OK, I get off work and when I get back to the hotel I park right next to a 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid that has Michigan license plates that say "Manufacturer" on them. I've taken some pictures and will see if I can upload in a couple days.
Note that the Camaro is my rental car and my last trip I had a 2012 Mustang...
If you look carefully you can see that license plate for the C-Max says "Manufacturer" on it. Not sure what the little number 4 is in the top left of the rear window...
I'm not sold on the looks but the performance should be pretty decent with a combined power of 188hp -- should humble the Prius!
Horrid? I haven't heard that word since my grandmother used it in my youth and I'm old. [cool] Anyway, I think tastes vary but yours must vary by quite a lot because I think the C-Max Hybrid looks pretty good in addition to having a good amount of interior room and stellar fuel economy.
I have a C-Max on order. For me, it's cheaper than a compareable Focus or Escape. A-plan + $1000 rebate + $3000 from work for purchasing a hybrid + a discounted loan for purchasing a hybrid = C-Max wins. It has 85% of the storage space of the Escape, and gets over 60% better fuel economy. It also removes the bane of my recent existience, the Ford DCT!
Here are some fancy pics for everyone's reference. Looks a helluvalot better than it's main competition, the Prius V and Mazda5. Looks like the Escape and the C-Max gave birth to the Focus.
That's awesome that Bball's work gives him an incentive to buy it. Who do you work for, Al Gore Consulting LLC?
Kam, I work for a large financial institution. Al Gore Consulting probably pays pretty well though. You need money to be smug. I am not one to turn down money for something I was thinking about buying anyway. It eliminates the payback period vs the Focus.
Kinda. Its only 2 inches longer than the Focus hatch, but the roof is a foot taller. You are right that the C-Max and Escape are for all intents and purposes, the US Focus wagons. Queue the, "I want a diesel manual Focus wagon" talk...
The issues I have with the C-Max are as follows:
1. No standard powertrain variant in North America, hybrids only here where as in the rest of the world its available with a series of various power trains (gas/ diesel, manual and automatic transmissions)
2. It feels like a taller and more top heavy Focus, much like the Escape in fact, only slightly lower to the ground. Ergo it has more body roll and lean to it than a Focus.
3. The Atkinson cycle engine while delivering good fuel economy tended to not sound great with the windows down, particularly combined with the single speed planetary automatic gearbox emulating a CVT and blending in power from the gas engine and electric motors. It did pull nicely and was decently quick for what it was though. It will drive better than a Prius.
4. Both the C-Max and the Escape are not a good substitute for the Focus Wagon. The Focus wagon had more cargo volume than the previous Kuga which the current Escape is also based upon as the Kuga is the crossover version of the Focus, and the C-Max the passenger van, The Grand C-Max closer to that of the Mazda 5 however.
But over all its still better than its direct competition, but don't expect me to run out and order one right away. I did have the chance to test drive one for an event held by Ford however and it was interesting. I still would prefer the Focus wagon however. 2.0L I4 powershift GDI or EcoBoost ST 6MT guise please.
If I could buy a Focus wagon with the 1.6T there would be no reason for me to purchase a C-Max. I agree with all your points. The C-Max is the closest I can get to what I want, so it will have to do.
I ordered the SE with the 203A package and cold weather package. I wanted the SEL, but the 203A comes with MFT/Nav, power liftgate, ambient lighting, and parking sensors. The only things I couldn't get on the SE that are on the SEL are motion activated power liftgate, intelligent access, fog lights, active park assist, and leather. I wasn't willing $3000 more for all of that. My wife hates the IA key because she can't make the house work with an IA key, and no leather/fog lights/park assist isn't a deal breaker. How dare our house have the audacity to not work with a Ford Intelligent Access key.
I think it looks quite good compared to what the other manufacturers are fielding in this class. The C-max and S-max dominate Europe; you see them everywhere as taxi's and such, so they must be pretty handy. I do wish that they would provide alternate engine choices, but I understand that they are trying to position this as a "hybrid-only" line which makes sense for the brand.
Its not my fault that Ford doesn't think there is a market for station wagons here, despite the Jetta being in the same class and also being available as a TDI, as well as BMW bringing the 3 series Estate back, etc.
I'd have considered the wagon if it was available here, but I still might have ended up with the hatch.
That pic just makes me think why. Let's add more weight. The hatch has plenty of room as is IMO. If you need more room in the back than the hatch in the USA people usually just buy a truck. Not many trucks in Europe.
If you're referring to the wagon then I should have you know that it should be within 80 lbs of the Hatch, (36 kg per Ford.co.uk and comparing the 1.0L i3 ecoBoost Hatch vs Estate), some of the larger engines show an even smaller weight difference between hatch and wagon in terms of curb weight differences.
Most of that difference comes down to the wagon being as long as the sedan iirc.
Pictures of the cargo area of the C-Max posted by GhiaFan are very helpful. Cargo space is important to us. Does anyone know the dimensions of this space? Width between the netted area and length from end of the trunk to the folded seat?
Its 24.5 cu ft. I don't know of anyone that has measured it yet. The dealership I go to has training on C-Max this week or next week. I'll bring a tape measure when I go over there.
That was a European Spec model with a choice of gas and diesel engines, the only ones being built here are the hybrid and plug in hybrid versions which look like the other pictures posted on the thread, so if you want that one you'll have to go to Europe for it.
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