Ford C-Max Targets Prius-V 
But is that the best comparison?

Ford is issuing press releases touting the fuel economy of its new hybrid, the C-Max, by saying the bulbous compact gets better fuel economy than Toyota's Prius-V. The V is the larger sibling of the traditional Prius. At 47 MPG, the C-Max beats the Prius-V by 4 MPG. The problem is, looking at the specs, the C-Max is really squarely sized in between the regular Prius and the Prius V.  At 173.6 inches long, the C-Max is three inches shorter than the standard Prius, and is 8 inches shorter than the Prius V.  In fact, the C-Max is only 2 inches longer than the hatchback version of the Ford Focus. The C-Max shares an assembly line with the Focus in Wayne, Michigan.  What about cargo space? Here again, the C-Max is closer to the regular Prius than the Prius-V. The C-Max has 24.5 cu.ft. in cargo space with the rear seat up.  That's just a bit more than the regular Prius's 23.8, and it's a lot lower than the Prius-V's 34.3 cu.ft. The C-Max barely exceeds the cargo space of the regular Focus, which has 21.6 cu.ft.

This is not to say that the C-Max doesn't have some advantages over the Prius V. The C-Max has an inch or two over the Prius V in virtually every measure inside the passenger cabin. The C-Max has a substantial edge over both Prii in total system horsepower. Ford is quoting a combined gas-electric rating of 188 horsepower. Both Prii have only 134 horses. Per Edmunds, the C-Max weighs 3,674 lbs, significantly beefier than either the Prius V or the base Prius. Even so, that's 19.5 lbs/hp. That's a better power to weight ratio than the regular prius (22.7 lbs/hp) and the Prius V (24.4 lbs/hp).  Based on the numbers and the performance of the lower-powered 2008-2012 Ford Fusion hybrid, it is likely that the C-Max will be able to go from 0-60 in the 8.5-9.0 second range, compared to high 9's for the standard Prius and mid-10s for the Prius-V. 

The bottom line is that the C-Max really isn't an extended family wagon like the Prius-V. Ford makes and sells in other markets a slightly longer version of the C-Max called the Grand C-Max. The Grand C-Max would have been a closer match to the V. The C-Max is really just a somewhat taller version of the Focus Hatchback, a car much closer in size to the standard Prius.  It's likely that comparably equipped, the C-Max will be available for a somewhat lower transaction price than even the regular Prius, because Toyota dealers still seem to have a problem selling the Prius without a bunch of dealer-added gunk.  The fuel economy difference between the two is essentially trivial. For the typical car buyer the decision will come down to which one you like better and which dealer gives you a better sales and service experience.

The C-Max covers the hybrid field in one respect. It's union-made in the USA. The C-Max seems to be a good blend of fuel economy, practicality and performance, and the hybrid premium is relatively low, much lower than the discontinued Ford Escape Hybrid. The C-Max is therefore on my short list for new car shopping this fall.

Here's the link to the edmunds.com comparison that I used to look at these cars. Feel free to play around with it at your leisure 

Image credit: I got the image from thecarconnection.com, but it appears to be a Ford press image.  

Hey Dolphin!

Do you know you have an octopus hanging on your genitals?

Know it? I WROTE IT.

Happy 70th Birthday, Paul McCartney and Brian Wilson

Paul McCartney turns 70 on June 18. On June 20, Brian Wilson of the Beach Boys turns 70. These two fellows were perhaps the most influential songwriters of the last 50 years, and they profoundly influenced each other. Brian Wilson cites the Beatle's Rubber Soul as the standard that he tried to beat with Pet Sounds. McCartney cites Pet Sounds as a benchmark for the Sgt. Pepper album.

This is the only video that I could find with the two of them singing together. It's not that great, I'm afraid.

How to Get Inside the Logic of Mortgage Servicers
- Channel Jaws 4

I've been dealing with a number of cases where my clients are involved with mortgage companies who do a lot of stupid things that aren't in anybody's interest - totally illogical behavior. I've been trying to get inside the head of the decisionmakers at these companies and figure out why they do things they do. I think I may understand it better. I have been looking at this from the logical rules that apply in the ordinary universe. What I should be doing is applying the rules in the "stupid" universe. Let Richard Jeni explain it.

Law - Where the Jobs Are
What do you mean you won't work for $10,000/year?

A Boston law firm posted a job opening for a full time lawyer for $10,000/year. That's not a misprint. Americans just don't want to work, that's the problem.

Rest in Peace - BUD HIBBS



Word came to me recently of the passing of Bud Hibbs. Most people don't recognize the name, but if you ever searched the web for answers to problems with abusive debt collectors, not only are you likely to have come across Bud's name, but he probably gave you more help than anyone else. Bud's website, budhibbs.com is the best place on the web for information on the scams run by collection agencies. Even though Bud was not an attorney, he was adopted into the fold by the consumer attorneys at NACA, and he was a regular at NACA conferences. I did not really know Bud. I talked to him for a few minutes at a few conferences, but that was the limit of our face to face interaction. On the other hand, I exchanged emails with Bud on countless occasions. He usually had inside information on the collection agency that I was dealing with. He was always a gentleman, and he never asked for anything in return for his information. Goodbye Bud, you will be missed.

2013 Nissan Altima - #2 Does it try harder?

As I mentioned in earlier posts, we are in the middle of the year of the mainstream sedan. The newest entry to come out swinging is the 2013 Nissan Altima. Unlike Honda and Toyota, Nissan was pretty much able to keep producing the Altima at full speed last year, despite the Japan earthquake and Thailand floods. Thanks to its US production base, in sales, the Altima ranked #2, behind the Toyota Camry -- and ahead of the Camry's usual rival, the Honda Accord. This year, Nissan's gunning for #1 with a redesigned Altima, and it has some specs in its favor.

The Altima has a much more curvy shape that still follows the basic (and popular) dimensions of its predecessor. The Altima gets a refined, 182-horsepower version of its previous 2.5 liter 4-cylinder engine as standard equipment; and Nissan has further refined its CVT transmission. Unlike some of its competition, Nissan says it reduced the weight of the Altima while gaining more luxury equipment. The Altima is supposedly the lightest entry in its class at under 3,200 lbs. In other words, it's just a hair heavier than the heavier compacts like the Chevrolet Cruz and the Dodge Dart. It's about 400 lbs lighter than the similarly-sized 2013 Chevrolet Malibu Eco that is just now being delivered to dealers in quantity. With several trim levels and a carry-over V6 as well as the standard 4-cylinder, the Altima will start at around $22,000 and go up from there. That's pretty much in the mainstream of the market.

According to Nissan, thanks to light weight, good aerodynamics and an efficient drivetrain, the Altima delivers best-in-class fuel economy, 27/38 on the EPA scale. Nissan does this without hybrid technology or even direct injection. The Altima's mpg beats the Chevrolet Malibu Eco's 25/37. The extra hybrid hardware makes the Malibu Eco about $3,000 more expensive than a comparably equipped Altima. The Malibu is about a second and a half slower than a 4-cylinder Altima, and the Altima roundly beats the Malibu Eco in cargo capacity, with a standard-sized, uncompromised trunk with folding seats.

It's interesting to me how much technology has progressed in one generation of automobiles. Five years ago, the highest MPG mainstream car was the Honda Civic at 35 highway MPG. The Civic EX offered 94.7 cubic feet of interior room and 0-60 in about 9.3 seconds with an automatic. The 2013 Nissan Altima has 100.7 cubic feet of interior room, and fanboys figure it will go 0-60 in 7.5 seconds or less.

The next major entrants in this sweepstakes will be the Ford Fusion and the Honda Accord. Ford is hoping that its styling and technology can make the Fusion a volume seller without getting down and dirty on price. We'll see. Honda has a base of repeat customers that don't shop other brands. For everybody else, competition will likely result in discounts soon after new model introductions. It's only May, but Hyundai is already offering lease incentives on the 2013 Hyundai Sonata. Based on what I've seen, Chevrolet is going to have to put thousands of dollars on the hoods of the Malibu to stay in the lead group.

Unless GM's new Silverado and Sierra trucks turn into big hits, GM could be in for a tough year in MY 2013. GM's other new products for the year are basically niche models.

What I learned on my Spring Vacation:
Lesson 1: The Libertarian West is Full of Hypocrites.

The highlight of my last two months is a trip out west to Arizona, Nevada and Utah to enjoy our national parks. We traveled from Las Vegas to Grand Canyon National Park, back to Las Vegas, then to four national parks in Utah: Zion, Arches, Canyonlands and Bryce Canyon. It's nice to see that many of our national treasures are in good hands with the National Park Service.

These states are known to be hotbeds of libertarianism. I ran into a lot of folks who were hostile to the United States government and Barack Obama in particular. This was incredible to me because the overall impression that I got of these states is that almost everything that was great about these states was either made that way by God or the National Government. These states, with their thin populations have wonderful, well-kept highways. Most of the money circulating came into the economy courtesy of the U.S. government, whether it be social security, military wages and pensions, military contractor money or public works. Hoover Dam is a spectacular facility, providing countless megawatts of power, and initially paid for by the United States government. Remote areas have electric power, phones and postal service due to federal initiatives and subsidies.

What I learned on my Spring Vacation . . .

I blinked and two months passed since I last posted to the blog. Chaulk it up to an early spring, an antihistimine-haze, and a welcome chance to get away. Also, as Bill Cosby used to tell us "if you're not careful, you just might learn something." I did, and I'll finally write it down.

How to Remove an Engine - Eurostyle

I've had lots of serious posts lately that I haven't got around to finishing. I had something to say on the economy, but then I saw this video. It's more interesting.


Volkswagen Golf Engine Chained to a Tree!