Mark Phelan, a Detroit Free Press Auto Critic says the Ford C-Max hybrid excels in affordability, and fuel economy.

Phelan says “the EPA rating is not a prediction. It’s a comparison”, and offers his comparison listing of it against its rivals.

• Ford C-Max SE: 47 m.p.g. city/47 m.p.g. highway/47 m.p.g. combined. Regular fuel.

• Honda Insight EX: 41 m.p.g. city/44 m.p.g. highway/42 m.p.g. combined. Regular fuel.

• Lexus CT 200h: 43 m.p.g. city/40 m.p.g. highway/42 m.p.g. combined. Regular fuel.

• Toyota Prius: 51 m.p.g. city/48 m.p.g. highway/50 m.p.g. combined. Regular fuel.

• Toyota Prius v: 44 m.p.g. city/40 m.p.g. highway/42m.p.g. combined. Regular fuel.

• Volkswagen Jetta SE hybrid: 42 m.p.g. city/48 m.p.g. highway/45 m.p.g. combined. Premium fuel.

Ford engineering chief Raj Nair says “that how you drive affects your fuel economy. Driving at 75 m.p.h. knocks 7 m.p.g. off vs. 65 m.p.h., he said. An outside temperature of 40 degrees reduces fuel economy 5 m.p.g. vs. 70 degrees. An engine that’s not broken in — a process that takes 6,000 miles or so — can fall another 5 m.p.g. short.”

Phelan states “Fuel economy is a reason to buy the 2013 Ford C-Max hybrid crossover, but not the only reason. That matters because critics have questioned how close the C-Max’s real-world gas mileage comes to its eye-popping EPA rating of 47 m.p.g. in the city, 47 on the highway and 47 in combined driving.”

“The EPA rating is generated in a lab, not on the road. That’s why you can compare one vehicle to another: they were all tested under identical conditions” states Phelan.

Read Phelans’ testing of the 2013 Ford C-Max hybrid here.