid much of the US can get, this is a rather substantial demerit.
A trip computer isn't standard either, meaning you can't play the same MPG games on the daily commute as you can in other hybrids. Also, its ride around town, the hybrid's supposed natural habitat, could be a bit smoother and more refined.
Despite these shortcomings, the Escape Hybrid will, I think, be the vehicle that propels hybrid technology into everyday life in the US. It's not conspicuously eco-friendly like, say, the Honda Insight or Toyota Prius. It's a reliable, well-liked, small SUV that's practical, spacious and blends right in.
Most importantly, its hybrid system is comprehensively engineered and goes about doing its bit for the planet - and the family budget - without making any kind of a fuss, which is the way any good technology should work.
It's well worth the couple of thousand dollars more it costs, especially considering it can do almost 50 mpg around town, double the popular V6 Escape, and is eligible for federal and state grants that can cover much of the extra cost.
Besides, driving something with this much good fortune associated with it can't do you any harm either, right?