Does anyone here have experience with / an opinion about the Ford C-Max? We're about to enter the new car market and are pitting the Volt against it and the Prius. (The new 2016 Prius is so ugly, though, that it's starting to fall off our radar.)
Disclosure: extremely satisfied 2013 Volt owner here.
I test drove every form of electric-augmented automobile available for sale in the midwest (some plug-ins are for sale only on the coasts, so don't have trained repairmen near me).
The C-Max had a useful form factor. It would fit my family with legroom in the rear, although the energi's trunk space was severely compromised by the extra battery. Loading groceries would block the lower 30% view. The C-Max's engine was noisy, annoyingly so. Also, Ford was caught misrepresenting their MPGs and had to readjust them.
I drove a C-Max and a C-Max energi (the plug-in). Between the two, I'd prefer the energi because it runs 100% electric some of the time (but nowhere near what the Volt can do), but the price difference was not justified.
www.gm-volt.com is a great resource for prospective and actual owners. From there I learned that buying a used Volt was a good idea and a great deal for these reasons: 1) used Volt prices are outrageously low for a high-quality car, albeit compact. 2) Reading the dash computer's "lifetime mpg" will let you know (with some reverse math) how many of the miles on the odometer come from the combustion engine vs electric. This is important because a Volt with 30K miles may only have 10-12K miles on gas; the rest electric. And since the electric drivetrain has a 8yr/100,000mi warranty, you're covered. 3) There are guys reporting their Volt's battery still taking 90% of their original charge after reaching 100,000 miles. 4) The guys taking ownership of the 2016 Volt are reporting 50-60 miles all-electric range and quite a bit more punch when putting the pedal down.
edit: Added TL;DR
One of the big selling points for me was its slightly larger trunk than comparably priced hybrids from Toyota or Honda. I go on long road trips at least once a year and have moved across country several times, so internal capacity was a differentiator.
It drives well. It has a stable ride and is easy to drive both in the city and on the highway. I wouldn't describe it as "punchy" or sprightly, but it will move when you need it to and is fairly effortless the rest of the time.
It was initially advertised as having comparable MPG figures to the Prius, but Ford has subsequently modified them to more conservative figures (and as an existing owner compensated me for the reduction). Over the lifetime of the car (~11,000 miles) I have averaged 40MPG in combined city and highway driving.
Overall I am really happy with the purchase and plan to keep it until at least the battery goes (~10 years).
That being said, they sure do have a nice interior for that style of car!