Was surprised not to see more discussion on this forum about the Ford C-Max but as the plug-in version still isn't out yet that perhaps why ...
Well, I got to test drive what they have now (hybrid version) yesterday and came away fairly impressed. This dealer had 7 in stock, mostly SE's but drove a fully loaded white SEL with the pano roof, etc. Even with the sunroof tons of head room (but of course it doesn't open so perhaps that's why), 5 level heated seats, auto wipers, etc., etc. Car was very quiet, much more so than a Prius V I had driven back a few months. Driver's seat has very good cushioning and feels like it would be great on long trips. Very solid and HEAVY doors (they added a lot of insulation) that feel quite solid. Very easy to spin the front tires as this thing wants to get up and go. The Ford voice controls seem to be working fine (at least for basic commands) and even though you could see a fair amount of hard plastic, the car seemed very well built. Lot's of hidden storage areas, the one in the back 'bump' shelf I knew about but those under the floor areas behind the front seats (like Dodge Caravans) was a surprise. As I had mentioned earlier the C-Max is small on the outside (actually a few inches shorter than the Focus) but is actually quite roomy inside - the back hatch with the seats folded looked like it could handle most of the 'stuff' we carry home in all but the most extreme conditions (still struggle a bit if we can give up the minivan it would need to replace). Also have to question the actual MPG rating as it showed a 33.5 MPG average while I took the test drive ... others before me could have been lead foots. Lastly, I asked when the Energi version was coming and the sales rep was told January as others have mentioned but would call me if they came in sooner. Overall, I think Ford has a great car and as gas prices continue to go crazy this thing should sell pretty well ... With the Fed Tax Credit on the plug-in it would be crazy not to see if you could live with the loss of storage as well as longer range
On my short trip I managed to raise the average to almost 35. as an aside, this dealer (Arlington Heights Ford in the 'burbs outside of Chicago) also had just one Ford Focus EV which I also could have taken out but passed as we don't need two fully electrics w/o a long trip car which this C-Max would replace. Was curious of the talk of the charge port opening by itself on the FFE and its not very robust but flips around and appears to 're-latch' OK. Our rep didn't know about the IL EPA and EVSE rebates and was genuinely pleased to hear about them -- a surprise look with some interest as I'm sure they would like to move some of these. Unfortunately (as I already checked) no IL EPA rebate for the C-Max Energi as its 'motor' isn't a generator like in the Volt (at least at this point, perhaps they'll reconsider once it comes out we'll see). It would be great as others have mentioned to see a few more plug-in vehicles with a bit more utility but the C-Max is a great start (once we see the Energi!). My last Ford was a '93 Ford Taurus SHO so would be interesting that my next one could be 20 years later with a '13 C-Max Energi. Here is a quick photo of the main display (of course no phone configured as well as SD card for Navi wasn't inserted yet).
Well, I got to test drive what they have now (hybrid version) yesterday and came away fairly impressed. This dealer had 7 in stock, mostly SE's but drove a fully loaded white SEL with the pano roof, etc. Even with the sunroof tons of head room (but of course it doesn't open so perhaps that's why), 5 level heated seats, auto wipers, etc., etc. Car was very quiet, much more so than a Prius V I had driven back a few months. Driver's seat has very good cushioning and feels like it would be great on long trips. Very solid and HEAVY doors (they added a lot of insulation) that feel quite solid. Very easy to spin the front tires as this thing wants to get up and go. The Ford voice controls seem to be working fine (at least for basic commands) and even though you could see a fair amount of hard plastic, the car seemed very well built. Lot's of hidden storage areas, the one in the back 'bump' shelf I knew about but those under the floor areas behind the front seats (like Dodge Caravans) was a surprise. As I had mentioned earlier the C-Max is small on the outside (actually a few inches shorter than the Focus) but is actually quite roomy inside - the back hatch with the seats folded looked like it could handle most of the 'stuff' we carry home in all but the most extreme conditions (still struggle a bit if we can give up the minivan it would need to replace). Also have to question the actual MPG rating as it showed a 33.5 MPG average while I took the test drive ... others before me could have been lead foots. Lastly, I asked when the Energi version was coming and the sales rep was told January as others have mentioned but would call me if they came in sooner. Overall, I think Ford has a great car and as gas prices continue to go crazy this thing should sell pretty well ... With the Fed Tax Credit on the plug-in it would be crazy not to see if you could live with the loss of storage as well as longer range
On my short trip I managed to raise the average to almost 35. as an aside, this dealer (Arlington Heights Ford in the 'burbs outside of Chicago) also had just one Ford Focus EV which I also could have taken out but passed as we don't need two fully electrics w/o a long trip car which this C-Max would replace. Was curious of the talk of the charge port opening by itself on the FFE and its not very robust but flips around and appears to 're-latch' OK. Our rep didn't know about the IL EPA and EVSE rebates and was genuinely pleased to hear about them -- a surprise look with some interest as I'm sure they would like to move some of these. Unfortunately (as I already checked) no IL EPA rebate for the C-Max Energi as its 'motor' isn't a generator like in the Volt (at least at this point, perhaps they'll reconsider once it comes out we'll see). It would be great as others have mentioned to see a few more plug-in vehicles with a bit more utility but the C-Max is a great start (once we see the Energi!). My last Ford was a '93 Ford Taurus SHO so would be interesting that my next one could be 20 years later with a '13 C-Max Energi. Here is a quick photo of the main display (of course no phone configured as well as SD card for Navi wasn't inserted yet).
