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Consumer Reviews for the Ford C-Max Energi
Read recent reviews for the Ford C-Max Energi
Great comfort, pickup compared to Prius
Leung, 12/27/2016
2016 Ford C-Max Energi SEL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
The car is a “Plug-in Hybrid”. The “Plug-In” part is a pure electric car. It needs to be “plugged-in” to an electric power source to charge its battery. This battery is used to power an electric motor to drive the car. Electric only vehicles are typically called “EVs” and I will use EV to refer to the car in electric-only mode. Separate from the EV, C-Max Energi is a “Hybrid” car. … The Hybrid is a car with a normal gasoline engine, but also uses the engine to charge a battery, which powers an electric motor to either drive the car on its own or supplements the gasoline engine to drive the car. This improves gas mileage, especially in stop-and-go city driving.
The battery for the EV part of the C-Max Energi is good for about 20 miles on a full charge and 550-mile range on a full tank/charge.
Prior to getting this car, I had rented several Toyota Prius models and drove them for months. They have many plusses: first, they have been on the market for over 10 years so all the kinks have been worked out; next, they have 50+ MPG gas mileage and even higher in stop-and-go city driving. Also, there are probably 15 variations of Prius to choose from. And Toyotas have legendary reliability. So, why did I go for the C-Max, a Ford, an American car? The two minuses compared to the Prius are it has lower gas mileage - 45 MPG in my first two tanks of gas - and the reliability is unknown – the model has been available for about five years. Consumer reports has the C-Max 5-10% below the Prius in reliability. But, I felt the pluses where many. Listing them quickly:
• It’s much quieter - insulation from road noise and a longer wheelbase and larger wheels means it rides smoother/quieter.
• Better acceleration - while the engine is 2.0L vs. the Prius 1.8L, the C-Max is heavier cancelling out the larger engine advantage. But the C-Max combines electric and gas power when you want to accelerate, so getting on the highway quickly is no problem.
• Roomier and higher - for such a small frame, its very roomy inside because it’s tall so getting in and out is easy.
• Lower cost - because it’s an EV, there are a number of government incentives (below) that lower the cost.
To sum up my view, the C-Max Energi has many plusses and only two minuses, which I can live with. And I’m buying American (paperwork with the car says it’s about 55% US, with the rest from Japan, Mexico and elsewhere)
EVs qualify for up to a US$7,500 federal government tax credit and the C-Max Energi qualifies for a $4,007. It also qualifies for $1,500 rebate from California. These incentives make the car much less expensive and pushed me to get the plug-in hybrid instead of a normal hybrid. Combined with incentives from Ford, the price was very attractive and pushed me to get a C-Max Energi vs. the Prius.
After being shown the numbers, there was no way I was not going to lease. Before I go into the numbers in the lease, let me describe the incentives (or discounts) from Ford that totaled $12,000:
⁃ $4000 tax credit for an EV. If I bought the car, I would be able to reduce my federal taxes by $4000. However, if I leased the car and Ford still owned it, Ford would take the tax credit and give me an immediate $4000 discount.
⁃ $4000 factory incentives - this was a $4000 standard discount that Ford had provided all year.
⁃ $2500 year-end incentives - combined with a few other programs, I get another $2500 off.
⁃ $1500 lease incentive - this one I don’t really understand. If I bought the car outright, I would get all of the above. If I leased the car, I would get $1500 more.
The 2016 C-Max Energy had a sticker price of $34,000. Add to it about $2,000 of taxes and fees and subtract the $12,000 in incentives, right off the bat, the car is costing me $24,000. (34,000+2,000-12,000 = $24,000). $24,000 is the amount I am financing with lease.
Then Ford took the $12,000 less the $2,000 tax and expense and used the remaining $10,000 as a down payment for the lease. So I had to put no money down. I drove off with the car, and except for paying for insurance, did not pay a dime.
I looked at the monthly payments and the residual value, (the amount I would have to pay if I decided to keep the car at the end of the term for lease) for a lease of 24 months, 36 months and 48 months. It was clear that the 36- month lease was the lowest cost.
The numbers are:
⁃ Price of the car: $24,000
⁃ Deduct the end of three years’ residual value provided by Ford: $12,500
⁃ My 36 payments, including interest: $12,000
⁃ Tax on the payments: $1,000
So, I am paying $13,000 divided by 36 monthly payments (about $360 a month) and can give the car back to Ford at the end. If I want to keep the car, I pay Ford $12,500 plus tax of about $1,000 or $13,500. I have done the math and the interest rate I am paying 4.36% per year.
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