Test Drive: Ford C-Max is eco-licious fun
Ford Motor has gone radical. No, the button-down culture at the No. 2 automaker hasn't been forsaken, but the presence of the 2013 C-Max hybrid in showrooms tells an offbeat tale.
The C-Max, at dealers since September, comes only as a hybrid (no gas-only model), in the manner of Toyota's Prius lineup. And Ford crafted the C-Max to be fun behind the wheel, not a biggie among mainstream hybrids.
Ford also undercut the price of the rival Prius V, and its ads attack the Prius V directly as sluggish, uninspiring, less fuel-efficient and otherwise not up to C-Max levels.?
Yippee, Skippy, that's a lot of groundbreaking going on.
Some see genius in Toyota for making Prius models hybrid-only so that owners can say, "Look at me. I'm green and you're not." Most rival hybrids, to keep costs down, are gas-electric versions of strong-selling gas-only models: Honda Civic hybrid, Ford Fusion hybrid, Buick LaCrosse hybrid, Hyundai Sonata hybrid, even Toyota's own Camry hybrid.
But Ford did a makeover of its factory at Wayne, Mich., so it can switch among regular and electrified vehicles without missing a beat. Same line, same drivetrain attaching points. That cuts costs and makes it possible to do a unique hybrid, such as C-Max, without busting budget.
The Wayne factory also makes the compact Focus and Focus electric.
All very nice, but inconsequential if the car's not good. It is; one of Test Drive's favorite Fords. Why?
• Price. Not cheap, at $25,995 and up, but the Prius rival is $32,760 to start. Relatively speaking, C-Max is a steal. Average out-the-door price of all new cars last month was $30,832, according to TrueCar.com.
• Fun. Drivetrain's responsive. Suspension is tight enough that you don't feel tippy in corners, even though the styling makes C-Max appear top-heavy. Brakes, steering lean toward sporty compared to other hybrids.
• Comfort. Front is roomy enough to feel bigger than a compact. Front seats fit nicely. Controls and instruments are relatively simple.
The back seat's a cast-iron biddy, though. Put some folk back there and drive enough to get their feedback before you buy.
• Styling. Hardly exotic or erotic, but nicely done for a daily driver. Looks less "hybrid-y" than rival Prius V, which is a good thing, in Test Drive's opinion. Looks normal enough that people won't scorn you for wearing your eco credentials on your driveway.
• Refinement. Always an issue with hybrids. Seems impossible to wipe out the traces of vibration that ripple unpleasantly through the car when the gasoline engine restarts. Ford has minimized the issue in C-Max so that you have to be in a cranky mood for it to bother you. And in all hybrids, the shakes are not noticeable if the car's rolling along when the gas engine restarts.
Test Drive thought the C-Max real-world mileage of about 38 mpg was a solid showing, given the Test Drive motoring style and conditions. But we see that Consumer Reports ripped the vehicle for falling short in CR tests of the 47 mpg rating.
In our experience, hybrids' real-world results have notoriously underperformed their ratings. C-Max was less-disappointing than usual, so it seemed not disappointing at all.
Ford says the top speed in electric-only mode is 62 mph. Couldn't do it. Probably need flat and level road, no wind, no traffic causing you to speed up or slow down, however slightly.
The plug-in hybrid model, C-Max Energi, coming early next year has a bigger battery and should be able to hit 85 mph in electric-only mode, Ford says. Breaking the speed limit without using any gasoline. Interesting. Won't mean diddly to the guy with the radar gun, though.
• What? Compact, four-door, front-drive, gasoline-electric hybrid hatchback meant as direct rival to Toyota Prius V hybrid.
• When? On sale since September. Plug-in hybrid version, called C-Max Energi, goes on sale early next year.
• Where? Made at Wayne, Mich., using Mexican-built engine.
• How much? Starts at $25,995, including $795 shipping. Plug-in model, called C-Max Energi, will start at $33,745.
• What makes it go? 2-liter gas four-cylinder rated 141 horsepower and 129 pounds-feet of torque, mated to electric motor rated 118 hp and 117 lbs.-ft.
• How big? 173.6 inches long, 72 in. wide, 63.9 in. tall on 104.3-in. wheelbase.
Passenger space, 99.7 cubic feet. Cargo, 24.5 cu. ft. behind second row (19.2 cu. ft., Energi), 52.6 cu. ft. when second row's folded (42.8 cu. ft., Energi)
Weighs 3,640 lbs. (3,899 lbs., Energi).
• How thirsty? Rated 47 mpg in city, highway and mixed driving. Trip computer in test car showed 38.4 mpg (2.6 gallons per 100 miles) in mix of suburban, highway and a little bit of stop-go traffic.
Energi will be rated 108 mpg-equivalent in city, 92 mpg-e highway, 100 mpg-e in city/highway mix.
Burns regular, holds 13.5 gallons (14 gallons, Energi).
Energi battery recharges in 2.5 hours at 240 volts, 7 hours at 120 V.
• Overall: Spirited eco-car; real rival for Prius. Too bad about that hard rear seat.