The Ford C-Max was ahead of its time. It arrived in the US as one of the country’s first plug-in hybrids in 2012, a few years ahead of the compact crossover SUV craze. The C-Max Energi is a tall, wagon-like compact car that provides a high view of the road that many urban drivers prefer. In six years of sales in the US, the C-Max Energi offered American motorists a unique combination of practicality, affordability and efficiency. It was discontinued in late 2017 as part of Ford’s efforts to focus on pure EVs like the Ford Mustang Mach-E.

The C-Max Energi enabled commuters to barely use any gasoline on daily commutes. When drivers press the “EV Now” button, the C-Max Energi relies exclusively on its 118-horsepower electric motor. An efficient gas engine is available in reserve to extend the C-Max’s range to 570 miles. The 2017 model-year, its last year sold in the US, was rated at 95 mpg equivalent for its first 20 miles after a full charge.

The practicality of the C-Max came not only from its ample head and leg room and perched view of the road, but based on its efficiency after the EV battery is depleted. When using a combination of electricity and gasoline, the C-Max Energi delivers 39 mpg.

Throughout its entire six-year run, the Ford C-Max Energi used a relatively small 7.6  kWh battery pack. Plug-in hybrids that have small battery packs don’t have as much of range as a pure EV but they fully recharge faster.

The plug-in C-Max’s onboard charger can provide 3.3 kilowatts of power to the battery. As a result, a home charging station like the JuiceBox^® 32 can charge the C-Max Energi from empty to full in about two hours. Using the JuiceBox 32, C-Max drivers can add about 10 to 12 miles of range per hour of charging.

The Ford C-Max Energi compact—like its sedan sibling, the Fusion Energi—is an underrated used plug-in hybrid. The combination of its comfortable upright ride, easy maneuverability and 20 miles of EV range make it a desirable PHEV on the used-car market.