Used 2016 Ford C-Max Energi Wagon Consumer Reviews
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Great comfort, pickup compared to Prius
Leung, 12/27/2016
updated 06/27/2019
2016 Ford C-Max Energi SEL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
44 of 44 people found this review helpful
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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C-Max Energi
Keith, 08/30/2016
2016 Ford C-Max Energi SEL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
15 of 15 people found this review helpful
Went from the Civic Hybrid to the C-Max and WOW what a difference, not just in the EV mode, but in every aspect. I loved the Civic, but so far the C-Max has outdone it in every way. Full EV to work and half way back and in the past 1.5 months I have used only half a tank. It has unexpected power and I would consider it to be somewhat of a luxury vehicle, since it came with every option, except auto park. Both my wife and I love it and it was a great choice, especially since the Prius has gone a bit overboard on its styling and who isn't sick of seeing a grey Prius everywhere. Cargo space is the only downfall.
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Don't want my car/ Car is back after reprogramming
Joan, 08/21/2016
2016 Ford C-Max Energi SEL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
23 of 24 people found this review helpful
We signed the papers to lease this car on Saturday, August 13, 2016. 62 miles on the odometer. After sitting in the lot learning how to operate the car, we were ready to go! But the car would not start. Nothing! No one knew what to do, but finally they got it going. The salesman said that they reset the code. Drove home ( with a Ford employee following in case of a breakdown) and got home with no problem. On Wednesday, August 17th the car would not start again. Now there were 122 miles on the odometer. I had the car towed to the nearest dealership and there she sits. The service manager called and said that the "electronic control module for hybrid" needs replacing. This part is on back order. Does this mean that there is a run on this part?? I no longer want this car. I bought this car to replace my 14 year old car, because I wanted a reliable car. Ha ha. I'd like to be able to keep in touch with Ray Brisbine of CA. He seems to have had the same experience and I'd like to know if his problems were resolved. We got the car back from dealer service after 2 weeks. The service manager told us that Ford engineers called him and said the car did not need a new control module, but rather the computer needed re-programming. So, Ford engineers talked the dealer tech people through a complete re-programming of my c-max energi. We've had it back for 4 days and it is running well. We hope that this is "the fix". The service manager said that they have gotten a recall for all c-max energi cars, probably for this reprogramming. We still have a minor problem: holding the lock sensor area for a second does not work to lock the doors. However, unlocking does work. Also, if I lock the doors with the power door locks while exiting, the car locks, but about 15 seconds later the horn beeps loudly until car is unlocked. We found the Ford dealership to be very helpful during this period, even giving us a lender car to keep for the duration of the repair.
On my 2nd engi.
Al, 08/30/2016
2016 Ford C-Max Energi SEL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
12 of 12 people found this review helpful
Got one in 13 as lease. I'm s up and getting my 2nd one. Had the hybrid first did not care for it but love the engi. First 1 1/2 years before needed gas. Now I drive more so avg around 180 mpe. And buy gas every 1200 miles or so for 10 gal. I drive at 80 plus 20 miles each way to work and home. Charge at home and work So get a fair amount of elec use. I est the elec cost @ 85. A gal equivalent for the electricity But the best part is not going to gas station often and just quiet elec is
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Really enjoyable for a hybrid
Jason Gold, 09/27/2016
2016 Ford C-Max Energi SEL 4dr Wagon (2.0L 4cyl gas/electric hybrid CVT)
19 of 20 people found this review helpful
A few weeks ago, I traded in my 10 year old BMW Z4 3.0si for the C-Max Energi with the higher trim level. The C-Max Energi is not the Z4. This will never be the impractical joy that my Z4 is to drive. But, the Z4 isn't the competition. The Prius is. So, I drove my friend's Prius last night. The C-Max really out shines it. The C-Max has more acceleration, better road feel, a better quality interior, more comfortable seats, and a nicer info-entertainment center than the Toyota. I learned how to drive a hybrid for mileage on a Ford Escape Hybrid (I love the Escape - 250K miles and only $2500 in repairs, and it tows 3,500 lbs). It taught me how to get good mileage in a hybrid. When driving easy around town with acceleration and braking which makes anyone following turn tomato red, I get around 50 mpg in straight hybrid mode. On the freeway, I get mid-30s to low 40s. With the car drawing on the big battery in pure electric mode, I get far better mileage. I drive with Lyft and Uber for some extra cash and have had people comment on how spacious the car is for a small vehicle and how comfortable the seats are. Another commented on how well the Bluetooth phone sounded. Several people have been thrilled and excited by the automatic parking system. With the federal and state money, combined with the rebate Ford offered and the deal I got from my local Ford dealer, I'm paying as little for this as I would for a base Honda Accord. Compared to the Z4, this is making the payments with gas and insurance savings and functionality. I'll still miss the Z4. But, this is much easier to get in and out of.
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