2017 FORD C-MAX ENERGI A HANDY HYBRID
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.
Since its debut in 2012 through December of 2016, around 5,000 C-Max Hybrid and Energi models have been sold in Canada. In that same period, Prius sales are in the 40,000 range.
After driving a 2017 Ford C-Max Energi SE around Vancouver — including a weekend trip up the Sea to Sky Highway to Whistler — I would encourage prospective Prius buyers to take the Ford for a test drive before signing on Toyota’s dotted line. The C-Max is roomy, peppy yet quiet, easy to drive, stuffed with technology and very fuel efficient. The downfall for many consumers is that it shares the fatal flaw so many so-called “green” cars suffer: it’s low on the sexiness scale, being the proverbial “loaf of bread” on four wheels.
The C-Max’s styling certainly puts the “utility” in utility vehicle, but it really isn’t that unattractive, particularly once you’re in the airy cabin.
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 120-volt 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 inline 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 EVonly cause is a centrestack button that lets you select three drive modes: EV Now is electric-only driving, EV Auto blends electric and gasoline-engine 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.
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 eight-inch colour touch screen, and two smart-charging USB ports.
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.