Car news! Ford C-Max Energi Wagon

Ford C-Max Energi Wagon

Full 2014 Ford C-Max Energi Review

What's New for 2014

Apart from minor tweaks to the transmission and body aerodynamics to improve fuel efficiency, the Ford C-Max Energi continues essentially unchanged for 2014.

Introduction

Plug-in hybrids occupy a sliver of a market niche between standard hybrid cars and full electric vehicles. With their larger-capacity battery packs, plug-ins typically allow you to drive somewhere between 10 and 40 miles (depending on which one you get) purely on electric power before switching over to normal hybrid operation. Within this tiny segment, the five-passenger 2014 Ford C-Max Energi wagon has plenty of good points in its favor and only a few against it.

As with the C-Max Hybrid, the Energi employs a 2.0-liter four-cylinder gasoline engine paired with an electric motor. The Energi, however, has a larger lithium-ion battery pack, and that allows owners to drive up to 19 miles (and at speeds up to 85 mph) solely on electric power. For many people, this could be enough to run errands or commute to work without ever switching over to gas. And fully recharging the Ford C-Max Energi on a 240-volt system takes just a few hours.

On longer drives, the C-Max Energi switches over to standard hybrid mode using both gas and electric power. In our testing of a 2013 model, we had little difficulty eking out 40 mpg in this mode. Ford says it has made a few tweaks to the 2014 C-Max Energi to boost fuel economy, though its recently adjusted EPA combined rating is identical to last year's car at 38 mpg combined.

Body Styles, Trim Levels, and Options

The 2014 Ford C-Max Energi is a five-passenger plug-in hybrid wagon available in a single SEL trim level. The non-plug-in Ford C-Max Hybrid is reviewed separately.

Standard equipment on the Energi includes 17-inch alloy wheels, heated mirrors with integrated blind-spot mirrors, foglamps, automatic wipers, rear parking sensors, keyless entry and ignition, full power accessories, a tilt-and-telescoping steering wheel, dual-zone automatic climate control, leather upholstery, an auto-dimming rearview mirror, heated front seats and an eight-way power-adjustable driver seat (with two-way power lumbar). Electronic features include the Sync voice-activated electronics interface, Bluetooth phone and audio connectivity, an 8-inch touchscreen display with the MyFord Touch interface, and a six-speaker sound system with a CD player, an auxiliary audio jack, satellite radio and an iPod/USB audio interface.

The Premium Audio and Navigation package adds a navigation system and a nine-speaker Sony sound system with HD radio. To this you can add the Hands-Free Technology package, which includes a rearview camera and an enhanced power liftgate that allows you to open it simply by swiping your foot under the bumper.