Ford has been in the green marketplace for quite a while, but the C-Max CUV represents a giant leap forward in its effort to topple the vaunted Toyota Prius.
The C-Max replaces the discontinued Escape Hybrid and offers an entirely new vehicle.
Based on the Focus frame and powered by the familiar 2.0-liter Atkinson gas-electric motor, Ford claims you can run the C-Max on electric power up to 62 mph. The continuously variable transmission is one of the better ones I've used, shifting smoothly and effortlessly. The modestly priced entry has 56 cubic feet of storage with the split rear seats folded down and can comfortably seat five.
Squint a little and the SUV resembles the Prius, but it ends there. At 188 combined horsepower, it's much more powerful than the Japanese standard and faster to 60 mph. All this and the estimated fuel economy is just shy of the Prius.
But let's talk about Ford's advertised claim of 47 mpg. Despite my best efforts, I only cracked 40 mpg on a 30-mile highway run and barely managed 36 mpg on average for the week.
Scouting around the Web, I've found there's some fuzzy math permitted by the EPA to attain these figures and it's being questioned legally. Listen, 36 mpg isn't shoddy, particularly at nearly $4 a gallon for gas.
The C-Max is a solid performer on dry roads and in the rain, but is horrendous in the snow. I tooled around in a recent moderate snowfall and the C-Max struggled mightily. The front-wheel-drive-only option strained to pull the 3,600 lb. car up a snowy incline and, despite the traction control, the tires slipped continually. It did not inspire much confidence in New England wintry conditions.
Fortunately, most of the year we have better road conditions and it handled smartly, rode quietly and soaked up the road bumps. The regenerative brakes had an abrupt bite to them, but managed the car effectively.
The styling is typical of many cars in the CUV class. In this case, a familiar aerodynamic bullet-shaped body is accented with a low-slung hourglass grill, swept-back windscreen and some accented body creases ending with a squared-off hands-free lift-gate. Oversized wrap-around front and rear lights tie the package together.
You settle easily into the well-appointed and fitted interior and are met with a modern array of instrumentation. The upgraded MyFord infotainment center is easily run from the leather-wrapped steering wheel controls, but still needs more engineering to make it user-friendly. The dash features a variety of data, much of it related to the hybrid engine and batteries. One gripe is that the thick front roof pillar creates a bit of a blind spot that a small vent window tries to alleviate.
I'd take this car over the popular Toyota even though it gives up a couple of miles per gallon. It's more powerful and better looking with an upmarket interior that boosts this domestic entry.
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