Official Ford C-MAX Energi PHEV thread

[redLEAF]

I did some checking into the availability of X-pricing on both the C-Max Hybrid and Energi and while I thought the Energi would not be included (as the FFE wasn't) it shows up now -- of course the $1,000 incentive isn't offered (yet) on the Energi but is on the Hybrid so a Hybrid SE base would net out at $23,103 (MSRP of $25,200, X-Plan at $24,103 and the $1,000 cash rebate); the C-Max Hybrid SEL base would net out at $25,935 (MSRP $28,200, X-Plan at $26,935 and the $1,000 cash rebate) and a base Energi would net out at $27,667 (MSRP of $32,950, X-Plan at $31,417 and Fed Tax Credit of $3,750) this doesn't include taxes, license fees, etc. but in states with high doc fees (over $100) it looks like Ford rebates the difference back to the dealer so would save a few bucks there as well. So this puts the difference at only $1,732 !! between the Hybrid SEL and the similarly equipped Energi !! Of course you need to check what equipment would be different between the Hybrid SEL and the Energi (most have said that the equipment level is quite similar, that's part of the reason why the Energi starts at where it is) but such a small difference makes me lean more towards getting an Energi for zero gas short commutes during the week. Here is a link to those companies that partner with Ford (I retired from one years ago and looks like retirees are eligible as well):

http://bigval.addr.com/commercial/x_plan.htm


EDIT: just got an email from my local Ford dealer where I test drove the C-Max hybrid ... their C-Max Energi they ordered just came in and he was able to order another for a customer so now I can finally check one out; for those in Chicagoland the dealer is in Arlington Heights.

 

[Deleted member 770]

redLEAF - thanks for that information - I wasn't aware of the X-pricing. I happen to be an employee of one of the partners, so that might make the Energi an even more attractive option if my first choice for my next vehicle (the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV) doesn't work out.

 

[evnow]

EDIT: just got an email from my local Ford dealer where I test drove the C-Max hybrid ... their C-Max Energi they ordered just came in and he was able to order another for a customer so now I can finally check one out; for those in Chicagoland the dealer is in Arlington Heights.

Cool.

 

[redLEAF]

On another note -- the 'regular' C-Max Hybrid sales were quite good for October, I wonder how many of the Energi plug-in's will be sold, not fully available yet but would assume Ford should fill the pipeline soon; this is great as even a partial month in September, I think the C-Max Hybrid was close to a 1,000 units.

"In its first full month on sale, C-MAX sells 3,182 vehicles"

http://investing.businessweek.com/r...er||ACQUIREMEDIA||bridgesymbol||US;F&ticker=F

 

[evnow]

Here is the photo of the trunk (from http://fb.me/1AfI8Qrdk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). Not sure how usable it is ... as suspected, top of the battery looks to be about a foot above the trunk floor. Lot of people would find it difficult to lift heavy suitcases (and other stuff) to that level.

 

[redLEAF]

Wow, huge difference ... here is a rear shot of the hybrid version ... the ruby red in the dealer photos look nicer than this image, it looks like that battery 'cover' has some odd shapes under it (see a space between the raised floor and the cover) kind of like the FFE has. Definitely worth seeing in person but the reduced space still may be a deal breaker.

 

[mwalsh]

Here is the photo of the trunk (from http://fb.me/1AfI8Qrdk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). Not sure how usable it is ... as suspected, top of the battery looks to be about a foot above the trunk floor. Lot of people would find it difficult to lift heavy suitcases (and other stuff) to that level.

Oh the flip side though...if you have a hard time bending to place grocery bags and whatnot on a trunk floor...

 

[redLEAF]

Would also be good to see it with the seats folded down ... do you end up with this huge uneven floor ?? seem to remember a prototype shot were they changed the rear seat configuration for the need for extra battery space. Lastly, see the instrument panel showing 16 miles on electric with only 63+ miles on the car and of course not yet broken in.

 

[Deleted member 770]

Good find on the pics, evnow!

mwalsh - I was thinking the same thing when I first saw it. My criteria would be 3 adults camping for a week. Looks like the answer would be "no", at least, not without completely blocking the rear. But maybe with a car-top carrier - and hey, I'm only going out once a year!

For me the deal-breaker might be the center console. The angled sides (flying buttresses?) on either side of the stick shift are about as bad as on the current Prius. And with my height, I may well not be able to get a leg in there. The LEAF is MUCH better designed. I guess I'll have to see one in person.

 

[evnow]

Good find on the pics, evnow!

There is nothing that is not on twitter ;-)

 

[mwalsh]

The angled sides (flying buttresses?) on either side of the stick shift are about as bad as on the current Prius. And with my height, I may well not be able to get a leg in there. The LEAF is MUCH better designed. I guess I'll have to see one in person.

I have a feeling that Mrs. W. might feel the same - her deal is she likes a more "open" feel to the passenger cabin, rather than a "cockpit".

 

[redLEAF]

Another newsworthy item ...

"In its first full month of sales, Ford's new C-MAX Hybrid outsells Toyota Prius v, 3,182 units to 2,769"

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/11/02/4956666/ford-c-max-hybrid-outsells-toyota.html

 

[redLEAF]

Here is the photo of the trunk (from http://fb.me/1AfI8Qrdk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). Not sure how usable it is ... as suspected, top of the battery looks to be about a foot above the trunk floor. Lot of people would find it difficult to lift heavy suitcases (and other stuff) to that level.

to give some more perspective, I took a test drive of the new C-Max Energi paying close attention to how much extra space its battery takes as compared to the regular hybrid only and its not insignificant ... here is a photo with that flap flipped up and I put a brochure next to it which is 9 1/2" high so you can see how much extra space it takes. Also, the load floor is no longer flat from the rear seats back as the extra battery 'hump' fills the storage area; the salesmen stated that Ford says the panel over the battery can hold a few heavy suitcases but that's about it:

 

[EVee]

How was the test drive? Are they available for sale now, or was this just a demo car?

Thanks for the photos. The trunk space would still work for me since it has such a tall roof. It looks like you can load quite a few grocery bags side to side.

It's hard to tell the depth of the trunk, is there enough depth for two rows of grocery bags?

 

[redLEAF]

How was the test drive? Are they available for sale now, or was this just a demo car?

Thanks for the photos. The trunk space would still work for me since it has such a tall roof. It looks like you can load quite a few grocery bags side to side.

It's hard to tell the depth of the trunk, is there enough depth for two rows of grocery bags?

The Energi drives just like the hybrid model, I was watching the battery level gauge and it seemed to lose miles a bit faster than our LEAF's but was a quiet and smooth ride. I did notice some odd noises when braking versus the LEAF but if you had the radio on probably wouldn't notice it, I've driven the hybrid version and prefer it simply because of more cargo space and lower price. Still not totally sold on Ford's approach with this plug-in as I've seen the PiP and it doesn't have the same load floor issues but then again it has less EV range. As the length and width of the load floor is the same, just not the height, it would definitely fit a fair number of grocery bags but I would think the tops would stick out over the rear seat backs blocking part of the view out the back.

This was a demo, but dealer rep hinted a $2K markup over list as it was their only Energi but they could do much better if you could wait 6 to 8 weeks to order one. Ford is selling the 'regular' hybrids just about as they come in (as mentioned earlier, Ford sold over 3K its first full month so they seem to be popular). A few other neat things you can get on these; rear gate 'foot' activated is pretty cool and loved the rear camera with proximity alarm for when you get too close, yellow zone allows you to open the rear gate, red means your within inches (has an audible tone that increases as you get closer). Car was very well put together and a definite possibility after I test drive a few others.

 

[EVee]

I might take a paper grocery bag with me to the dealer whenever an Energi is available for viewing. Hard to tell exactly from the photo, but it looks like it could hold at least 12 bags, maybe more.

The Energi must have a lot more batteries than the Prius plugin, I think the range is more than double.

 

[redLEAF]

I might take a paper grocery bag with me to the dealer whenever an Energi is available for viewing. Hard to tell exactly from the photo, but it looks like it could hold at least 12 bags, maybe more.

The Energi must have a lot more batteries than the Prius plugin, I think the range is more than double.

Yep, pure EV range is ~20 miles in the Energi but as always your mileage will vary, the car I drove showed an indicated 16 miles left at the start of my test drive over suburban roads at about 40 MPH and at the end it was only 9 miles and there was no way that I drove it an actual 5 miles (similar to our LEAF's GOM you can't do a direct EV mile for actual mile I would guess) -- the rear area behind the seats is fairly large but higher lift over than in the hybrid.

 

[mwalsh]

Yep, pure EV range is ~20 miles in the Energi but as always your mileage will vary,

It should be more than 20. EPA , which we know is conservative, is 21 miles. I'm expecting mid 20s, maybe as much as 30.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I might take a paper grocery bag with me to the dealer whenever an Energi is available for viewing. Hard to tell exactly from the photo, but it looks like it could hold at least 12 bags, maybe more.

The Energi must have a lot more batteries than the Prius plugin, I think the range is more than double.

Personally, my plan is to pack my current car (Honda Insight) with everything I would take for a week long trip: stroller, pack-n-play, suitcases, etc. Then when it's pretty much full, I will visit Ford, and try to load it all into the C-Max Energi. If it doesn't fit, I'm walking away.

I'm concerned about the "shape" of the space. The specs say that it has 19 cubic feet, but looking at that battery, it looks oddly shaped. This definitely limits what you can actually fit.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Here is the photo of the trunk (from http://fb.me/1AfI8Qrdk" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). Not sure how usable it is ... as suspected, top of the battery looks to be about a foot above the trunk floor. Lot of people would find it difficult to lift heavy suitcases (and other stuff) to that level.

to give some more perspective, I took a test drive of the new C-Max Energi paying close attention to how much extra space its battery takes as compared to the regular hybrid only and its not insignificant ... here is a photo with that flap flipped up and I put a brochure next to it which is 9 1/2" high so you can see how much extra space it takes. Also, the load floor is no longer flat from the rear seats back as the extra battery 'hump' fills the storage area; the salesmen stated that Ford says the panel over the battery can hold a few heavy suitcases but that's about it:

quick question; there seems to be storage of sorts between the hatch and the very back of the vehicle that is taller. is it wide enough to be usable?

i received the "tour" when the hybrid version was making the rounds in mid July and I asked about it and he said that the back storage would be somewhat similar to the LEAF with the "bump" present. now this is looking more like a "plateau" than a bump...