Not every sport utility vehicle is a gas guzzler.

Take the 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid SUV — with new standard safety equipment, an improved ride, more power and new features. It has a higher fuel economy rating than some cars, including diminutive minis and non-hybrid Toyota Camry sedans.

The newly refreshed Escape Hybrid stays atop all other SUVs with a federal government rating of 34 miles per gallon in city driving and 30 mpg on the highway for a two-wheel-drive model. City mileage is higher because the fuel-saving electric motor assist can be activated more often in city driving than on the highway.

The gasoline-electric version of Escape is the top of the line, with a starting manufacturer’s suggested retail price, including destination charge, of $29,000 for a two-wheel-drive base model. A 2009 Escape Hybrid with four-wheel-drive starts at $30,750 and is rated at 29/27 mpg.

The gasoline-electric versions of Escape are much pricier than the gasoline-only Escapes, which have a starting MSRP, including destination charge, of $20,410 with manual transmission.

But with regular gasoline selling for more than $4 a gallon nationwide these days, a $60 fill-up of the 15-gallon tank might last for some 500 city miles in the Escape Hybrid vs. just 300 miles in a comparable gasoline-only Escape.

The Escape Hybrid works like most other hybrids — supplementing the four-cylinder gasoline engine with an electric motor for low-speed all-electric-power driving. Acceleration is satisfying when the electric motor helps propel the vehicle, because torque from electric motors comes on instantaneously.

For 2009, the Escape’s inline Duratec four cylinder is larger than ever — 2.5 liters, instead of last year’s 2.3 liters. It has variable valve timing, too, for the first time. The continuously variable transmission, with infinitely variable gearing to maximize fuel mileage, is carried over as the only tranny for the Escape Hybrid. Drivers operate it as they would a regular automatic transmission.

The improved horsepower — 177 compared with 155 in the 2008 Escape Hybrid — is the highest ever for this SUV hybrid. Yet, despite the power gain, which makes the 2009 Escape Hybrid feel peppier, there’s no loss in fuel mileage from 2008.

Make sure to see the Escape’s new gas cap. It does away with screw-on caps that drivers tend to leave behind at service stations and instead self-seals the gas filler opening. Ford officials intend to roll this feature out to other company vehicles in the coming years.

The test Escape Hybrid was a new Limited model with top-of-the-line trim. It included everything from leather-trimmed seats, power moonroof, chrome accents outside and attractive, 16-inch wheels and tires. It starts at more than $30,000.

I liked the size of the Escape Hybrid. Like the gasoline-only Escapes, it stretches 14.5 feet long and is neither too small nor too big for ferrying families, hauling luggage and fitting into curbside parking spots.

The Escape Hybrid has long been very quiet inside when it’s sitting at a stoplight or in a schoolyard, waiting to pick up passengers. That’s when the gas engine automatically turns itself off to save fuel. It automatically starts up when the driver lets up on the brake pedal and starts to press the gas.

But the Escape Hybrid ride now is quieter when the gas engine is working, too, though I could still hear some four-cylinder buzziness in highway travel.

Especially impressive was the fact the test SUV had smooth transitions between electric power and gas engine power, thanks to a new engine processor. I didn’t experience any of the stumbling, almost-going-to-stall feeling that some gas-electric hybrids have in these situations.

The Escape Hybrid has twins in the Mariner Hybrid and Mazda Tribute Hybrid, but the Escape is the top seller of the bunch.

2009 Ford Escape Hybrid

Base price: $28,305 for base 2WD model; $30,055 for 4WD model; $30,635 for Hybrid Limited 2WD; $31,690 for Hybrid Limited 4WD

As tested: $35,425

Type: Front-engine, 4WD, five-passenger, compact sport utility vehicle

Engine: 2.5-liter, double overhead cam, Duratec, Atkinson Cycle four-cylinder mated to an electric motor

Mileage: 29 mpg (city), 27 mpg (highway)

Built in: Claycomo, Mo.

Options: Navigation and audiophile system $2,695; side step bars $345