2013 C-MAX HYBRID

2013 C-MAX HYBRID

They say you can’t teach an old dog new tricks, but I will tell you I am one of the few open minded old dogs around. The week I spent in the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid was proof enough that I am still fully trainable (sorry ladies, I’m spoken for). 

I look into the mirror and I see a red cape wearing guy who believes that faster than a speeding bullet is almost fast enough. I live for horsepower and deep throaty exhaust notes - fuel consumption will always take a back seat to performance for me. Why on earth would I possibly want to drive a “Hybrid”? I assumed it would be the most boring vehicle I ever reviewed.....I was wrong!

What I found instead was an opportunity to broaden my sense of reality, expand my scope of thinking. I dove into this vehicle full of wonder - I wonder why they make these? I wonder how much savings this would really amount to? I wonder what kind of a person would buy this? - I was about to get schooled!

They have produced a car that actually wants to teach you how to be efficient. They do this with a series of gauges that help inform you of what you are doing right. The car is pure genius and not afraid to show you, built-in LCD tutorials on braking and driving efficiency.  Drive it hard and your vine is going to shed leaves and drive it nicely and they may stay with you forever. I started out driving it hard finding out where it performs and where it doesn`t. The car was fun and seemed to do everything very adequately, peppy without getting aggressive, hauled around family and cargo just fine, was a bit weaker than I expected in the corners though...but practicality has to have some boundaries.

What I found was a very roomy  five passenger Multi-Activity-Vehicle (MAV) that delivers great comfort and capacity and is on Fords’ first ever Hybrid only platform.  It seems odd to build a platform that is only good for one purpose, but when that purpose is to make the earth a greener place for our children to live, I get it. The fact that they have built the vehicles with the family in mind is wonderful too, as families are the largest segment of users in the automotive world.

The power train is the new 2.0L Atkinson-cycle I-4 gas engine and is teamed with an advanced high-voltage lithium-ion battery backed up by a new electronically controlled, continuously variable transmission (eCVT) built and engineered by Ford.  What does that translate to in English? There is a smallish engine with a big battery backup and a transmission that will optimize power during any driving situations. It also has a regenerative braking system to keep that big battery charged for when you need to use it next.

These cars have been the victims of many an accusation about fuel consumption. One thing I learned in auto sales is the people who come shopping for the most fuel efficient vehicles will be the ones who return complaining of poor gas mileage. The fact is, that is where they focus their attention so of course it won`t be good enough. I focus on horse power and have yet to find anything that will satisfy my needs. That being said, the EPA ratings have never been accurate and should only be used to compare apples to apples.  What I found was that I received a very solid 6.0L/100KM and that is not bad at all for a full family-haulin unit. It was more than I had expected after hearing other reviews.

In the end, I learned a lesson. Hybrid vehicles serve a purpose and we need to embrace the green technology  if we want to keep our environment healthy. They are far less polluting and far more economical and all of  that adds up to cleaner air to breathe. I don’t want to be a country where we have to wear masks to keep the pollutants out of our bodies, let’s get on the band wagon and back this trend. It’s one worth thinking about and looking into. 

Disclosure : This vehicle was provided by Ford Of Canada