Wheatridger

The car has been dealer-maintained since we bought it fresh off lease in 2017. Silver with black interior, it has a sunroof. One minor rear-ender caused a hatchback and bumper replacement, which was professionally repaired with excellent results. Lifetime MPG average of 38 mpg in mixed local and commuting use. No known mechanical, electrical or battery issues. Does need new tires, which I will factor in to the final price. Transmission flush and 12v battery replacement done recently. Price? I see only a few of these locally, all in the mid-teens. All reasonable offers considered. The car and I live in Denver, but personal delivery might be arranged if I'd like a quick vacation there.

Let me settle this question conclusively- You can't judge a efficiency of a PHEV like the Energi on instant MPG reports, EPA numbers or even trip logs. It's the lifetime MPG record that tells all. We own two C-Maxes, bought in 2017. -The 2014 Hybrid, driven 40k miles, has recorded 38 mpg consistently since we bought it used. -The 2017 Energi at 40K miles had a 70 MPG average. Changing to run flats for 20k miles dropped that to 61 MPG. So it's averaged about 65 MPG over its lifetime. That's what matters to me, because it represents the amount of gas used, CO2 created, etc. Wasn't that the goal? That's gas I didn't have to pay for, the week I didn't have to stop for gas and pay the associated "Twinkie tax." Why does the Energi use so much less gas? Because my use of the car isn't commuting or all-day driving, but a mix of a few long drives and a lot of puttering around. Most of my car trips are within EV range, and those are the kind of short trips with cold engines that kill otherwise-efficient ICE cars, and their fuel mileage. But it's all in how you drive it: blazing up to Loveland Pass, I get gas mileage in the teens, but on the ten-mile run down the backside I can regenerate eight EV miles. I met an Energi owner who claimed 200 mpg lifetime, because he drove his Excursion on every trip over 20 miles. (I call that gaming the system...") When the Energi's plug-in miles are depleted, it still spends much more time in in EV mode than the Hybrid, for its own mysterious reasons. It's a smoother drive, but watch out. One pro tip is to switch to "EV Later" mode when you approach a highway on-ramp. If you need quick power to merge into traffic, it takes more time to call down to the Energi Room for more power!

As a "chauffeur," you want the Hybrid. You'll need the trunk space for passengers' luggage.

You've probably bought the car now, so congratulations! (But if you haven't, I was going to talk you into getting an SEL or Titanium instead.)

Sounds like a temporary ride at a parking-lot carnival, somehow dangerous, boring and sketchy all at the same time.

The OP was asking about "performance," not efficiency. That usually means handling and acceleration, so I just can say that my C-Max Hybrid replaced a VW GTI, and I'm not disappointed. My Ford zips away from stoplights and roars over the Rocky Mountains at 75 mph, if I want to drive that way. The tall, heavy C-Max leans in corners, but the steering is sharp and sporty, too. "Northern Illinois," hmm... This isn't a good snow car. I was just snowed in on my long driveway for a day in Denver. With low ground clearance, the C-Max acts as a snowplow when the snow gets deep. Do you have a "winter beater" vehicle too? On the other hand, the C-max has never failed to start in the cold! Our 2014 Hybrid SEL has averaged 38 mpg in its lifetime. That's very good, but my Energi model does almost twice as well. Both have been cheap to own. Two cars, 120K total miles over five years has totalled about $150 in repairs.

Shopping for my next car is hard! You can pay twice as much and get less, in terms of features, at least. For five years, we've had nothing but C-Maxes in our driveway, but now I need something beefier to pull the little Scamp travel trailer we just bought. There are so many compact SUVs competing for my dollar, but most of them lack comforts and features we've become used to, especially compared to my 2017 Titanium model. How can you spend so much more and get less? Let me count the ways... https://www.ford.com/cars/c-max/ At this sad little web page, Ford suggests we replace "the car with zippy performance, versatile interior and a little something for everyone" with an Ecosport or an Escape. The Ecosport is a much smaller car with less power and MPGs, plus a tailgate hinged on the wrong side that reveals it was intended for left-hand driving markets. So I went out to drive a new 2.0T Escape SEL. The styling is as sexy and sophisticated as the C-Max isn't. The drive was excellent, but the car was boomy and loud when doing highway speeds, where the C-Max is quite quiet. Then I checked out the top trim level, Titanium Elite, and found that the seat moves only up and down, at a fixed angle. No new Escape at any price has independent adjustments of the front and rear of the seat bottom! That's a key requirement for my wife's comfort, and I use it a lot too, to shift my weight around on long drives. When I told my salesman that my car does this, he said, with a hint of envy, "That's the Lincoln seat. They put a Lincoln seat in it." Well, well... so what's a Lincoln seat like? The next day I drove the Escape equivalent, a Lincoln MKC. It was love at first sight! I'd never given Lincoln much of a thought since JFK died in one, but this was a hugely appealing little crossover. Besides full seat cushion adjustments, it had better handling, power, interior quality and options than the Escape. I brought it to my wife and we agreed to buy one, if not that one. But on the ride back to the dealership, I confirmed my impression that the heated seats weren't doing anything. The saleslady, a Ford owner, agreed. Further online research reveals that Lincoln's "heated/cooled seats" are actually neither- they're ventilated with fan-driven interior air, lacking a resistance heating element like normal seats. These premium seats are installed in all but the most basic Lincolns. If this doesn't matter to you, you ought to give Lincoln a look. The price is lower than other luxury marques, and the warranty is longer than Ford offers. Today we went out to sample a BMW x3. Hours of online research made it look like the one. The standard seats even have air bladders that adjust backrest width several inches, from wide to snug! But my dear wife objected after 15 seconds in the seat. The bottom was somewhat adjustable for angle, but it never goes as flat as the C-Max can, like she likes it. Too bad, seemed like the perfect one... That was all in the last four days. Cycles of enthusiasm, experience and disappointment at how little comfort ($35,000 slightly used) can buy. A few other candidates remain, each comfortable enough but with other flaws: the Volvo XC40 (ugly, seats too high); XC60 (few buttons or dials, touchscreen interface for everything, feels huge); Mercedes GLK350 (older, poor gas mileage, less tech). My C-Max, with a Focus-based suspension, steers better than all the others (didn't test the BMW). To get the blind-spot, rear camera and tailgate features of my Titanium, you have to go pretty deep into the modern Mercedes and BMW options lists, too. Please don't recommend the Asian brands; I don't like conventional CVTs and I don't trust Korean engines. My wife doesn't trust Audis, and VW makes nothing with that tow rating. Just my take on how difficult it can be to duplicate the rich mix of features in our homely little hatchbacks. And I'm ignoring fuel economy, because this CUV needs to have a 3500-lb towing capacity. Volvo has a PHEV XC60 that can do the job efficiently, but it's priced in the mid-40s used and $50k+ new. Maybe that's our car in a couple of years. Fortunately, this isn't a farewell story. I'm keeping my own C-Max Energi after we sell the wife's Hybrid. But I understand the story the Lincoln lady told me. "We took a C-Max in trade and the owner wept. And not just because he brought his kids home in the car."

That looks good! Was that the 20mm or the 30mm kit?

Five years of running a pair of C-Maxen has taught me to expect a minimum of repair concerns, so imagine my surprise yesterday when a pair of RECALL NOTICE envelopes arrived in the mail from Ford. "On your vehicle, it may be possible that the transmission shifter cable bushing is damaged or missing." This problem could lead to the vehicle staying in gear and moving unexpectedly when the shift leaver has been set to Park," they explained. It will be repaired for free "when parts become available." Fortunately, we are not instructed to stop driving our cars -- both my cars are C-Maxen -- but we're reminded to set the parking brake before shifting into Park. My first notice was for my 2017 C-Max Energi. The other one was for my wife's 2014 C-Max Hybrid. This recall must be very comprehensive among models and years. My cars also got recall notices a year ago, regarding possibly faulty rear door latches. They included an instruction sheet, with photos, on how to check your latch part number, but there was no chart, list or web link telling us which numbers were faulty! I assume it got checked at my last service...

Regarding the review- Alex Dykes is a breath of fresh air on the net. He's so factual and content-filled that he barely takes time to mention his name, branding be damned. He's fair and specific, and doesn't waste time with comedy and stray issues. I really appreciate his analysis at 29:00 about the concept of building more hybrids versus a smaller number of pure EVs. I've been saying the same thing for years. Do the math; small numbers matter more. There are two ways to save two gallons of gas on a hundred-mile trip: 1) trade a 20 mpg vehicle for a 33 mpg one, or 2) trade a 50 mpg vehicle for an EV. The savings are the same... If there's one place Alex goes astray, it's expecting the PHEV to get 1 mpg mpg more than the hybrid. I've been running a five-year experiment with two C-MAXes, one hybrid and on Energi, and the PHEV consistently gets about 75% better gas mileage. The Energi's lifetime average is 66 mpg, while the Hybrid stays stuck at 38 mpg. My usage pattern wasn't ideal for a PHEV, because I drove it over 100 miles on several days of the week. Even with zero miles showing on the EV battery, the Energi will get 45 mpg in 75mph freeway traffic. Alex didn't mention overnight charging for his PHEV (he talks so fast!), and that's certainly no way to get a benefit out of a PHEV.

Three months later, you've probably gotten your car and formed your own opinion. Here's the differences I've noted between my 2014 Hybrid SEL and 2017 Energi Titanium - 65 mpg vs. 38 mpg. Yes, for real! - the Energi spends a surprising amount of time in EV, even when maintaining speed on a flat highway. - Energi Titaniums were with active noise cancelation, which makes a big difference. It's the quietest car I've ever had.

Thanks for the advice. I have found the APIM listed for under $400. The labor on the job was quoted by a Ford dealer as three hours, or $600. I'd hate to waste that labor on a part that couldn't be guaranteed. But there's progress anyway. I upgraded my iPhone 11 to a 13. Now the radio commands work quickly and dependably, BUT only if the phone is connected to the car by the lightning cord. I haven't attempted yet to pair them through Bluetooth.

By my experience, these are extremely durable, trusty cars. I come from VWs, Audis and SAABs, so I know car trouble. With the C-Max, I'm not seeing much of that. Our family fleet consists of my wife's 2014 Hybrid and my 2017 Energi. We're about to pass five years with each, or a total of 100,000 miles together. Here's our total spent on repairs: less than $100 to replace two leaky seals on the transmission cooler hoses. And this was on the older car, at 80,000 miles! One larger problem remains unrepaired: the SYNC 3 system on my 2017 needs a new computer module. The latest bid is for that $1200. I've chosen to wait, because the audio system works eventually, just very slowly sometimes. This is a known problem with all Fords with SYNC 3, so it's not specific to the C-Max. I expect these cars to last as long as I want to drive them. That's why i just had transmission fluid changed in both of them. It would be nice to trade one for an AWD crossover, though. I'd keep the Energi long-term. Beyond the reliability issues, there are several nice improvements with the 2016 model year, including: - dash vents that don't blow cold air on your hands - sharper-looking two-tone wheels - remote start - parking radar - better dash screen, with an "off" button.

That reviewer who bemoaned the Energi's periodic use of the ICE in EV mode is missing the practical point behind EVs and hybrids. It's to reduce my use of fossil fuels, which my C-Max Energi's 65mpg lifetime average has accomplished. The point isn't to rack up as many EV miles as you can, for purity or piety's sake. Did the writer realize that when the ICE "fires up" for engine braking, there's no fire? Fuel is cut off while the engine pumps air against its own compression.