[Birdbrain]

My family fleet has been all-hybrid for two years and 50,000 miles, so I have some experience, all positive. Our 2014 Ford C-Max Hybrid gets a respectable 38 mpg in mostly urban commuting. My 2017 C-Max Energi has an oversized battery that plugs in to your house 110V tap to store about 20 miles of EV range in its battery. That makes all most local trips gas-free EV trips, but it also can be driven between 600-mile refuelings, so there's no operational compromises. This Energi model has given me 78 mpg so far.

Ford's hybrid's work just like the Prius, but with Ford's own hardware. The difference is better power (185-195 combined HP and a 8-sec. 0-60 time), a smoother and quieter ride (it's a 3200-3800 lb car) and better handling (I traded a GTI, and I don't miss it much). The Ford also has huge windows and headroom, and a more traditional dash interface of buttons and knobs. It's rarely necessary to use the touchscreen, and, most important to me, you can turn the whole distracting screen off.

Ford also makes Fusion sedans in this drivetrain, but I don't think they're as useful, with less cargo room for your gigs. But better things are coming- the next Escape compact SUV will have hybrid options.

New C-Maxes are almost gone. They've been discontinued, but new cars like this can be a better value than used ones. My car, loaded with options, listed around $36K. Ford's end of year discounts cut that to $30k, but Colorado's tax breaks for plug-in hybrids combined to federal credits to save a tidy $9007 from our tax bill. Check your own state for deals.

I'm genuinely interested in lowering my carbon footprint, but I'm also happy that when I drive my car from breakfast to noon, I save enough gas money to buy lunch!