Topic: Test Drive: 2015 Ford C-Max Hybrid

[Autos_Editor]

The C-Max may not beat the Prius in the efficiency game, but it feels like a 'real' car.
Read More...

[JohnM]

1.1 over 4.5 is close to a 25% increase in consumption over a standard Prius.   That means something to a Prius driver as would the less refined drivetrain of the C-Max.  The other thing the C-Max has going against it is the Ford customer base.  How many Ford buyers would actually entertain buying a hybrid as opposed to the percentage of Toyota customers?  Would Toyota customers consider cross-shopping a Ford?  Not too likely I'd suggest.

The acceleration issue may live in the minds of automotive journalists but is much less of an issue for real people looking in this segment.  When caned, the Prius has a surprising amount of oomp! and I've certainly never found it wanting.  Going up a long steep hill is less than enjoyable but the C-Max appears to be even noisier. 

In terms of space, I was surprised to see the C-Max has more volume than a Prius as they look smaller on the road to me.  In any case the C-Max looks like a nice package and it would be wonderful if cute-ute buyers flocked to it.  I don't see it as that much of a Prius challenger as a CUV upgrade but that is for marketing wizards to evaluate.

Cheers,
John M.

[theonlydt]

Drove the C-Max and the Prius V - the Prius V would probably have got the nod just for the fuel efficiency, retained value, and larger/better trunk. However the C-Max was a world apart from the Prius when it came to driving it, as the author states. It really picks up and moves - and driving it like a normal car I was surprised at how much the car just ran on the electric motor. Now I got about 5.9 when I had it for about 200km, which I didn't think was bad - my Mazda 5 would return about 8.0 driven the same way over the same distance, and the C-Max was both quieter and more powerful than the 5.

Surprised at the previous poster's comments re. refined drivetrain. The Prius drivetrain whines and howls if you drive it at anything about 2/10ths. The C-Max was much quieter, more refined, better sorted and felt more relaxed right up until about 7/10ths when you then introduce the CVT rev characteristics etc.

[Noto]

Very, very fair assessment - better to look at it on its own merits, and kudos, Jacob, for pointing out to Ford that its own marketing campaign was its problem.  I agree on that point.  It's a good car in its own respect (albeit a little ungainly-looking), and has nothing to do with the Prius.

[Fobroader]

While Priuses(Prius-i?!?) are pretty well a dime a dozen here, I have yet to see one of these out of captivity. That tells me more then anything about whos doing the hybrid thing better.

[Blueprint]

Had one of these for a week and 1000km last year, and very much enjoyed it. My first in-town stints netted 4.5 l/100km, but a 550km highway trip at 120 km/h with luggage and three adults lowered my weekly average to 6.5 l/100km. Still very impressive, and with a strong mix of small trips, beating Jacob's number should be easy. Short trips are 60% electric, something the Toyota hybrids vaccum at. The trip computer even tells you your electric "score" at the end of each trip, a fun feature.

The C-Max is in a different league - the Prius interior is perfect for barfing taxi riders, cheap and bland. The Ford has much higher quality trimmings, and a very refined ride.

[Fobroader]

Had one of these for a week and 1000km last year, and very much enjoyed it. My first in-town stints netted 4.5 l/100km, but a 550km highway trip at 120 km/h with luggage and three adults lowered my weekly average to 6.5 l/100km. Still very impressive, and with a strong mix of small trips, beating Jacob's number should be easy. Short trips are 60% electric, something the Toyota hybrids vaccum at. The trip computer even tells you your electric "score" at the end of each trip, a fun feature.

The C-Max is in a different league - the Prius interior is perfect for barfing taxi riders, cheap and bland. The Ford has much higher quality trimmings, and a very refined ride.

While I agree the interior of all the Prius cabs I've been in is very much early 90's Hyundai Accent, it seems the car as a whole is a much better appliance otherwise why would so many be sold.

[Blueprint]

Had one of these for a week and 1000km last year, and very much enjoyed it. My first in-town stints netted 4.5 l/100km, but a 550km highway trip at 120 km/h with luggage and three adults lowered my weekly average to 6.5 l/100km. Still very impressive, and with a strong mix of small trips, beating Jacob's number should be easy. Short trips are 60% electric, something the Toyota hybrids vaccum at. The trip computer even tells you your electric "score" at the end of each trip, a fun feature.

The C-Max is in a different league - the Prius interior is perfect for barfing taxi riders, cheap and bland. The Ford has much higher quality trimmings, and a very refined ride.

While I agree the interior of all the Prius cabs I've been in is very much early 90's Hyundai Accent, it seems the car as a whole is a much better appliance otherwise why would so many be sold.

McDonald's sells more hamburgers than The Keg. Guess which I prefer.

[Fobroader]

Had one of these for a week and 1000km last year, and very much enjoyed it. My first in-town stints netted 4.5 l/100km, but a 550km highway trip at 120 km/h with luggage and three adults lowered my weekly average to 6.5 l/100km. Still very impressive, and with a strong mix of small trips, beating Jacob's number should be easy. Short trips are 60% electric, something the Toyota hybrids vaccum at. The trip computer even tells you your electric "score" at the end of each trip, a fun feature.

The C-Max is in a different league - the Prius interior is perfect for barfing taxi riders, cheap and bland. The Ford has much higher quality trimmings, and a very refined ride.

While I agree the interior of all the Prius cabs I've been in is very much early 90's Hyundai Accent, it seems the car as a whole is a much better appliance otherwise why would so many be sold.

McDonald's sells more hamburgers than The Keg. Guess which I prefer.

Yeah, but in the world of bean-counting, quantity beats quality every damn time.

[Blueprint]

Preferences aside, the Prius does get better mpg, but does so by pairing an underwhelming ICE engine to an electric support team. As a result, both work in combo all the time to get that great fuel economy, except at parking speeds.

The Prius plug-in is a market failure (and being dropped), while the Fords are doing rather well. The Ford approach improves with battery size, it seems.

The Ford hybrids burn more fuel, but offer a more - electric - experience with silent running even near 120 km/h. Once you master how the C-Max operates, you can shut down the ICE at will without becoming a rolling chicane (cough-cough, Prius drivers). I could manage nearly 4km on electric alone on suburban streets with the C-Max.

I bet that under my right foot (not Jacob's heavy one), and my commute, I could probably achieve the same numbers with either a Prius V or a C-Max.

[conwelpic]

Orlando was mentioned as a competitor, but you can cross that off as its history (2014 was its last year).  I would have thought the Mazda 5 would be as much a competitor as the Rondo as they are direct competitors to each other, but not sure if the Mazda 5 is on its last year in 2015, it is in the US but not sure for Canada.

[Schmengie]

I live just a few blocks away from one of the biggest Ford dealerships in the Interior and they almost never have one of these things on the lot. When they do, it always seems to be a tricked-out Titanium model pushing 40 grand  once you include the taxes and whatever fees Ford tacks on these days. That might explain why yesterday was the first time I've ever seen a C-Max on the road.

[conwelpic]

I live just a few blocks away from one of the biggest Ford dealerships in the Interior and they almost never have one of these things on the lot. When they do, it always seems to be a tricked-out Titanium model pushing 40 grand  once you include the taxes and whatever fees Ford tacks on these days. That might explain why yesterday was the first time I've ever seen a C-Max on the road.

not much of seller in Canada, seems to do much better in the US.  In Canada in 2013 they sold 1,383, 2014 - 1,411,  first 4 months of 2015 - 151

[Blueprint]

I live just a few blocks away from one of the biggest Ford dealerships in the Interior and they almost never have one of these things on the lot. When they do, it always seems to be a tricked-out Titanium model pushing 40 grand  once you include the taxes and whatever fees Ford tacks on these days. That might explain why yesterday was the first time I've ever seen a C-Max on the road.

not much of seller in Canada, seems to do much better in the US.  In Canada in 2013 they sold 1,383, 2014 - 1,411,  first 4 months of 2015 - 151

It gets a lot of fleet sales. The Prius itself never really took off in Canada until the "V" came in. The Camry Hybrid is by far the best-selling hybrid up here for the last few years.

[mlin32]

not much of seller in Canada, seems to do much better in the US.  In Canada in 2013 they sold 1,383, 2014 - 1,411,  first 4 months of 2015 - 151

I would disagree. The C-max is a rare sight and Ford dealers would be happy to unload them. Agreed on many of the dealer inventory being over-optioned and overpriced. I'm happy when I see one on the road though for the same reasons mentioned in the review......it's more conventional yet still eco-friendly, less attitude and smugness compared to the Prius.

I chuckled when I read the Ford hokey-pokey for the bootlid release; I've seen so many Ford adverts touting this and yet no one in the adverts is actually holding anything in their hands.....

Is Jacob's mobile phone really named "Do a Skid"?