The Plug-In Deal Of the Millennium Expires In Eight Days

Thirty-three months ago, I announced the addition of a long-term C-Max to our “fleet” with much Sturn und Drang about how I’d be keeping you comprehensively updated on the ownership experience and whatnot.

Well, I’m sure none of you noticed, but I never wrote about the thing again. Why? Well, there wasn’t anything about which to write! My baby-momma got a steady 42 miles per gallon, never had a single mechanical issue, loved the car to death, and became a total Jonestown convert to the C-Max way of life.

It’s now time to replace that C-Max. I suggested an Accord Hybrid. My son suggested a used AMG SLS Black Series. Her new husband suggested keeping the C-Max and getting a faster motorcycle for him instead — possibly a Hayabusa, who knows. All of these were good ideas. But she decided she wanted another C-Max, so we started running the numbers … and as they say on Buzzfeed, you won’t believe what happened next!

There’s currently over $9,000 worth of combined incentives and federal tax credits on the C-Max Energi. This makes the post-incentives-and-rebates price of the Energi about three grand cheaper than the equivalent C-Max Hybrid SEL, and even a few bucks cheaper than the C-Max Hybrid SE, which is short quite a bit of equipment compared to the Energi.

The equivalent Prius Plug-In Advanced is $34,990, just to put it in perspective, and you only get 11 miles of range compared to the 21-mile range of the C-Max. It’s also out of production, and the new Prius Prime plug-in is only expected to match the Energi’s range, not exceed it. I should also note that based on my extensive time behind the wheel of both the C-Max and the racetrack-edition Prius, I’d expect the C-Max to continue to be quieter, better-riding, and more luxurious than the new Prius.

It’s possible to option a C-Max Energi up about $38,000 with the panoramic roof, the self-parking option, and the sound-system upgrades. Which is what baby-momma’s going to do. Which leads to a problem. Virtually all of the loaded C-Max Energis across the Midwest in dealer stock are refrigerator white. She wants an actual color. What to do? There’s a red one scheduled to be built in Michigan this week, but there’s no guarantee it will make it to the dealer by the time the incentives expire. It’s a tough call.

I’m looking forward to the arrival of the C-Max Energi. It has a super-fun LED ring around the plug-in port that progressively lights up as the car charges. Our cheap coal-fired electricity here in Ohio means that it will cost her well under a dollar to get that first 21 miles every day, no matter what happens to gasoline prices. I’m thinking we might stage a 0-50 mph drag race between the Energi in EV mode and my 7-year-old son on his Yamaha TTR-90. There’s really no end to the possibilities. But whatever happens, I promise updates will happen more regularly than once every 34 months.

Disclosure: You’d think that with all the stuff my brother writes about Ford that we’d get some kind of deal, right? Well, the last time I asked for one, Ford gave me the ‘California no’. So we didn’t even bother this time.