|
In 2005, ABC News Polls claimed the average daily commute in America was 16 miles, a number borne out in our own Facebook poll. If you have a commute like that and want an EV for commuting and a hybrid for road tripping, you're the target demographic for a plug-in hybrid. Since I'm not a trust fund baby, and neither are most of TTAC's readers, I'm going to forget about the Karma while we dive deep into Ford's first (and interestingly spelled) Energi.
Click here to view the embedded video. C-MAX and C-MAX Energi "Energi" is Ford-speak for "plug-in hybrid." On our shores, the C-MAX competes with the Prius V and to some extent the Prius, while the Energi targets the Prius Plug-in and Volt. Let's cover the basics first. "Our" C-MAX is an Americanized version of the European C-MAX. Aside from making the requisite changes for American safety legislation and some bumper cover tweaks, the difference boils down to one major change: the American C-MAX is hybrid only while its Euro twin get a traditional gasoline/diesel mix. The C-MAX strikes an interesting pose on American roads looking like the product of crossbreeding a Focus and a Windstar. The hatchback's tall greenhouse, tall roof-line and crossover styling cues were no doubt penned to
Interior The Energi shares most of its dashboard with the new Escape. The only major change is a unique instrument cluster with twin LCDs like the Fusion hybrid. Since this cabin wasn't designed with weight savings in mind, it has a more premium feel than the Prius or Volt thanks to Ford's dedication to squishy dash bits and color matching plastics. Perhaps due to the non-hybrid roots, you won't find anything futuristic or weird in this cabin. There are no centrally mounted gauges, no acres of touch-buttons and no all-LCD instrument cluster. That's not to say the Energi has a sumptuous cabin per se, but it is the only cabin in this trio that could pass muster in a "normal" $37,000 vehicle. Barely. (Our tester rang in at $37,435.) The Prius on the other hand is full of plastics and fabrics more at home in a $16,000 econo-box.
Ford offers two interior colors on the Energi: black-on-black-on-black, or a greyish tan and your choice of fabric or leather. (I recommend the lighter shade as it makes the cabin feel less claustrophobic.) Front seat comfort is good thanks to an upright crossover-like seating position, wide seats and a decent range of motion. The tilt/telescopic steering wheel extends further than I had expected and made finding a comfortable driving position easy for a variety of driver sizes. The tall cabin and upright seats didn't fool me into thinking the Energi was a crossover, but my back and legs appreciated the seating position and it means the Energi offers considerably more headroom than the Prius or Volt. The rear seats are a bit close to the floor for adults but are the right height for most children. Despite looking narrow, the Energi is more than 3 inches wider than the Prius and 1.5 wider than the Volt which translates into a wider cabin. Sitting three abreast is more comfortable in the Energi than the Prius and more legal than the Volt which only has belts for four. If you routinely carry adults in the rear, the Energi provides 4 inches more headroom and a 2 inches more legroom than the Volt.
When cargo schlepping, the C-MAX's non-hybrid roots are obvious because of where the battery is located. As you can see in the photo above, the battery pack takes up the entire spare tire well and about 7 inches of the trunk floor as well (4 more than the C-MAX without the plug). The reduced hold is a few cubes smaller than the Prius Plug-in (19.2 vs 21.6) but about twice the size of the Volt's 10.6. Keep in mind that 19.2 cu-ft is larger than most sedans, but because Ford didn't adjust the roller-cargo-cover position, you can only put three carrry-on roller bags under the cover. Without the cover it was possible to fit four such bags (rotated 90-degrees) and still see out the rear window. Infotainment All Energi models come with Ford's MyFord Touch system with SYNC voice commands. The system combines climate, entertainment, telephone and navigation chores into one integrated system that looks snazzy and responds to your every whim via voice commands. When it landed in 2010 the press (and owners) soon discovered the system had more bugs than a bag of 5-year-old flour, thankfully Ford has corrected the majority of the flaws although the system remains sluggish at times. Ford's system used to be unique in its ability to voice command your tunes and climate control but Toyota's Entune and Chevrolet's MyLink systems now offer very similar features without the bugs or "laggy" graphics.
Ford's decision to make the C-MAX look and feel like a normal car has a downside. While the "normal" displays will make hybrid virgins feel at ease, they do little to tell you what's going on under the hood. Instead of a tachometer you'll find a configurable kW gauge showing how much power the engine and motor are providing. You'll also see a small battery icon that displays your state of charge and your EV range. The system provides a "braking coach" display that grades you on your ability to recover energy but it does so after the fact rather than helping you adjust your foot while braking. Drivetrain The heart of the C-MAX and the C-MAX Energi drivetrain is a 2.0L Atkinson cycle four-cylinder engine producing 141HP and 129lb-ft of twist and a Ford designed hybrid transaxle that combines a 118HP traction motor and a smaller motor/generator. When working together, the system delivers 188 system horsepower and a TTAC estimated 200-220lb0ft of torque.This is considerably more than the Prius' 134 system HP and the Volt's 149HP. Like the Prius, the Ford sips regular unleaded while the Volt demands premium.
The Energi model uses a 7.6kWh battery pack (7.2 usable) which slots between the Prius Plug-in's 4.4 (4.2 usable) kWh and the Volt's 16.5kWh (10.8 usable) packs. If you look at those numbers you'll notice something, the Volt has a bigger battery but uses less of it. There's a reason. Battery life is reduced by a number of factors but one of the big ones is being at either a high or low state of charge. By using a "larger" battery and never charging it beyond 85% or discharging it below 20% GM is treats their cells with kid gloves. Because of this I believe the Volt's battery is likely to last longer than the competition. Ford claims the Energi is good for 21 miles of EV driving while the Volt claims 38 miles and the Prius lasts only 11. In my testing, the real world numbers drop to 16 for the Energi, 29 for the Volt and 9 for the Prius. Charging times for the Energi vary from 7 hours when plugged into a regular 120V outlet to 2.5 hours if you have access to a 240V "Level 2″ charging station. This (yet again) slots between the Prius Plug-in's 2.5/1.5 hours (120/240V) and the Volts 16/4 hours (120/240V). As with the Prius and the Volt, you don't have to charge the car if you don't want to. (Although why you would spend $8,500 for the bigger battery and never use it is beyond me.)
On the road Like the Prius Plug-in, what allows the Energi to operate as an EV has nothing to do with what's under the hood. The battery's discharge rate is what limits EV travel. The C-MAX's battery tops out at 46HP while the Energi increases the discharge rate to 91HP. As with the rest of the drivetrain metrics, the Energi's output slots between the Prius Plug-in's 51HP and the Volt's 149HP. Think of the Volt vs Energi in this way: In normal EV driving they operate very similarly, but while the Volt delivers 149HP with or without the engine running, the Energi offers 91 or 188 ponies depending on how far you press the go pedal. As a result, the Energi isn't a "Ford Volt" but it is "more EV" than the Prius Plug-in. Unlike the Volt, the Energi will also use its engine to augment cabin heating rather than relying solely on its electric heater in cold weather. While this exacts an MPG toll, defrosting is considerably faster than in the Volt. However, unlike the Prius plug-in, the Energi doesn't need to run the engine to accelerate to highway speed or climb a mountain pass. The Energi is part of a new breed of car where locomotion blends fuel sources allowing you to trade a portion of the gasoline you pay $4.35 a gallon for in California for electricity at $0.10-$0.15 per kWh.
The C-MAX already heavy at 3,600lbs. Add 6.2kW more battery and the Energi's 3,860lb curb weight is a cheeseburger shy of a Jaguar XJ. In comparison, the Prius Plug-in weighs a svelte 3,165lbs and even the porky 3,781lb Volt is lighter. The C-MAX's cub weight and 225/50R17 tires define every aspect of on road performance from how it handles to how it sips fuel. Thanks to its Focus roots, the C-MAX proved a competent handler with a well composed ride when we had it for a week in November. Thankfully the Energi doesn't depart much from this formula, simply feeling like a C-MAX that has an extra 260lbs in the trunk. While the extra battery weight no doubt improved the weight balance, no vehicle equipped with low rolling resistance rubber is going to be a corner carver. That being said, it is more engaging than the Prius or the Volt. On the bright side, the Energi rides like a larger vehicle displaying none of the "crashy" tendencies the Prius is known for. While the electric power steering robs the hatch of 99% of its road feel, it manages to be more engaging than a Prius – admittedly not high bar to jump.
Stomp on the Energi's go-pedal and 60MPH arrives 0.86 seconds later than the C-MAX Hybrid. If you keep your foot on the gas, the Energi recovers some composure finishing the 1/4 mile 0.6 slower. Any way you slice it, that's considerably faster than any flavor of Prius. While we haven't had a Volt in our garage to test, most publications seem to place it around 8.5 seconds to 60. Hybrid systems, batteries and plugs can't change the fact that weight and fuel economy are mortal enemies. While the C-MAX wears a decidedly optimistic 47/47/47 MPG (city/highway/combined) badge, the Energi model drops that figure down to a more believable 44/41/43 MPG. On my commute the C-MAX averaged 41.5 MPG and the Energi averaged 40.7 MPG without charging the battery. On the same commute, a regular Prius scored 50 and the Prius Plug-in scored a slightly higher 52 (thanks to its ability to recapture more energy on my mountain commute.) Meanwhile the Volt delivered a somewhat unimpressive 34 MPG in the same test.
With a full battery on either end of my 60-mile one-way commute, the numbers jump to 72 MPG for the Prius, 60 for the Energi and 45 for the Volt. The observant will note that a regular Prius delivered 50 MPG. If saving money on gasoline is your goal, consider the payback time vs a standard Prius is going to be decades. According to my calculations, if your commute is under 25 miles total, at $0.15/kWh, the Volt is cheaper to run, but only by a few cents. According to the EPA, 25 miles would cost you $1.31 in the Volt, $1.37 in the Ford and $1.47 in the Prius. If your trip goes beyond 30-35 miles, the Prius is cheaper to operate because of its gasoline-only MPGs. The more expensive the gasoline, the greater the difference between the Prius and Volt (and to a lesser extent the Energi) thanks to the Volt's lower fuel economy and thirst for premium gasoline.
With a price range of $32,950-$37,685 (not including $795 destination or the current $3,750 cash on the hood deal), Ford obviously has a limited market in mind. Still, if you're shopping for a Prius Plug-in ($32,000-$40,285) or a Volt ($39,995-$43,750) you either want the latest in technology or you're willing to spend nearly $10,000 to use the HOV lanes solo. There are tax incentives available, but they depend on your tax situation and I'm not an IRS insider. Be sure to consult a tax guru before you bet on credits to balance your books. While it is theoretically possible to save money vs the standard C-MAX, it will take an Eterniti, serious number crunching, and low electricity rates. For instance, on my commute it would take around 300,000 miles, or 11 years. Assuming the battery and car last that long. If your commute is the national average, you'll have to leave the car to your heirs. Maybe they will realize a savings. Still, there is that HOV lane to consider. On my route the HOV stickers would cut my commute time by 40 minutes or 14 hours a month. How much is that worth to you? If $8,700 is your answer, then Ford's C-Max Energi will do nicely. Personally, I'd skip the plug and get a Fusion Hybrid. Ford provided the vehicle, one tank of gas and insurance for this review Specifications as tested 0-30: 3.1 Seconds (non-plugin: 2.9) 0-60: 7.91 Seconds (non-plugin: 7.05) 1/4 Mile: 16.15 Seconds @ 87 MPH (non-plugin: 15.55 Seconds @ 92 MPH) Average Fuel Economy: 52 MPG over 523 miles (non-plugin: 41.5 MPG over 625 miles)
                                   from The Truth About Cars http://www.thetruthaboutcars.com | |||
| | |||
| | |||
|
Friday, January 25, 2013
Review: 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi Plug-In Hybrid (Video)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment