Europe gets a freshened C-Max now, but we'll have to wait another year or so
In 2012, Ford brought a pair of hybridized mini-minivans to the U.S. in the forms of the C-Max and the C-Max Energi.
Sold elsewhere in the world under the same C-Max banner but with
available gas- and diesel-only powertrains, the hybrid-only strategy
here is an attempt to take the fight to Toyota’s Prius brand. (A more
direct effort is underway involving a dedicated Ford hybrid for 2019.) Now, the C-Max’s European siblings are getting a midcycle refresh, and the changes should hit our C-Max models next year.
The updated European-spec C-Max, which also comes in a longer-wheelbase,
sliding-door, actual-minivan version, makes its debut at the Paris auto show.
Although that might seem like too glamorous a venue for a pair of
people movers, Ford has done a nice job sprucing up the C-Max’s look for
fashion-conscious families. Of course, we don’t—and won’t—get the
larger, seven-passenger Grand C-Max, but the stylistic changes being
made to the five-seat model should port over to our C-Maxes with few
alterations.
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As is becoming standard operating procedure for new or updated Fords in
the recent past, the C-Max fully abandons the high, small grille/low,
large intake front-end treatment for a bigger Aston Martin–style grille
above a full-width lower intake. The stylish maw is flanked by thinner
headlamps and features more chiseled embellishments. The changes are
minor, but they effectively dispense with the current C-Max’s rotund,
jelly-bean-like aesthetic. Ford barely touched the C-Max’s tail, with a
pair of more-streamlined taillights and a smoothed-over tailgate being
the only noticeable alterations.
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Ford doesn’t specifically mention any mechanical updates for the
European C-Max, and when we contacted them, they didn't reveal what, if
any, non-styling-related fiddling it has in store for the U.S.-spec 2016
C-Max and C-Max Energi. We don’t anticipate any drastic deviations from
the current chassis and powertrain setups, however. Today’s C-Max
hybrid shares its propulsion gear with the Fusion hybrid sedan, whereas the C-Max Energi plug-in hybrid borrows its heart and lungs from the plug-in Fusion.
Ford recently downgraded the C-Max hybrid’s fuel-economy estimates from
47 mpg both in the city and on the highway to 45 mpg city, 40 mpg
highway; the company is facing several pending lawsuits over its alleged inflation of hybrid models’ EPA numbers.
We suspect that Ford might try to reclaim a few of the C-Max’s miles
per gallon and also attempt to increase the C-Max Energi’s electric-only
driving range, but we’ll have to wait until the new C-Maxes hit our
shores sometime next year to find out.