It’s all about where you put your keister.
Shiny metal, miles-per-gallon and 0-60 acceleration times will rot if a car is not a comfortable fit, a pleasure to drive, and easy to load. Even hybrids count here: sure you want to save the planet, but few people are willing to suffer a numb bum while doing it. It all goes to the perception of quality, a factor that weighs heavily on hybrids given their swollen sticker prices and dealer markup. If you insist on paying for the latest and greatest, you at least want it to be something like what you pay for, or pretty soon you will just feel ripped off, get bitter, and sell the thing for a Camry. Frankly, all three of these vehicles do an admirable job of making driving –- and using -- a car a pleasant experience. All are easy to climb into and out of, all make the act of loading up stuff a breeze, and two of the three have exemplary fit-and-finish. Guess which two.

It is a shame that Ford has not yet reached the point of bettering, let alone matching, Honda and Toyota in putting things together. Had it improved the gaps and quality of the cabin, this would have been an easy win for the Ford Escape Hybrid. The hot bright light of a side-by-side comparison, however, revealed enough of a difference that the Toyota Prius was able to sneak a win, thanks to the quality of its interior and the spaciousness of its large hatch design. Fact is, the Prius doesn’t give up much on the Escape in terms of actual, usable room. The good thing about the Honda Accord Hybrid is also its weakness: it’s a good –- nae, great –- thing to be an Accord when it comes to convenience and comfort, but it is also not so great when the price trips on $30,000. The reality is that while the Accord is the best car tested in terms of comfort and quality, it gets soundly thumped when put up against the likes of a roomy hatchback and an SUV. Layer on top of that obvious fact its price tag, and you have the surprise of an Accord where convenience is, at best, a secondary selling point.