I hope we all appreciate the bargain the FFE represents....

I'm in the process of getting a second EV. While the FFE meets my needs very well, my wife and daughter need something that does not require any worry about running out of charge. I'm almost certain to get a Volt, but for completeness, I've looked into a BMW I3 with range extender and even into a Tesla.

The BMW, well equipped (leather and metallic paint) but without the "tech" package (Nav) will be $3K driveaway plus over $900/mo for 36 mo/15,000 miles lease (tax included).

The Tesla can't be leased, but things that we have standard (nav, keyless entry, sirius, etc) or reasonably priced (leather, tricoat paint) cost a fortune from Tesla. In order to use their supercharger network, you need either buy the 85 kWH battery ($10k) or upgrade ($2K). By the time you get one well equipped, it $80-$90K

By comparison to either of the above, I think the FFE represents a great bargain, and an FFE plus a Volt will be far less expensive and more useful than either an I3 or a Tesla.

I don't think you can go wrong adding a Volt to the family. I was once interested in the i3... Until I started hearing lease quotes on different forums.

michael said:

I'm in the process of getting a second EV. While the FFE meets my needs very well, my wife and daughter need something that does not require any worry about running out of charge. I'm almost certain to get a Volt, but for completeness, I've looked into a BMW I3 with range extender and even into a Tesla.

Click to expand...

Before you commit to a Volt, give the Ford Fusion Energi a look. See my post on this forum in another thread http://www.myfocuselectric.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=1771

I am very happy with the 2013 Fusion Energi SE we bought in November. The interior is roomy and very comfortable. The ride is incredibly quiet even when the ICE is running.

The Volt has a longer electric range than the Fusion Energi; however, if your regular commute is within the Fusion's range or if you can charge at work, you may find that you can drive the Fusion mostly on electricity just as well as the Volt. The interior of the Fusion is larger than the Volt's, with more leg, hip, and head room. The Fusion has 10-way power driver and passenger seats with memory for the driver's seat, which allows my wife or I to press a button and have the seat and mirrors returned to our preferred positions. From what I've seen, this isn't available on the Volt.

Some of the things that I like about owning both a Focus Electric and a Fusion Energi are the nearly identical operation of MyFord Touch in the two vehicles and keeping track of mileage, charging, and preconditioning on the same MyFord Mobile app.

My wife and I trade driving the Fusion and the Focus back and forth depending on whether one of us needs the extended range of the Fusion on a given day and on how we can drive the fewest miles on gasoline. The similarities of controls and gauges make exchanging cars back and forth very easy.

I would buy another Fusion Energi in a heartbeat.

To that end a C-Max Energi would afford the same advantages as a Fusion Energi but with a "pumped up Focus" look instead of the sexy Fusion look! LOL

Gigi: What does the trunk look like in your Energi? At the Detroit Auto Show in January they had both versions of the C-Max on display but only a Fusion Hybrid (that I could see). I got pictures of all 3's trunks:
http://jamiegeek.myevblog.com/2014/01/19/north-american-international-auto-show-naias-aka-the-detroit-auto-show/
I'm guessing its a lot more cramped in there for the Fusion Energi.

jmueller065 said:

To that end a C-Max Energi would afford the same advantages as a Fusion Energi but with a "pumped up Focus" look instead of the sexy Fusion look! LOL

Gigi: What does the trunk look like in your Energi? . . .

I'm guessing its a lot more cramped in there for the Fusion Energi.

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Trunk? Oh, yeah.

Shall we say that the Fusion Energi is a mid-sized car with a compact trunk? 8 cubic feet is not a lot of space. Fully half of the gas Fusion's 16 cubic foot trunk is devoted to battery in the Energi. I can fit 2 carry-ons, 1 large suitcase, 1 duffel bag, a toiletry bag, and a hanging bag. That's about it. When it is just my wife and me traveling, that's enough plus we have the fold-down back seat if we need it. For a family of four, I don't think it's enough. Three is okay, but it may be necessary to fold down one of the rear seats. The one trip we have taken with four adults, we sent some of the luggage in another car.

I think the C-Max is a good choice if you need the luggage room and particularly if you are carrying tall people. We decided on the sexy look, the options that were available on the Fusion but not on the C-Max, and the driving experience of the Fusion, which I think is smoother and quieter than the C-Max. To me, the C-Max looks like a mini Transit Connect Wagon and the Fusion looks more like a car which is what we were going for after 20+ years of driving minivans.

Except for one too many grill openings on the front end for my taste, I like the C-Max. Our final choice was between C-Max Energi and Fusion Energi. If the Lincoln MKZ had come in an Energi or if the Fusion Titanium had been available with a light interior at the time we bought, either of those would have been preferable to me, but as it is, I am very happy with what we bought.

Here's somebody else's pic of the Fusion Energi trunk from the fordfusionenergiforum.

Wow, quite interesting:
In the Fusion and Focus Ford elected to make the battery taller and up against the back seats (so there is that "deep" well in the very back). In the C-Max the battery is flat and covers the whole "load floor" of the trunk (in the Energi case its just a little taller).
As far as storage, I think I like the C-Max's implementation since you can still lay stuff down on top of that--although it wouldn't be good for groceries as they are taller (I put all my groceries in the back seat anyway).

Even now I have my FFE's trunk organizer's flap (for lack of a technical term) in the up position, parallel with the top of the battery to give me a flat surface to put stuff on (laptop, 40 lb bags of salt, folding chairs, etc.).

Of course I/we've strayed a bit off topic here though...

Richmond72 said:

I don't think you can go wrong adding a Volt to the family. I was once interested in the i3... Until I started hearing lease quotes on different forums.

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The stories you've heard on the other forums are correct. I was quoted $3000 driveaway and over $900/month for an I3 Rx well equipped, 36 months, 15K miles/year, tax included.

I could get two FFEs and a Volt for that much money.

My reason for preferring the Volt over and Energi is that the Energi electric motor does not provide enough power for pure electric use in my driving pattern. I would be using some gasoline every time I drive it. The Volt, by contrast, will be a pure electric until the battery is depleted. This is a matter of taste and preference for me, not necessarily something that is logically justifiable.

The BMW would have been like the Volt...electric until charge exhausted...but would have gone twice as far as the Volt before reaching that point. Really a shame it's unaffordable to me.

michael said:

I was quoted $3000 driveaway and over $900/month for an I3 Rx well equipped, 36 months, 15K miles/year, tax included.

I could get two FFEs and a Volt for that much money.

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Or in my case, an FFE, a Volt, and a RAV4 EV! With the current lease deals on all three of these, why settle for one pug-faced Bimmer for 15K/year when you can get three great EVs with a total mileage allowance of 34K miles/year?

To comment on your original post... After spending 3 weeks with a Volt and one long drive home from the Toyota dealer in the RAV4 EV, I can honestly say that Ford really got it right with the FFE. It's truly the most refined of the bunch, and also the least expensive to lease or buy with current incentives here in CA. Neither are a match for the FFE's very minimal NVH and solid feel, although the Volt comes pretty close. And as much as I complain about MFT, I find it far superior to both Chevy's and Toyota's interface. I'm not complaining anymore. I expected a lot more from the Toyota, with a Tesla drivetrain and Toyota build quality setting high expectations... but in the end, it's not exactly well-executed. The FFE is still my favorite, with the Volt coming in a close second place.

michael said:

My reason for preferring the Volt over and Energi is that the Energi electric motor does not provide enough power for pure electric use in my driving pattern. I would be using some gasoline every time I drive it. The Volt, by contrast, will be a pure electric until the battery is depleted. This is a matter of taste and preference for me, not necessarily something that is logically justifiable.

Click to expand...

That's one of the reasons I bought the Focus Electric. When I don't have far to go, and don't have to worry about range, I can use all the torque I want!

The Volt does have a stronger electric motor, 111kW vs. 88kW in the Energi (C-Max and Fusion). Reading spec sheets and Edmunds reviews, unless I am mistaken, the total horsepower available when combining electric motor and ICE is 165 in the Volt and 195 in the Energi. The Energi, like the other Fords is a parallel hybrid that allows the ICE and the motor to both engage the drive train through a planetary gear system. The Volt, as I gather, is designed to operate primarily as a series hybrid, with the ICE running a generator to charge the battery and to deliver power to the drive motor. I read that under certain circumstances, the Volt's ICE is able to engage the drive train and operate like a parallel hybrid, though that is supposed to be out of the ordinary. The Volt's ICE is only 84 horsepower vs. the Energi's 141. When I was researching Volts vs. Energis, this last figure caught my attention. I figured that when it came to highway driving once the EV portion of the battery was depleted, having 141 gasoline powered horses under the hood would be better than only 84.

I drive the Fusion Energi in "Auto" mode, which allows the ICE to kick in and work in tandem with the motor if I should need to punch the go pedal. Between the ICE and the motor, there is plenty of horsepower there when needed. Driving the Energi solely in electric mode, I refer to the acceleration as "deliberate," like driving a diesel only without the noise, vibration, smoke, and smell. In my advancing age, I'm content to drive more sedately . . . except when I'm behind the wheel of the Focus with plenty of battery to spare!

I saw the BMW at the Chicago Auto Show this week - that thing is tiny. To my eye it looks to be the size of a Fiat 500 L (or the new 4 door longer Fiat 500). Really small. BMW also went stupid overboard with the recycled materials in the car. Look at the area just behind the front window - it is some kind of pressed recycled fibers, reminds me of the unfinished back of some plastic or carpet padding. And that little wood plank that is kind of finished, looks like a left over cutting board.

And yes, beauty is in the eye of the beholder, it is ugly to me.

The advice on looking at a Fusion Energi is great. The four times I had my FFE in for service, my dealer loaned me a Fusion Energi each time. They are really nice cars - way more luxurious than a Volt. It would be well worth it to test drive one.