First, the EPA figures sit at 5.6/6.4/5.9 L/100 km city/highway/combined for C-Max compared to 4.6/4.9/4.7 for the Prius, and 5.3/5.9/5.6 for the Prius V. I finished the week on 5.6, 1.1 L/100 km higher than I achieved in the regular Prius shortly before the C-Max.

The upshot? C-Max should be just 0.3 L/100 km more thirsty than the Prius V in regular driving conditions. That’s a small price to pay for a car this livable.

It should be noted that the Prius V has better cargo capacity than the C-Max, but that’s the last time the Prius V bests Ford’s little fuel saver in the opinion of this writer. As I said, the engine makes the C-Max supremely livable, offering up a completely acceptable amount of oomph for a car with a green mission.

Kia’s Rondo has a similar shape and profile but is slightly larger. The Rondo is of course lighter due to the lack of battery packs and being slightly longer also means it has better overall passenger volume 2,893 L to 2,823.

The comparison between the two cars is fair though, both are urban utilitarian vehicles designed for flexibility-loving Europeans. I’ve left the C-Max off the Rondo’s competitor list in previous articles – something I won’t do again. Unlike the Prius’s budget interior, the Rondo and C-Max both attempt luxury, and both come well featured.

The leather seats of the C-Max are supportive and look good, the dashboard and instrument cluster well-sized and attractive too.

The aluminum trim of the interior is obviously fake but thick enough to feel substantial and therefore worthwhile. It helps bring the visual effect together in a good-looking cockpit ruined only by the graphics of the infotainment system.

MyFord Touch is not my favourite HMI system, with small, finicky buttons on the touchscreen and a tendency to freeze, jump, pause, hang and generally be horrible when using. When I ignore it and focus on the instrument cluster, controlling proceedings with the steering wheel I find I enjoy the system a lot more so it’s not all bad news. The secondary controls for the cruise control and telephony are more sensible than hidden stalks found in some higher-end brands too.

Features like a generous sunroof, 115v power outlet, automatic climate control, park assist, park finder, back-up camera, and a power liftgate plus blind-spot assist and collision warning all cement the concept of the C-Max as a car, with all the accoutrements rather than a “greenie’s gadget”. The C-Max even has Ford’s hokey-pokey tailgate opening system. “You put your left foot in… you put your left foot out… you nearly drop all your shopping, and then you give a shout: and heeeeyyy-ey the bootlid opens….”

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