Hitting the road with Ford’s C-Max Electric Hybrid

Ford C-Max Electric Hybrid – Forward thinking

As we planned our trip to Southern Montana and South Dakota, we learned we would be driving a Ford C-Max Hybrid Electric Car, courtesy of Ford Canada. With both of us currently driving older and very spacious Ford Explorers, the first thing that came to mind was – would there be enough room for all four of us and our bags? After picking up the Ford C-Max, we ran a few errands in the city before taking the C-Max on the road.

We have done many road trips over the years and what’s important to us is comfort. The C-Max Hybrid’s 5-passenger seating offered versatile and comfortable second-row cloth seats and storage compartments under the floor including loads of leg room for the kids. Another important feature when traveling with kids is cargo room. As SUV drivers we are used to having a lot of room for all the stuff. This time we didn’t need so much stuff but were still able to pack a lot into the back of the car.

One of the hardest things to get used to in this car (in a good way) was the push button start. Once you are in the car you simply press the brake pedal and then the start button. Shift into gear and go.

Although we were traveling in the summer, heated front seats and heated exterior mirrors are a bonus for cold weather driving, cold days or those who are just cold all the time (no names). This also extends to the dual-zone climate controls allowing individual preference all around.

We loved the SYNC3 voice-activated technology. Being able to find a coffee or ice cream shop on the touchscreen via the available navigation or voice commands was really convenient. Hooking up our smartphone through the interface made the ride so much more enjoyable.

SmartGauge with EcoGuide offers a multitude of customizable LCD displays that help you understand how changing your driving habits can have a direct effect on maximizing vehicle efficiency. Content such as the Energy History, Energy Coach and Efficiency Leaves work together to help you monitor and improve your driving performance over time. Regenerative braking recovers energy that is usually lost during braking or coasting and stores that energy in your battery for later use. This car is just so cool.

Throughout our trip we stayed under the posted speed limit at all times and I was amazed at how the lithium-ion battery and the 2.0L I-4 Atkinson-cycle gasoline-powered engine worked together by using the motor and generator to help maximize the vehicle’s efficiency. With our Explorers we have to fill up regularly. With the C-Max it felt like we could drive forever before filling up.

We wouldn’t hesitate to drive this car again. It’s cute, it’s compact and it has everything we needed as a family for both inner city driving and our road trip. The answer to my question about there being enough room? There was tons of room for us and our stuff!

Disclosure: This post has been sponsored by Ford Canada. We were given a Ford C-Max Electric Hybrid to test drive on our trip to the United States. As always, opinions are my own.