The 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid just might be a near-perfect car for small families of three or four.
This hybrid hatchback makes efficient use of its available space, and it's packed with handy features and storage options galore. I particularly loved its ability to squeeze into countless parking spaces while never feeling compact inside. As a car, the C-Max Hybrid impressed me in many ways, but as a hybrid — not so much.
Gas prices remain volatile, but even so, no one expects prices below $3 per gallon ever again, and many parts of the country consistently see prices near or above $4. As much as ever, shoppers need to know how effectively hybrids deliver efficiency for your dollar — if they do at all.
To determine if a hybrid's added expense is worth the cash, we devised an efficiency-cost rating to reflect efficiency bang for your overall buck.
It's simply the combined city/highway mpg divided by the base price (MSRP plus destination charge). We then multiply that number by 1,000. This formula can be applied to any type of vehicle, hybrid or not. A high mpg rating and low price provide a high efficiency-cost rating. A higher score is the better score.
We don't account for equipment levels, quality judgments, cost of ownership or any variances from EPA mileage estimates. The goal here is to pay the least for the most mileage, barring all other considerations.
Ford's C-Max Hybrid is all-new for 2013, and the automaker recently expanded the tall hatchback's lineup with a plug-in model. The C-Max Energi is stylish, comfortable and fun to drive says Cars.com reviewer Aaron Bragman. There are some tradeoffs compared with the hybrid version, however. Bragman says cargo capacity suffers, and its electric range is unimpressive considering the vehicle's price premium. Check out the full review below.
Perhaps using its imposing makeover for 2013 to scare off competitors, the Toyota RAV4 continued its reign of terror atop our list of most-read reviews of the week. The compact crossover's nearest opponent, the 2013 Ford Fusion, generated a little more than a third of RAV4's reader interest. Maybe newcomers to the list, including the 2013 Volkswagen Jetta Hybrid (No. 6) and the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid (No. 10), will gain enough confidence in coming weeks to face down the RAV4.
Until then, check out what was popular this week:
1. 2013 Toyota RAV4
The Ford Escape Hybrid may be gone, but Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays says the 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid is a credible replacement, offering seamless gas-electric power and decent fuel economy. The tall hatchback is the first vehicle to directly compete with Toyota's Prius v; the C-Max offers less cargo room but better fuel economy than the Prius v.
In the 2013 C-Max Hybrid, Ford has given us a worthy, if middle-of-the-road, opponent for the Toyota Prius. Though substantially shorter than the Prius, this wider, taller hybrid hatchback still manages a hefty appearance with fuel-efficiency ratings and cargo space ranking between those of leading competitors, says Cars.com reviewer Kelsey Mays. The C-Max Hybrid succeeds in driving dynamics, but struggles with some interior issues. Does it have what it takes to pose a serious threat to the Prius? Watch the video and decide for yourself.
RelatedSeveral new vehicles joined the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's five-star club today, earning the top score of five stars overall in crash tests performed by NHTSA. New inductees are the 2013 Ford Fusion, 2013 Lincoln MKZ and the 2013 Mercedes-Benz C-Class. Meanwhile, the all-new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid and redesigned 2013 Nissan Sentra didn't fare as well, with both having to settle for four stars overall.
The Fusion's and MKZ's front-, all-wheel-drive and hybrid models all received five stars in the frontal crash test and four-star ratings in side and rollover crash tests. The Mercedes-Benz C-Class' rear- and all-wheel-drive models scored five stars in the side crash test and four stars in frontal and rollover crash tests.
Both the C-Max Hybrid and Sentra fell short, receiving five-star scores in only the side crash test and four stars in the other two tests.
Related
Fans of the Ford Escape hybrid may lament the fact that it's no longer available, but Ford's new-for-2013 C-Max easily takes its place. The tall hatchback has seating for five and gets a combined city/highway EPA rating of 47 mpg. Small families should have little problem installing two child seats in the hybrid's second row thanks to visible Latch anchors and a decent amount of space.
For the Car Seat Check, we use a Graco SnugRide 30 rear-facing infant-safety seat, a Britax Roundabout convertible child-safety seat and Graco high-back TurboBooster seat.
A California law firm has filed a class-action lawsuit against Ford Motor
Company on behalf of an owner of a new 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid. The owner claims
that he is not achieving anywhere near the EPA-stated fuel economy rating for his
car. According to the Detroit News, the suit alleges "false and misleading"
advertising regarding the C-Max, which is rated by the EPA at 47 mpg combined and
which Ford advertises as achieving that level, handily trouncing main rival
Toyota and its Prius v wagon.
The suit is being filed for one owner in particular who claims that he has achieved only 37 mpg in his C-Max—and a quick look at the EPA's website fueleconomy.gov reveals that 40 others have chimed in with their own mileage achievements, averaging only 39.7 mpg in the real world. The EPA has already stated that they intend to look into Ford's mileage ratings after receiving complaints about the new C-Max and Fusion Hybrids not living up to their advertised claims, including a surprising review from Consumer Reports that found Ford's new hybrids to have the widest variance between rated and tested fuel economy of any cars it has ever tested.
It appears shoppers clamored more aggressively for incoming 2013s last month. Cars for the 2013 model year averaged just 23 days to sell from the day they hit lots while 2012s averaged 121 days. Combined, the group averaged 73 days to turn. That's a wider gap than October 2011 when 2011 and 2012 cars averaged 15 and 93 days to turn, respectively.
New or redesigned cars topped the month, with the seventh-generation Nissan Sentra and all-new Subaru XV Crosstrek taking just five days each to move. The redesigned Ford Fusion and Honda Accord plus the all-new Ford C-Max Hybrid made this month's movers, as well.
We focused on just 2013 models for October since automakers had a vast majority of 2013 models on sale. October did have one notable redesign in the Loser column: the Chevrolet Malibu Eco, which averaged 92 days on dealer lots. The regular Malibu, meanwhile, took 32 days to sell. That’s better but still below average for 2013s. Is the new Malibu getting lost in the slew of redesigned family cars? Sales fell 6% in October, putting the Malibu behind the Fusion and well in back of the redesigned Accord, Toyota Camry and Nissan Altima.
Here are October's fastest- and slowest-selling cars:
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