Ford has done it, again. The company reports they are now America’s most efficient utility vehicle with Ford’s new 108-MPGe C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid. It also has the most range of any utility or compact vehicle with a 620-mile overall driving range as rated by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).
How far do you want to go?
Check out the map. C-MAX Energi drivers can travel from Detroit to New York City, San Francisco to Las Vegas, or even Portland, Ore., to Twin Falls, Idaho. Those long distances on one fill up are thanks to the combined use of the power stored in the vehicle’s advanced lithium-ion battery and one tank of gasoline.
Competition in the Dust
How do the competitors do? The Toyota Prius plug-in trails behind the C-MAX Energi by 80 miles at 540 miles of overall range, and the Chevrolet Volt comes in third at only 380 miles.
“C-MAX Energi is America’s most efficient utility vehicle, a great symbol of how Ford gives customers the power to choose leading fuel-efficiency across our lineup with gas prices spiraling upwards of $5 a gallon in some parts of the country,” said John Davis, C-MAX chief engineer. “The C-MAX Energi’s leading range also means customers can spend more time on the road and more money on their priorities instead of at the gas pump.”
So, the C-MAX Energi can get up to 21 miles in all-electric mode. That means at least one leg of the average work commute – reportedly 20 miles each way – could be completed each day on electric battery charge only, allowing customers to save gas as they face traffic congestion during their commute.
The Toyota Prius plug-in hybrid offers up to six miles in all-electric range. The C-MAX Energi can travel three times more distance than the Prius plug-in hybrid before first engine start.
Study Says!
A study by the U.S. Department of the Treasury estimates congestion consumed an extra 1.9 billion gallons of fuel in 2011, approximately 5 percent of all gasoline used.
Debuting this fall with a 108 MPGe city EPA rating and for $29,995 after a federal tax credit, the C-MAX Energi is Ford’s first production plug-in hybrid vehicle and part of the company’s first dedicated line of hybrids.
Power of choice
C-MAX Energi figures prominently in Ford’s rollout of electrified vehicles. Ford’s other electrified vehicles include:
• Focus Electric: Production began late 2011; America’s most fuel-efficient compact with 110 MPGe city and 105 MPGe combined; 6 MPGe better than the Nissan Leaf
• C-MAX Hybrid delivers EPA-certified 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway ratings – 7 mpg better than the Toyota Prius v on the highway – for a 47 mpg combined rating
• All-new Fusion Hybrid is America’s most fuel-efficient sedan after being certified by the EPA to deliver 47 mpg city, 47 mpg highway, 47 mpg combined. This beats the Toyota Camry Hybrid by 8 mpg highway, 4 mpg city• Fusion Energi plug-in hybrid: Will begin production by the end of this year; aiming to be the most fuel-efficient midsize car in the world with more than 100 MPGe
You can see the all-new C-Max at Randall Reed’s Planet Ford in Spring (serving The Woodlands and greater Houston area). Shop online anytime at www.PlanetFord45.com.