Having Fun & Giving Back In The Ford CMAX

Vehicle provided for test drive. Gift card provided and purchases made with it donated to charity.

We were excited recently to be given the opportunity to test drive the Ford C-MAX Hybrid for a week. As you may know, we are need to go car shopping soon. Our 2000 SUV is on it’s last legs. That’s why we couldn’t wait for the C-MAX to arrive. It’s been on our list as cars we needed to check out. After having the old SUV for so long we’ve been looking for something that was much more fuel efficient and a good fit for our family.

When Dave heard that the C-MAX was on it’s way he said he had heard it was a great hybrid vehicle and couldn’t wait to test drive it. When they dropped it off we hopped in and went for a drive. Right away we were struck by the how much room was in the car. It’s smaller than the sedan we usually drive but we didn’t feel on top of each other and everyone had plenty of space.

It’s been just a bit snowy here in Cleveland (understatement).

We enjoyed our time with the C-MAX and a few of our other favorite features included:

Hybrid Features

The electric motor powered by and advanced state-of-the-art battery had us getting 47 mpg. A far cry from what we get with our old SUV. We were amazed at how far we could travel and how little gas was used. Every time you hit the brake the battery charges which we found incredibly convenient. We were impressed by how much we’d save at the pump with the Hybrid C-MAX and it’s made us seriously consider purchasing a hybrid for our next vehicle.

Smart Gauge with EcoGuide & Brake Coach

We liked the display panel which offered all kinds of information evaluating how we were driving. The Brake Coach would pop up often to let us know how efficiently we were braking. At the end of a trip, the display would tell us how far we went, how much fuel we used, and what our brake score was.

The display would also grow leaves on the right side whenever we drove efficiently. We found this real time information interesting, intriguing, and fun. It helped us learn how to get the most efficiency from the C-MAX.

Heated Mirrors with Blindspot Magnification

As you can probably guess the first two photos in this post were provided by Ford. I had to ask for them because it’s snowed so much here in Cleveland, I couldn’t get a good photo of it. From the time they dropped it off to the time they picked it up, it was covered in snow and ice. That’s why we loved the heated side mirrors. What a brilliant idea! They made getting those mirrors cleaned off lots faster which meant we could hop in the car quicker to warm up.

We also liked the side mirrors had a section on them that magnified your blindspot area. This made it easier to see if there was a car in the blindspot and made us feel safer while driving.

Impressive Storage

We found the C-MAX to be impressive in the amount it can store. In fact we put it to the test recently when we accepted a challenge from Ford to doing something charitable while we had the C-MAX. Ford sent a gift card and asked us to select a charity of our choice to give back to in some way.

Immediately I thought of the pet shelter where we got Yoshi. She was just a little pup back in September when we got her from the Northeast Ohio SPCA and when we were there I remember seeing a sign asking for donations of dog food and other items.

She’s grown quite a bit since then!

I hopped online to see if they had a list of items they needed or any donation information. I found a huge list on their website and I called to see which items they were in critical need of. We had all planned to go together but if you’ve been reading our posts and social media updates you know that we’ve been battling a vicious case of the stomach flu in our house. We tried putting this off until we could all go but our time was running out with the C-MAX so only Dave and Logan were able to make this trip.

They climbed into the C-MAX, with shopping list in hand ready to pile the cart high with pet supplies or other necessities. 

Once they got everything on our list they started packing it all into the car.Dave took a picture to show how well everything from the big shopping trip fit into the C-MAX.

They headed off to the pet shelter and went in to let them know we had the donations. The staff at the shelter were very excited to see them. Dave and Logan started unloading the car and brought the items inside. Everyone was all smiles and Logan enjoyed being able to stop back into the shelter where we got Yoshi. We were all excited to be able to give back to them and help out.

Here’s a photo of the trunk empty so you can get a good idea of it’s size.

We’ve had a lot of fun with 2013 Ford C-MAX Hybrid and enjoyed the opportunity to give back. Our time with this car enlightened us to all it has to offer and we are considering it as a replacement for the old SUV. We recommend the C-MAX to anyone looking for a great hybrid with lots of impressive features. With a sticker price of $30,000 and the considerable savings in gas it offers, it’s a good find and a good fit for families.