Ford’s plug-in hybrid has a lot going on
Road test: 2017 Ford C-Max Energi
VANCOUVER — One of Ford’s goals when it launched the C-Max hybrid-only model line five years ago was to make “C-Max” synonymous with hybrids, à la Toyota’s wildly successful Prius family. Yet despite a big marketing campaign positioning the C-Max as “America’s most affordable hybrid utility vehicle,” the five-door vehicle has found little traction with consumers — at least the kind Ford execs were hoping for.
For 2017, the two C-Max stablemates — the Hybrid and the Energi — have received some exterior tweaks, including redesigned grille openings, headlamps and tail lamps.
The Hybrid and the Energi use the same electrified powertrain system; the difference is you can plug in the Energi to charge the battery pack (hence, it is a PHEV). The charging time for the C-Max Energi is seven hours with a 120volt charger, or 2.5 hours with a 240-volt charger. In the Hybrid model, charging is done only through regenerative braking. The shared powertrain has a 2.0-litre in-line four-cylinder engine working with an electric motor, which in turn draws power from a 7.6 kWh lithium-ion battery. The battery is covered by an eight-year or 160,000-km component warranty.
The EV range on a fully charged battery is just over 30 kilometres, and as the top electric-only speed is 135 km/h (about 20 km/h better than the Prius), you can zip around town and even do some highway driving for the full 30-km range before using any fuel. In fact, if you’re good with the regenerative braking, you can stretch that EV range up by about 25 per cent. The C-Max Energi uses a regenerative braking system capable of capturing and reusing more than 95 per cent of the energy normally lost during the braking process.
Unlike previous PHEVs, such as the first-generation Volt, that means for all intents and purposes the C-Max Energi behaves like a full electric vehicle for the first 30 kilometres of travel. Apart from being very fuel efficient, the ride is whisper quiet.
Also aiding the EV-only cause is a centre-stack button that lets you select three drive modes: EV Now is electric-only driving, EV Auto blends electric and gasolineengine power as appropriate, and EV Later is a battery-saving mode that reserves the battery power for later use.
The plug-in hybrid also features Eco Cruise, which saves energy by relaxing acceleration compared to standard cruise control. Using this button and working the regen braking during my weekend road trip from Vancouver to Whistler and back, I posted a fuel economy number of 4.5 L/100 km on the trip computer. That’s outstanding, considering I had a passenger, a 50-pound dog, a metal dog cage and luggage for two adults on board.
It wasn’t just the miserly gasoline use that made the road trip so enjoyable; the creature comforts on board really added to the trip. In addition to the extensive standard features list, my tester had an $1,800 package that added a power liftgate, reverse sensing system, SYNC3, AppLink with eightinch colour touch screen, and two smart-charging USB ports.
SYNC3 features high-speed performance, an easy-to-use smartphone-like touch screen and clean graphical interface. It offers multiple ways for you to manage and control your smartphone, navigation and entertainment functions through voice commands, steering wheel-mounted controls, touch screens, buttons or knobs. For CMax Energi, the system offers battery charge and charge point-distance information as well.
I mentioned earlier how a majority of “green” vehicles aren’t the cutest cars on the block, and no doubt that has hurt sales. What’s also kept electrified vehicles from flying out of showrooms is simple math: Despite saving at the pump, it will take years — decades in some cases — to pay off the difference in sticker price from a regular gas vehicle to a comparable hybrid. That’s true, though that difference is becoming smaller and smaller, thanks to rising gas prices, government rebates and just a general drop in pricing of electrified vehicles as battery prices and the cost of associated technologies come down.
In B.C., the C-Max Energi qualifies for a government rebate of $2,500. Base price is $29,828, and my tester, including destination and delivery costs, came to $33,903 before that CEVforBC rebate, so roughly $31,400. In Ontario, it has a $7,730 purchase incentive, making the C-Max Energi even more affordable, as does the purchase rebate of $4,000 in Quebec.
In my estimation, if you’re looking for a great commuter car that can also handle a road trip, put the C-Max Energi on your shopping list. That is, if the only heads you care about turning are ones at gas stations as you zip quietly by.
The Specs
Type of vehicle: Front-drive plug-in hybrid five-door hatchback Engine: 2.0-L in-line four and electric motor Power: 188 hp (gas-electric combined, with full battery charge), 129 lb-ft of torque Transmission: Electronically controlled continuously variable Brakes: Power front/rear disc with ABS and regenerative braking Tires: P225/50R17 Price: $29,828 base/$32,253 as tested Destination charge: $1,650 Natural Resources Canada fuel economy (L/100 km): 6.0 gas engine, 2.5 Le combined Standard features:
10-way power-adjustable driver seat, four-way manually adjustable passenger seat, 60/40-split folding second-row seat, cloth bucket seats, SmartGauge with EcoGuide, power windows, remote keyless entry, trip computer, LED Signature lights, manual liftgate with remote release, body-colour manually folding mirrors with side indicator turn signal lights, integrated blind-spot mirrors and security approach lights, rear spoiler, rear-view camera, fixed-interval rear-window wiper