2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid Targets 47 mpg—and the Toyota Prius v

The record-setting debut of the redesigned 2013 Ford Escape—which helped the Blue Oval’s small crossover outsell the Honda CR-V by more than 5,000 units last month—was certainly good news. But the transition between the 2012 model and the new one does have the potential to leave some customers out in the cold. That’s because Ford has axed the Escape Hybrid and will be looking to cut into Toyota’s hybrid-sales leadership with the 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid instead.

The C-MAX is slated to arrive in dealerships before the end of the year and was designed to provide the interior versatility that has long made crossovers so popular, but without sacrificing any of those benefits to fit inside a crossover-shaped package. As a result, the vehicle actually shares many of its design cues with the striking Ford Focus (and is built using the same dynamic vehicle platform). More to the point, the C-MAX has been configured as a direct competitor to the Toyota Prius v—and one that bests its Toyota rival in terms of price, power and fuel efficiency.

“The C-MAX Hybrid builds on Ford’s 20 years of hybrid innovation and fuel-efficient offerings to take on Prius v with better city fuel economy at 47 mpg and at better value—[it’s] a great chance for us to shake up the hybrid market,” said Raj Nair, group vice president, Global Product Development. “C-MAX Hybrid delivers 3 mpg more than Prius v with 50 more horsepower and exclusive technologies such as our hands-free liftgate—and the $1,300-lower base price means the payback period will be the smallest in the segment.”

2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid: Taking on Toyota

Ford is promoting a number of different benefits of the 2013 C-MAX Hybrid as compared to the Prius v, but perhaps the most important one is fuel economy; after all, that’s the impetus behind launching the vehicle in the first place. EPA marks for the C-MAX Hybrid are expected to come in at 47 mpg city/44 mpg highway, and that compares to ratings of 44 mpg city/40 mpg highway for the Prius v—representing Ford advantages of 6.8 percent/10 percent. Yet Ford also notes that this isn’t a case of the C-MAX Hybrid sacrificing power for fuel economy, since it packs a total of 188 hp; the Prius v makes do with 134 horses.

And then the C-MAX also is significantly less expensive than the Toyota, too. The former will be priced from $25,250 (before destination charges), while the latter starts at $26,550, for a difference of $1,300 and almost 5 percent. 

Of course, all that stuff represents just one side of the equation. These vehicles are supposed to be as family friendly as they are fuel friendly, and it’s here that the Prius v gains back some of its mojo. The C-MAX Hybrid is 173.6 inches long, 72 wide and 63.9 tall, and the Prius v is a bit more than 8 inches longer—albeit about 2 inches shorter in height and narrower.And those dimensions give the Prius v a noticeable advantage in cargo volume. Yes, the Toyota has 2.5 fewer cubic feet for occupants, but it also has almost 10 more for gear behind the back seats and 14.7 cubic feet more with the rear seats folded flat. In addition, Prius v owners can slide their vehicles’ rear seats forward for an added 6 cubic feet of rear gear space while still using those back seats for children.

2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid: The Tale of the Tape

Now, there’s no way that the Ford C-MAX Hybrid will be a success if it only attracts customers who would otherwise buy a Toyota Prius v. So let’s run the numbers and compare the Blue Oval product to a couple of other potential rivals, along with the Prius v and, for kicks, the 2013 Ford Escape.

(Note: Volume is in cubic feet, and EPA grades are city/highway. Also, those are the most fuel-efficient choices within each model line, so we’re talking about the VW Jetta SportWagen diesel and the Ford Escape with the 1.6-liter EcoBoost engine; finally, the Mazda5 is a three-row vehicle, and its cargo measurements are for the third row folded and then both rear rows folded.)

Vehicle

MSRP

Vol. (people/cargo/seats flat)

EPA ratings

Ford C-MAX

$25,250

99.7/24.5/52.6

44/47

Toyota Prius v

$26,550

97.2/34.3/67.3

44/40

VW Jetta SportWagen

$25,540

91.7/32.8/66.9

30/42

Mazda5

$19,625

97.7/27.5/55.4

21/28

Ford Escape

$26,820

98.1/34.3/68.1

23/33

2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid: With Added Energi

For drivers who can live with a bit less cargo space and want a lot more efficiency, the Blue Oval also will sell the Ford C-MAX Energi—a plug-in version of the C-MAX Hybrid. There aren’t many details about the C-MAX Energi’s performance yet, but Ford says it will provide a better miles-per-gallon-equivalent rating than the Toyota Prius Plug-in, which would put it above the 95 MPGe mark in combined driving. The Prius Plug-in provides up to 13 or so miles of all-electric driving, too, and it would be a shock if the Ford couldn’t accomplish roughly the same thing.

On the other hand, the Energi’s bigger lithium-ion pack—as compared to the C-MAX Hybrid—adds about 300 lbs. to the vehicle’s curb weight while subtracting 5.3 cubic feet of cargo space with the rear seats up and 9.8 with those seats folded flat; passenger volume does remain the same.

More details about the 2013 Ford C-Max Energi will be provided closer to its on-sale date later this year.