Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid

Gallery:
http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2013-...photo-5853717/

As much as we enthusiasts like to rail on the lowly Toyota Prius as the harbinger of death for all we hold dear, there's no denying the machine's absolute and interminable grip on the hybrid market in the United States. Toyota has so thoroughly sunk its teeth into the segment that you can clearly hear the automaker's incisors clacking against one another with the conclusion of each financial quarter. And there's little wonder why. Buyers can plop down less than $25,000 and have a runabout that can return up to an estimated 51 miles per gallon in the city, leaving every other entry on the market with precious little gristle to gnaw on.

Enter the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. With its claimed 47 mpg combined, the funky little hatch from Europe already falls behind the 48 mpg city offered by the Prius, but that marginal sacrifice in fuel economy could be a small price to pay for buyers who want a credible alternative to the stalwart Toyota. Unfortunately, like the Fusion Hybrid, the C-Max Hybrid had trouble even approaching its Environmental Protection Agency estimates during our time with the car.


Outside, Ford has grafted its corporate nose onto a plucky little two-box shape. With its short wheelbase and cavernous headroom inside, the C-Max Hybrid can't help but look more than a bit inflated, lurking somewhere between hatchback and minivan forms, though the 17-inch wheels on this machine help take some of the bloat out of the vehicle's appearance. The C-Max certainly hasn't lost any of its weirdness in the translation from European people mover to North American subcompact, but the Aston Martin-esque lower grille and swept headlights help the machine look fairly attractive up front. Around back, hexagonal taillamps help distinguish the C-Max as a Ford product, and the large hatch hints at an easy time loading or unloading cargo.

The C-Max does offer an attractive and comfortable cabin with a familiar, contoured steering wheel laden with various redundant controls. Occupants up front are treated to decently bolstered and comfortable front seats with contrast stitching, though the swept center stack does impede on knee room a bit.


As with other Ford products equipped with MyFord Touch, the C-Max Hybrid boasts a sharp instrument cluster with two small LCD screens set to either side of the speedometer. The screens can be configured to display a variety of information ranging from fuel economy and trip data to climate control and radio settings.

Fortunately, the C-Max Hybrid doesn't rely solely on the touchscreen to control audio and climate settings. Ford has given buyers honest buttons and dials for quick manipulation of both, which means the driver can circumvent MyFord Touch at his or her discretion. We probably don't need to expound on how much that setup means to some of us.


The back seat offers serviceable space for full-grown adults, thanks in no small part to that epic headroom. There's 39.4 inches of room for Sputnik-sized craniums even in the back, and with 24.5 cubic-feet of cargo area behind the second row, the C-Max Hybrid brings plenty of utility to the table. Fold the back bench down and that number jumps to 52.6 cubes, handily besting the base Prius. Line the C-Max Hybrid up against the bigger and more similar-looking Prius V, however, and the Ford falters badly, with the larger Toyota delivering 67.3 cu-ft of cargo room with the second row folded. The C-Max also suffers from a fairly tall rear floor, which means loading heavy cargo takes a bit more effort than we'd like.

The C-Max Hybrid does offer up solid acceleration thanks to a 2.0-liter Atkinson-cycle four-cylinder engine and AC synchronous electric motor combination. The internal combustion mill is good for 141 horsepower and 129 pound-feet of torque, though adding in the electric motor ups the final tally to 188 ponies. That's enough to get the 3,640-pound hybrid down the road without being a traffic obstruction. The run to 60 miles per hour takes less than 10 seconds, which is more than adequate for daily driving.


On the highway, the hatchback is quiet enough for long-distance travel, and the fact that the driveline can seamlessly drop into an EV mode at speeds of up to 62 miles per hour is fantastic. Jump off the four lane and head for hill country and the C-Max delivers decent steering, though the vehicle's regenerative brakes aren't exactly what we'd call progressive. When a manufacturer figures out how to build a hybrid with decent stoppers, we'll make sure they get a sizable gift basket in thanks. Go for the brakes in the C-Max and it's as if the car can't decide how much brake force to serve up at any given time. The result is what feels like an unpredictable stopping distance.

And what of that 47-mpg combined rating? Over our week with the C-Max Hybrid, the hatchback managed to yield a disappointing average of 35.6 mpg with a peak of 40.6 mpg. As with the Fusion Hybrid, the averages we recorded are a country mile from factory estimates. Yes, our week with the car fell in February, but temperatures ranged from the mid 40s to low 50s, and while apologists will point to winter fuel blends and cooler temperatures as the culprits behind the lackluster fuel economy, we can tell you none of the other hybrids we tested over the winter suffered a 14-percent drop in performance. Owners themselves report similar numbers, with Fuelly.com – a site that lets owners track their fuel economy and displays the aggregate as an average – showing a 38.8-mpg average for the C-Max.


Ford offers the C-Max Hybrid in two trims: SE starting at $25,200 and SEL, which kindly asks $28,365, excluding a $795 delivery fee, for a set of keys. Our particular C-Max Hybrid, an SEL with navigation, power liftgate and rearview camera, weighed in at $31,210 with that destination charge. That price is within reach of a comparably equipped Prius or Prius V, but we can't say the C-Max Hybrid is so much better than either of those offerings that it offsets the disappointing fuel economy and is worth a buyer's wad of cash.

Could it be that Ford built both the C-Max Hybrid and the Fusion Hybrid not with the goal of outselling either the Prius or the Camry Hybrid, but rather in an attempt to bolster its Corporate Average Fuel Economy rating? A pair of EPA-estimated 47-mpg models would certainly do just that, even if real-world performance falls well under the tested average.

http://www.autoblog.com/2013/05/02/2...hybrid-review/

Chocolate

The C-Max's styling makes the Prius look gorgeous. And Ford now has a lawsuit over their lies about their fuel economy. http://www.chron.com/cars/article/Fo...cy-4466205.php

RXSF

was going to buy one as a DD

trexlexus

The C Max still performs pretty admirably for 188 horsepower and 38mpg. The Prius goes 46.1mpg with 134 hp. Losing 50 hp to gain almost 10mpg sounds like a much better deal though.

With that said, gotta admire Ford for having the testicular fortitude to at least try to topple the Prius. Try as they might...

spwolf

yeah, gotta admire them cheating their customers... Camry's much faster 2.5l hybrid also gets better mpg than C-Max.

Sulu

You cannot look at it that way, otherwise it would be as simple as dropping in a smaller, less powerful engine into all our cars. There comes a point, however, where the smaller, less powerful engine becomes NOT powerful enough for the way its intended customers usually drive, making it have to work harder and making it consume more fuel than a right-sized engine.

Ford may have done that. They may have tried to drop engine size and engine power in their hybrids in an effort to beat Toyota's hybrids but dropped it too much. The engine size and power may be enough to take advantage of EPA testing but is too small for the way most North Americans drive.

Toyota was able to increase mpg in the Gen3 Prius by increasing engine size from 1.5-litre to 1.8-litre because the larger, more powerful engine did not have to work as hard.

bagwell

+1, the styling looks horrible IMO, rather drive the Prius and get lots better MPG, Prius back seat has tons of room too.

Hoovey689

iTrader: (16)

I'd rock the C-Max before the Prius. The taught-er handling and extra oomph does it for me. Not that the Prius is terrible, but I'd be in a better handling more luxurious CT before it too

mmarshall

I've reviewed both the C-max and every version of the Prius except the Plug-in model. (the C-max also has a plug-in model, but I didn't sample that either). Though it has its faults like any nother vehicle, I found the C-max, overall, to be roomier, more pleasant to sit in, and generally more pleasant to drive than any Prius model sampled..including the Prius V Wagon, the C-max's closest competitor. The C-max, though,did have some of the annoying dash/MyTouch/SYNC faults that are also common to other Fords.....and, of course, there is the controversial fuel mileage-claim.

In Europe, BTW, there is also a smaller B-max model, based on the Fiesta, that is not available here. (the C-max is based on the Focus). Also, in Europe, Ford sells conventional gas and diesel-powered C-max models that, IMO, should probably be available here and aren't.

trexlexus

I was talking from a very simplistic point of view. The fact that the C Max engine puts out 141 hp, while helping to achieve 38mpg is a pretty good feat. By comparison a Corolla puts out 126 and returns 32-34 hwy mpg.

Either way i still think Ford deserves praise for at least ATTEMPTING to enter the hybrid game, much less going against the reigning champ.

spwolf

sure, if they did it without cheating their customers... now if you move from Prius where you can get 50 MPG, to C-Max where you get 38 MPG, you will be mighty p/o, and looking at forums, they are.

In fact, 2010 Fusion Hybrid getts better mpg than 2013 Fusion Hybrid, even if official difference is 10 MPG for 2013.

swajames

It's not necessarily cheating. The EPA tests are what they are and may or may not be reflective of actual results. I've yet to own a car that met its EPA estimates in the real world and have never had any expectation that they would.

Sulu

That is indeed a VERY simplistic point of view. Firstly, the Corolla's 1.8-litre engine puts out 132hp, not 126hp. Secondly the C-Max engine is operating through a continuously variable transmission (so that it is operating in its most efficient operating range) while the Corolla engine is operating through an ancient 4-speed slushbox transmission (frequently operating anywhere between idle and near-redline as you accelerate and decelerate).

trexlexus

I'm not sure if Ford intended to lie about their EPA ratings, as i have never been a Ford executive, but i do feel that the fact that they are expanding their hybrid line is admirable. It is a good way to embrace the future method of propulsion.

Regarding why the EPA estimates can be different from real world hybrid drives:
http://www.caranddriver.com/features...conomy-feature

Every vehicle i have ever driven, i have been able to beat the MPG estimates; coincidentally i have never driven a hybrid, so i guess we will have to wait and see.

And sorry sulu, i was quoting the 126 from the 2008 corolla, as that is the vehicle i have owned before.

mmarshall

Same here......especially with the highway ratings. The City ratings, though, are somewhat harder to achieve, especially in the D.C. area's endless stop/go traffic.