A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to attend an event hosted by Ford of Canada and Focus Communications here in Edmonton. With a tagline like "Have You Eaten a Ford Lately?", I was definitely intrigued and wanted to find out more. Apparently, you are what you eat and drive!

It's no secret that I like driving the vehicles manufactured by Ford. I used to laugh and poke fun at the saying "Found On Road Dead," but after test driving the Escape, C-Max Hybrid and Fusion Energi - I've gained quite a bit of confidence in the Ford brand!

The event that evening was meant to highlight Ford's ongoing commitment to using sustainable materials in their vehicles - someone has to think of the environment, right?! And what better way to talk about sustainable materials than to showcase them in the form of food? All attendees were in for a treat with a menu planned by NAIT culinary students featuring just some of the biomaterials currently used by Ford.

Our appetizer for the evening was a Pan Seared Bay Scallop served with sweet potato purée with dandelion honey, maple bacon and baby arugula. The scallop was cooked to perfection and paired perfectly with the sweet mash. Currently, portions of the Russian Dandelions are being tested as a possible alternative to synthetic rubber, and sweet potatoes are used to create the plastic in the door map pocket.

Next up we had Spring Creek striploin of beef with Gruyere pomme de terre purée, corn succotash, and pinot noir reduction. The culinary team cooked the beef to a beautiful medium rare, and the sides were a perfect match for the protein. Research is currently underway to see if sugars made from corn, beet and cane are suitable for biodegradable plastic parts.

To end the meal, our dessert was a Guittard Chocolate Mousse with melba sauce, lavender tuile and macerated berries. This decadent dessert was the perfect ending - I would have loved another serving all to myself! Nothing in this dish is related to the biomaterials that Ford is using in their vehicles, but during the dessert course I learned a little bit more about Ford's commitment to sustainability:

• Using soybean-based foam in seat cushions, backs and head restraints saves about 2.2 million kg of petroleum annually
• Ford worked with Canadian universities to recycle wheat straw (a waste product) into bio-based resin for the Ford Flex’s storage bin
• Rice hulls reinforce plastic used in an electrical harness in the 2014 F-150
• Recycled denim is used in Ford vehicles as a sound deafener
• A fibre by-product of coconuts is being studied as a replacement for molded plastics
• The equivalent of about 22 clear, plastic 20-ounce bottles are in the seat fabric of the Focus Electric
• 85% of the materials used in Ford vehicles by weight are recyclable

You may have noticed from the facts above that the actual foods themselves are not being used as materials, but rather their waste byproducts are. That way there isn't a competition for food sources, and the waste is actually being put to use! I definitely have to commend Ford for valuing the environment and continuing to fund research to find sustainable, recyclable materials to use in all their vehicles. I'm sure that other motor companies are doing the same, but Ford is definitely leading the way. I can't wait to find out what they come up with next!

Disclaimer: as this was a media launch event, views expressed in this post are solely mine. I was not expected to feature this event on my blog, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

Back in October I was given the opportunity to check out the 2013 Ford Fusion Energi. After driving the C-Max Hybrid in the early spring, the idea of trying another eco-friendly vehicle definitely piqued my interest. What differentiated this experience from the C-Max was that the Fusion Energi is a plug-in hybrid vehicle.

When I arrived at the dealership I immediately thought to myself that a) it was a pretty streamlined looking vehicle and b) I liked the colour. Ford did a great job designing the exterior! Sitting in the driver's seat it was evident that I was sitting in a vehicle much wider than my trusty little Civic, but I had no problems navigating or parking in the city. The cabin is spacious, giving little me plenty of space to move around and adjust the seat.

Since the Fusion Energi is a plug-in electric hybrid vehicle, Ford recommends charging the car battery every night through the port on the driver's side of the vehicle. The port is easy to open & close and is fitted with a specialized plug in to connect the vehicle to a power outlet. When plugged in, the ring around the port illuminates to easily tell you that the vehicle is charging, and the fraction of the circle lit represents the percentage of power that the car battery contains. I usually park my car outdoors, and the thought of someone walking by and stealing the charging cable definitely crossed my mind. But then again, what is someone going to do with a specialized plug in? The things I think about sometimes...

The Fusion Energi that I drove was outfitted with power-adjustable leather seats and a dash made of soft plastic material with silver trim. The MyFord Touch system was placed in the center of the console ,the same as with the previous vehicles I have driven, so I was already familiar with the touch-screen technology. What was different was the flat panel of 'buttons' beneath the touch screen to control climate and audio. And I say "buttons" in quotation marks because I don't think they were true pushable buttons, but rather heat-sensitive buttons. The gear selector was quite close to said panel of buttons and it was a little irritating to accidentally swipe across the panel, activating a bunch of different functions.

Technology aside, I loved driving the Fusion Energi around the city. This particular vehicle was armed with lots of driver assistance, including the active park assist (which is SO perfect for parallel parking!), front, rear, and side collision warning sensors, a back up camera, blind spot monitoring, and lane control technology (which tells you when you're veering out of your lane on the road!). When running in electric mode the interior of the car was dead silent, so much so that I could easily tell when I started to drive using gas. Another thing I noticed is that the car was able to accelerate surprisingly fast. I never really noticed it until I looked at the speedometer to see just how quickly I was going. I'm a total speed demon on the road and this vehicle was able to keep up with me!

The biggest issue I could think of having with the Fusion Energi had to do with the trunk. As you can see, there's a gigantic battery taking up a majority of the space, leaving little room to carry things in. For someone like myself it's not really a big problem because I can fit groceries and my bags or shopping purchases in there. But big purchases like space-loving electronics (think TVs) or picking up relatives from the airport would be difficult for sure.

I had a great time driving the Fusion Energi throughout the week and must admit I was a little sad to let it go. The ride was steady, and in one week of driving I used less than one quarter of a tank of gas, having charged it only 3 times. Within the city limits I had a fuel economy of 5.1 L/100 km, which is pretty great compared to Ford's listed value of 4.5 L/100 km. Theoretically, the Fusion should be able to travel up to a distance of 33 km on electric power alone, but I typically only achieved 27 km after a full charge. Now this brings to mind what the cost would be to charge this vehicle day in & day out. For the battery to fully charge overnight it takes about 7 hours in a regular electric outlet. After doing some research, the cost for a full charge is about $1-$2 CAD, which can equate to a fair amount of savings over time if your regular commute isn't far or if gas is expensive. Like the C-Max, the Fusion Energi features a Brake Coach on the dashboard, teaching you how to brake efficiently in order to maximize the regenerative capacity of the brakes to increase fuel economy and reduce wear on the brake pads. Brake better and you extend the use of the electric mode.

Including all the features in this vehicle the price came out to just under $48 000, but the basic model starts at $42 000. It's a pretty heavy price tag, but it does depend on your commitment to the environment. In the long run, you will likely see the savings in fuel expenditure as well. By buying hybrid vehicles from Ford you also support their initiative to use sustainable materials in their vehicles. In continued commitment to reduce the impacts of vehicle production on the environment, the interior of the fusion is comprised of many recycled materials. At the current price tag, the Fusion Energi is way too expensive for a student like myself, but hopefully down the road hybrid vehicles will be more commonplace and affordable. I can only hope so, for the sake of the environment.

Back in mid-April, Ford of Canada gave me the opportunity to test drive the 2013 C-Max Hybrid for a week. I was pretty excited, as it was my first time having the experience of driving a hybrid vehicle, and I wanted to see just how efficient the vehicle really was. I wanted to see if hybrids really lived up to what they're marketed as. To really put it to the test, I decided to take it down with me on a weekend getaway to Banff & Calgary.

But let's talk about the vehicle itself first. The model I was given was such a unique colour - blue candy metallic - and I absolutely loved it. It's one of those colours you either love or hate immediately. This vehicle isn't a crossover, but an actual car, and I had imagined it to be long like a wagon (think soccer moms?). To my surprise, it was shorter and I didn't mind the streamlined shape to it. While driving the car, I definitely sat higher up than I do normally driving in my Civic, so it was nice to be able to see more of the road! The vehicle didn't feel too big as I drove it, and it accelerated as quickly as I would want it to while driving around the city.

The interior featured leather seats and soft plastic accents, and the MyFord Touch system in the centre of the console. The vehicle itself had plenty of headroom in the front, the seats were roomy and comfortable, and there were seat warmers that could be customized to five different levels for both the driver and passenger. As with the Escape that I test-drove, the touchscreen system in this C-Max was identical. It was user friendly and had tons of great features ranging from bluetooth options and up to date GPS navigation. The Active Park Assist system was also available to me, and it really does come in handy when needing to parallel park into a small space. The rear view camera also featured grid lines to guide the vehicle as you reverse. There isn't much to complain about besides the fact that the climate control settings are a little hard to reach with the gear selector sitting right in front of them.

Like most of Ford's newest models, the C-Max Hybrid uses a keyless start, which I actually really enjoy because I can skip digging through my purse to find the keyfob. The drive itself throughout the city and on the highway was smooth and very steady. In the city, I often found myself driving way faster than I perceived, as the vehicle accelerated so quickly and quietly that I didn't notice it at all. Fear not, I got no tickets that week! A great feature of the vehicle was the Brake Coach - a system to teach the driver how to brake efficiently with each stop in order to maximize the regenerative capacity of the brakes to increase fuel economy and reduce wear on the brake pads. The braking energy normally lost is actually used to help charge the car battery. It honestly was great positive reinforcement, cause I loved attaining 100% returns on energy usage!

On the highway, the C-Max performed just as well, accelerating quickly but steadily as we made our way down the QE2. For the entire duration of the trip, we used the ECO Cruise control option which is designed to maximize fuel efficiency during cruise control. After driving from Edmonton to Calgary, cruising around Calgary for lunch, and driving all the way to Banff, we managed the trip in less than 3/4 of a tank of gas and the vehicle reported mileage of 6.9L/100 KM. On the drive back to Edmonton, we averaged 6.2L/100 KM which is awesome, considering the manufacturer lists the value to be around 4L/100 KM in the city and 5L/100 KM in highway conditions.

Overall, the experience with the C-Max Hybrid was a positive one - I enjoyed the steady ride and it was quite suitable for little me. Despite being a small car, there was a surprisingly large volume of space in the trunk - by flipping down the back seats you could get additional room as well. With all the features in this vehicle, the price came out to just under $36 000, but it starts at $25 199. While it may be more expensive than your average vehicle, I think the reason to commit to a hybrid vehicle really comes down to how much you value the environment. In the long run, the amount of money you save from gas utilization could also be worth it. Although the C-Max Hybrid probably isn't going to be my next vehicle purchase, the experience with it has definitely opened my eyes to the hybrid vehicles and I would take the feature into consideration.

Disclaimer: This vehicle was provided courtesy of Ford Canada. I was not expected to feature this vehicle on my blog, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.

If you follow me on Twitter, you may have known I was given the opportunity to drive the new 2013 Escape for a week courtesy of Ford Canada. I definitely live up to the Asian stereotype and drive my Civic from day to day, so driving a non-Asian manufactured car was never really in my plans. It was a totally unexpected opportunity, but I was up for a change to ride around in an SUV! And to tell you the truth, as an avid Amazing Race fan, I knew that the Escape came with park assist and a hands free lift gate which I was beyond excited to try out.

Being a student and shopaholic, there's not too much I want out of my vehicle. I need it to get me from point A to B, have a smooth ride, be fuel efficient, and have a large enough capacity to carry my day to day needs and lots of shopping bags after a stressful day at school (I am totally serious). Aesthetics are a major bonus too - what? I'm so vain.

So let's start off with the looks and feel. The new design of the Escape is much sleeker than those of the past, and is equipped with headlights comprised with bright strips of LEDs. The vehicle itself didn't feel too big, but there was plenty of space in the interior for both the driver and passengers to be comfortably seated, with plenty of headroom to spare. The interior was lined with soft-touch plastic and glossy trim here and there, with seats covered in a smooth leather. The dark interior was contrasted with beautiful blue lighting (so pretty at night!), and the MyFord Touch system was integrated in the centre of the console.

The touchscreen system was easily accessible, and very easy to use. Synchronization with my phone to play music and make calls was quick, and the built in navigation system and dual climate control was pretty impressive. This vehicle utilizes a Sony system with amazing sound quality, so you can imagine I was blasting music everywhere I went. The only difficulty was that the Bluetooth synchronization with my phone wasn't always automatic, and I had to play around with disconnecting and reconnecting my phone more than twice during that week.

Being a top of the line vehicle, I would say the Escape was very technologically advanced. From quick heating seats to keyless entry and a push-start ignition, it was equipped with a rear view camera, front and rear sensors with audible alarms, blind spot sensors and cross-traffic sensors. Talk about awesome, as I didn't have to worry while driving this larger vehicle since it was looking out for my safety, too! I found the blind-spot monitoring system to be a little faulty, as it kept sensing the side of the bridge I was driving on as a vehicle.

I will admit to being a little (okay maybe more than a little) speed demon on the road, and I loved that the Escape was able to accelerate and keep up with my jam packed schedule when rushing from school, to work, and home. The 4WD provided great traction on the road in icy spots, and it felt really safe driving around corners and turning at higher speeds. After spending a week with the Escape, I’ve gotta say that I quite enjoy driving SUV’s. Being able to sit up higher allows for a better view of the road, and the smooth ride of this new vehicle really helped ease the frustrations driving over Edmonton’s pothole-d roads. Seriously, I think we are the pothole capital of Alberta.

One of the coolest features for me had to be the Active Park Assist, where the car completes parallel parking for you. I was worried having to parallel park a larger vehicle, but the programmed parking assistance was AWESOME! You control the speed, while the vehicle controls the turning of the wheel. The first time was a little frightening, seeing the wheel turn right before my eyes, and the car was parked tightly into a space I never would've attempting parallel parking into. So cool.

Another great feature was the hands-free power liftgate, where a simple wave of your foot under the trunk of the vehicle unlocks and opens it for you within seconds. When your hands are full of groceries or shopping bags, not having to juggle everything to fish for your keys out of your bag or pockets is so convenient. The trunk is also quite roomy, giving me enough space to stow my junk (backpack, purse, random shoes and clothes, textbooks) and even make a power trip to Costco - my family has weekly apocalypse shopping trips there, and the trunk space stood up to the test!

Being both a student and having a shopping problem pretty much means I need to see where I spend my money. As listed for the Escape, fuel consumption is 9.8L/100 km in the city, and 6.9L/100 km on the highway. This to me was amazing, considering my Civic performs just slightly better. However, for a week of city driving (and a little bit of my speedy habits), I had used up 3/4 of a tank of gas, putting my driving at about 13-14L/100km. While its not terrible, its good to keep in mind that the numbers don't exactly line up. There are many models of the Escape out there to choose from, and for the week I was driving around in the 2.0 L EcoBoost Titanium 4WD model. With all the extras included, the vehicle came out to just under $43 500 (excl. GST), which isn't exactly a price I would be willing to pay. However, most models start at $21 500, and the options added on top are up to you.

I did really enjoy spending time driving the 2013 Ford Escape, and was pretty sad to have to give it back after a week. The smooth ride, integrated technology and aesthetic appeal really grew on me - test it out for yourself and see what you think.

Disclaimer: This vehicle was provided courtesy of Ford Canada. I was not expected to feature this vehicle on my blog, nor obligated to do so. This post is 100% my opinion, and as always, my priority is to you, the reader, to present an unbiased, thorough review.