2018 Ford C-Max Energi Plug-in Hybrid

Recently refreshed, the five-year-old C-Max Energi wears updated headlights with LED running lights, a restyled grille, a new set of 17-inch wheels, and a pair of reworked taillights. Mechanically unchanged, the Energi is propelled by both a 141-hp Atkinson-cycle 2.0-liter inline-four and two electric motor/generators for a combined output of 188 horsepower.

The real showpiece of the C-Max Energi, though, is its 7.6-kWh battery pack—much bigger than the standard nonpluggable C-Max hybrid’s 1.4-kWh pack—that provides enough juice to take the funky five-door up to an EPA-rated 20 miles on electrons alone. Of course, your mileage may vary.

Baked-in Brakes

Stopping the C-Max Energi is accomplished via vented front and solid rear disc brakes in concert with a regenerative energy-recovery system. Fully applying the brakes at 70 mph ate up 179 feet of tarmac on the way to a full stop—11 feet shorter than the Chevrolet Volt and 12 fewer than the Toyota Prius V needed. In gentler pedal applications, the changeover between the regenerative and friction braking systems can be jarring; in harder braking, the transition is less noticeable.