Photo Gallery:
2013 Ford C-Max Energi
Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4
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When Ford redesigned the Escape they eliminated the hybrid version, which many thought was an odd move. But they did this because their plans included this new model: the C-Max. Research had showed that hybrid Escape owners didn’t really use or need the SUV features as for the most part they were urban dwellers – shocking isn’t it?
So welcome the Ford C-Max, available only as a Hybrid or as my tester – an “Energi” model, aka a plug-in hybrid. The plug-in feature allows you to charge your C-Max overnight or if you are lucky enough during the day at the office and it offers approximately 30 km of battery-only travel before the system switches back to regular “hybrid” mode.
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With a $10,000 premium to jump to the Energi model it really does seem like a stretch, but the economics never seem to work out with these vehicles so I won’t bother to bash or praise that here. The base Energi starts at $36,999; add in navigation, an upgraded stereo and a few other packages and my tester comes in at over $41,000. Ford is offering a $1,250 discount currently as of this writing.
Having never actually seen a C-Max before picking this one up (besides some photos online), I envisioned the vehicle as more of a Mazda5 competitor with its minivan like profile. The profile and size are the same, but the utility due to the batteries is compromised drastically and the C-Max is overall smaller and more compact. In fact the trunk seems to be nearly useless; thankfully the rear seats do flip down, but that won’t help those with rear passengers.
MSRP as tested (including destination): $41,564
For more information on Ford and the C-Max Energi visit Ford Canada
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