Could a Ford be our next Hybrid?

cnh

Was reading about this today. Looks pretty good. We'll be needing a new hybrid in a year or so when I retire the Impala and I inherit my wife's Prius. Anyone know anymore about this?

Cheaper than a Prius, better handling and mileage than a Prius V, more powerful than a Prius, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound: it's a bird, it's a plane, it's a FORD!

http://autos.yahoo.com/blogs/motoramic/2013-ford-c-max-hybrid-america-first-prius-183635868.html


cnh

Jstas

Well, the C-Max is a European thing being brought over here to replace the Focus Wagon that has been absent from the market for a few years now.

But the hybrid system is similar to what is in the Fusion Hybrid and that gets stellar reviews for not being a stuffy, jellybean, mileage-mobile devoid of any fun or comforts. Also, unlike the Prius which has come under fire for not offering the advertise mileage ratings in real life performance, the Ford hybrids seem to be on par with what they are rated at.

There are quite a few hybrids on the market right now. But top spot seems to be a battle with Ford and Toyota duking it out for top honors. If you're in the market for a hybrid I don't think you can go wrong with a Toyota or a Ford.

That said, hybrids.....*YAWN*

zingo

Looks better than the Prius.

cnh

Hey Sal,

What did the solar panels run per panel? And how many would you need?

Thanks!

cnh

shawn474

My best friend was one of the lead engineers with BP corporation in their solar division (was one of, if not THE largest solar panel manufacturing company in North America). They completely shut down operations and he was forced to find a new job. The cost to benefit ratio just isn't feasible for most to buy solar panels. If you want to be green, pay a lot of upfront cost and have the patience to wait 5-10 years before you start seeing a true payback, it might be the way to go. But the reality is that installing the solar panels and all of the equipment needed, it will not pay off for many, many years. BP tried to break into the American market, but ultimately the bulk of their business came from places like Australia, Hong Kong, Madrid, etc.

mhardy6647

We've had a Ford hybrid since December 2004. Yeah, not 100.000% all-Ford as the new one purports to be, but, nonetheless, a Ford 4WD Escape hybrid. Over 150,000 miles on it and running average gas mileage of 34.5 mpg as I type this.

I am very keen to see the new C-Max if there'll be a 4wd version. The new Escape has no hybrid morph :-(

Plenty of PV panels going up in New England; we just put up 2.4 kW worth (but that's another story for another time).

falconcry72

mhardy6647 wrote: »

...Over 150,000 miles on it and running average gas mileage of 34.5 mpg as I type this.

You have saved about 3152.17 gallons of gas vs. if you had bought the same Ford Escape non-hybrid XLT @ avg. 20mpg. That's about $12k in American bucks.

hochpt21

I've had a 2009 Ford Escape Hybrid for 1.5 yrs. I get 29 mgp in the summer and 25 in the winter. The little guagey thing reads about 1-2 mpg more than that, but is not accurate.

I really like the vehicle. Its is awd and very good in poor road conditions (thank you Wisconsin)

I've only had a short sample, but so far my Ford hybrid seems pretty solid.