2013 Ford C-MAX Energi SEL – Road Test

The All-New C-MAX is a great looking little city runabout that’s sure to stand out in a crowd. With the world striving to go green, manufacturers are forever trying to find a way to make vehicles more fuel-efficient. Each manufacturer has their own take on how to save the planet – for some it’s hydrogen, for others it’s diesel, hybrid, electric or combinations thereof. The C-MAX is a different animal – it straddles the realm between and EV and a hybrid. Its forté is that you can plug it in and run on electric-only for short trips around town – where the majority of pollutants are emitted in stop-and-go traffic. Unlike other EVs it has a real motor to extend its range, making the C-MAX far more desirable than your standard EV or hybrid.

What Is It?

Plug-in EV (Electric Vehicle) Hybrid
It’s a plug-in battery-operated vehicle with the bonus of having a real 4-cylinder engine for longer commutes or when the battery runs out
Can be used as electric-only in town/city
Or set to Auto and allow the computer to decide what’s most efficient
All-electric range is 43 kilometres, gas-plus electric is 1,221 km (highly doubtful based on my usage)
Re-charge overnight using standards 120-volt outlet
There is a regular hybrid version available too – called the C-MAX Hybrid
In Europe, there’s a gasoline and diesel version called B-MAX

How Does It Look?

Fun, young and sporty
Looks of a hybrid – the expansive glass to bring the outside – IN!
Ford’s new attractive styling – I like the way Ford is going with their consistent theme throughout their car lineup…a family face with each having their own individual look (the C-MAX looks like a lowered version of the Escape with a dash of Focus for flavour)

What’s It Like Inside?

Soft where you touch
Great rubberized anti-reflecting dashboard
Aesthetically pleasing layout, quite logical, though annoying touch screen navigation that’s tricky to use when driving
Good seating position – like a chair
Comfortable seats – driver gets power adjustments including lumbar
Very comfortable for long-distance driving
Sat Nav – The WORST navigation system I’ve ever used – nothing comes remotely close to being this bad!

How Does It Handle?

Surprisingly well for a hybrid. Lots of power and torque (195 hp combined / gas engine -129 lb-ft)
Handles tight twisty bits well at high speed
Well planted and solid feel
It begs to be driven! Punch the throttle and it goes!
Light and nimble despite the weight of its hybrid system and batteries
Steering is nicely boosted, but this driver would still prefer it was heavier
Turning radius on-par with a steamship – takes some getting used to which is odd for a car of this size
Brakes are very good – confidence-inspiring

Is It Safe?

Complete with all the latest safety compliments
Love the addition of convex mirror section on side mirrors. More manufacturers need to take their cue from this old-school concept – basic is better!
Love that it’s not full of dumbed-down electronic sensors – it makes you THINK – and use of the convex mirrors is a great example – you’re not relying on technology that could malfunction – every car should have these!

Is It Utilitarian?

A first reaction to this 4-door hatch was: “I expected more – the batteries eat up a lot of room. If it had a trunk you’d have some challenges.”
On our weekend road- trip we were pleasantly surprised that appearances are deceiving and the C-MAX Energi swallowed most of our gear with the need to put only a couple of oversized (tall) items on the back seat
Within reason, yes it’s utilitarian with the back seats folding perfectly flat (many hybrids don’t offer this feature at all)
Headroom is generous with a total passenger capacity of 2,823 litres (99.7 cu.ft)
Cargo Capacity is: 1,211 litres (42.8 cu.ft) behind front seats, and 544 litres (19.2 cu.ft) behind rear seats
Passenger comfort is taken into account with plenty of room – even for 3 in back with an almost flat footwell
It excels as a city/town runabout as it is intended to be (especially when run exclusively on battery power)
Unlike some other EV’s you don’t need to rent a vehicle to go on a road trip!

What Does It Cost?
To Buy…
As tested: $36,999
+ Premium White Platinum Metallic Paint: $300
+ Add Premium Audio and Navigation Package: $1,700
+ Block Heater: $100
+ Destination/Delivery: $1,550
Total: $40,649 (plus Gvmt taxes and add-ons)

To Operate…

Fuel economy wasn’t impressive. We averaged 7.9 L/100 km going and 6.5 L/100 km on our return journey which was 100% freeway at around 120-130 k/hr.
Electricity isn’t cheap unless someone else is letting you charge it on their dime (more and more places are providing charging points, so there is indeed a free lunch to be found)
Special considerations: expect to be replacing the batteries/hybrid system every 10 years or so (approximately $6,000)
Fuel economy is rated at: 1.9 Le/100 km (150 MPGe)

The Good, The Bad and The Ugly

It is extremely quiet at highway speeds (exceptional on concrete U.S. interstates). No wind noise – not even from the large mirrors. As with all hybrids – virtually silent when driving around town/city.
The foot-swipe detecting auto lift gate accidentally closed bonking me on the back of the head when I was loading the hatch area (I happened to shuffle my feet to the left)
Windshield wipers – nice large wipers that do a great job of clearing the rain, but you can’t clean the blades because they are tucked away behind the hood of the car
It’s not the European version – they have sliding doors, a regular gas version and even a diesel version over there
Sat Nav – The WORST navigation system I’ve ever used – nothing comes remotely close to being this bad! Watch for a complete review on this system coming soon.

What’s The Verdict?
We were excited when we heard the C-MAX was coming to N. America, but were very disappointed that Ford left the ‘good’ version in Europe. What happened to the sliding rear doors, Ford? You don’t have a minivan anymore… you just might have lured a few customers back to your showrooms. I guess Mazda will continue to be unique with the Mazda5.

Would I Buy This Car? Sadly, No. I love the car, but the price of hybrid vehicles still negates the benefits (typically $10,000 more than their gasoline-powered counterparts). You would have to do a lot of city driving to make up the price difference – would you ever recoup that much? And then after 10 years or so you’d possibly have to spend upwards of $6,000 for a new battery – that’s a tough sell!!

If you’re doing a lot of city driving and want the fuel savings, or just “have to” drive a hybrid for ecological/environmental reasons, consider the lease option of the C-MAX Energi. [as of this writing- $581/month for 36 months @ 0% financing]