How many gallons of gas did you use on your last trip into the big city?
In this extended video road test, I took a 2013 Ford C-MAX Energi from Central New Jersey into mid-town Manhattan. I experimented with the Energi’s EV Now and EV Later modes to see how it reacted on backroads and Interstate highways, as well as in New York City traffic. The trip started with the battery showing 18 miles of charge. The fifty-odd mile route resulted in a 61 MPG result – easily the most fuel efficient trip I’ve ever taken into NYC.
The C-MAX Energi plug-in hybrid has a pure electric range of approximately twenty-one miles when fully charged. While the stated EPA mile per gallon (MPG) estimates are 108 city / 92 highway – compared to 47 / 47 for the standard C-MAX – gas mileage results will always vary, depending on route and distance. 100+ MPGs will only be seen on shorter trips.
Hold onto your flat-brimmed hats. Rallycross is returning to Irwindale and it’s bringing Ken Block’s Gymkhana Grid along with it. ESPN has announced that this summer’s Global Rallycross X-Games events will be held at Irwindale Event Center, home of the very first offical Global Rallycross event back in 2011.
MPGomatic regulars know that we’ve been chasing the Rallycross story since the summer of 2010 when Rally America premiered the sport at New Jersey Motorsports Park with a three weekend series. Lots of water and money have flowed under the gap jump since that first season. Global Rallycross has grown into the antithesis of grass roots racing, with an international series that’s defied the expectations of many.
ESPN – together with the Anschutz Entertainment Group (AEG) and Irwindale Event Center – will present X Games Los Angeles 2013 on August 1 – 4, with more than 200 athletes in competition venues and event spaces in and around L.A. LIVE, STAPLES Center and – for the first time – Irwindale Speedway. ESPN and ABC will combine to offer 19 live hours of X Games Los Angeles 2013 original programming; WatchESPN will carry every event on ESPN networks; and an additional four-and-a-half hours of original content will be available across computers, smartphones, tablets and Xbox in the U.S.
MPG-o-Matic 2013 Ford Escape Review Summary:The 2013 Ford Escape battles it out with a host of worthy competitors in the highly popular small crossover segment, from the Honda CR-V and Toyota RAV4, to the Hyundai Tuscon and Chevy Equinox. While some may lament the exit of the traditional Escape SUV, the new crossover design is a more pleasant vehicle overall and is sold worldwide as the Ford Kuga. The Escape’s torquey EcoBoost engine and tightly designed cabin set it apart from the competition.
Suffice to say, I don’t usually sit back, watch the press releases roll over the wire and shovel out posts. But when I saw that Honda was showing an integrated vacuum cleaner in the new 2014 Odyssey at a New York Auto Show media preview, I got a bit steamed. Not to suggest that they should have added a steamer as well (who wants to arrive at their destination covered in crumbs and wrinkles), but it all seems a bit supliferous, considering the shape we’re in (lay off the out of shape jokes, kids). It’s just hard to understand why Honda continues to withhold their excellent clean diesel engines from America, knowing that they could provide a thirty percent improvement in fuel economy.
MPG-o-Matic 2013 Ford C-MAX SEL Hybrid Review Summary:While it falls short of the mark in cold weather and high speed fuel-efficiency, the Ford C-MAX dominates on every other front. Controversy aside, the C-MAX rolls a respectable level of performance, a solid ride, plenty of comfort, ample technology, and a remarkably roomy interior in a compelling package. Ford touts that the C-MAX is “the fastest-selling hybrid ever at launch, with 8,030 sales in its first two full months on the market in October and November.”
