2017 Ford C-Max vs. Its Competition

John Voelcker

The 2017 Ford C-Max is no longer remotely a competitor for the latest Toyota Prius in the fuel-economy sweepstakes, but it has a truly nice interior.

With one model at 56 mpg combined and the rest of the range at 52 mpg, the fourth-generation Toyota Prius drives far better than any previous model and its main drawback is really its sleek but bizarre shape.

The larger, slower, and older Prius V wagon may be a closer match to the C-Max, coming in at 42 mpg.

Both Ford's own Fusion Hybrid and Toyota's long-established Camry Hybrid offer conventional sedan shapes and interior room.

The Fusion is more stylish, and it's now strongly outselling the C-Max with which it shares a powertrain.

The Camry is, well, a known quantity, even if its EPA ratings lag a bit behind the rest of the class.

The smaller Hyundai Ioniq Hybrid is a new entry this year, and it is likely to be an inexpensive and highly efficient competitor in both hybrid and plug-in hybrid formats, though ratings aren't yet out.

A final contender would previously have been the Volkswagen Passat TDI, a mid-size sedan with German character and a high-efficiency diesel engine, but VW's diesel scandal means that car is done with for the U.S.