473 replies to this topic

[RachelnLa]

I have looked at feully and will give it a try once the car arrives.

Is there a difference between the mpg that the car is showing versus mpg per tankful?

[darrelld]

I would think that the average of 39.2 mpg gallon is actually good. These are all new cars that haven't been broken in yet. My impression from reading this forum is that the C-Max owners are generally pleased and only a small minority are coming in with poor mileage. I don't understand the importance of reporting fillups on Fuelly??

I am very pleased with my mpg. I never drove a hybrid (had every Lexus hybrid made for loaners) that got EPA. I have had no issue achieving EPA with my C-Max. My TDI can also hit EPA easily.

[CNCGeek]

I am very pleased with my mpg. I never drove a hybrid (had every Lexus hybrid made for loaners) that got EPA. I have had no issue achieving EPA with my C-Max. My TDI can also hit EPA easily.

I don't want to get nit-picky, but I have to point out that your fuelly data shows 42.8mpg average, and the latest 48.8mpg was over only 158 miles. The freeway/city mix on your driving is shown as 15/85 so you should be getting the optimal fuel economy considering most is city (regardless of what Ford's hwy mpg estimate says). What I found most interesting is that your numbers align pretty well with what I am seeing (indicated), and my mix is probably close to the same. I do not consider the C-max fuel economy to be bad, but I am unable to get the advertised mpg on a consistent basis (and I only say "advertised" because of the comparison Ford made with the Prius). I do not use many hypermiling techniques (trying out the pulse and glide where it is safe).

Edited by CNCGeek, 26 November 2012 - 06:36 AM.

[MSmith1915]

My wife had the opportunity to drive our C-Max SEL exclusively for about 12 days because I was out of town. She drove about 400 miles with about 137 miles on EV, two 50 mile round trips to the airport and the rest around town. Her average mpg was 38.5. She drives the C-Max like any car she has ever driven. She doesn't know anything about EV, ICE, regen braking or hypermiling techniques. I was typically getting about 43 mpg around town. We have about 1500 miles on the car now, so it's still breaking in. I know the C-Max is capable of better than 38.5 mpg, but you do have work a little harder with your driving techniques to achieve those higher numbers. I plan on filling up with ethenol-free gas and I'll post the results on the gas mileage when I get them.

[stranger267]

My best trip for now:
Walnut Creek - Byron, and back. Few country roads, 45 - 50 mph.





Back (darkness so results are lower)



few more pictures with data here - https://picasaweb.go...feat=directlink

So, in the best possible conditions it show 42 - not bad but far behind 47.

[darrelld]

I don't want to get nit-picky, but I have to point out that your fuelly data shows 42.8mpg average, and the latest 48.8mpg was over only 158 miles. The freeway/city mix on your driving is shown as 15/85 so you should be getting the optimal fuel economy considering most is city (regardless of what Ford's hwy mpg estimate says). What I found most interesting is that your numbers align pretty well with what I am seeing (indicated), and my mix is probably close to the same. I do not consider the C-max fuel economy to be bad, but I am unable to get the advertised mpg on a consistent basis (and I only say "advertised" because of the comparison Ford made with the Prius). I do not use many hypermiling techniques (trying out the pulse and glide where it is safe).

My wife is the primary driver of the C-Max and she drives it without fuel economy in mind. She usually speeds away from a red light tailgating the driver in front of her until an opportunity to pass occurs. Prior to her Jetta TDI she drove a Saturn Vue Redline and Camaro Z28. Her first question when looking at the C-Max was how much power does it have, the second question was about fuel economy.

When I drive as the primary (the last fuel up data on fuelly) mpg increases dramatically. I don't really use any special techniques other that pulse quickly up to the speed limit and glide in EV. Every other hybrid I have driven (Lexus, Hyundai, check the Fuelly data for those) got within the same margin or error I am seeing reported here and Fuelly for the C-Max.

All the Ford comparions I have seen relate to the Prius V but all the forum comparisons are to the Prius sedan?

[skwcrj]

My wife is the primary driver of the C-Max and she drives it without fuel economy in mind. She usually speeds away from a red light tailgating the driver in front of her until an opportunity to pass occurs. Prior to her Jetta TDI she drove a Saturn Vue Redline and Camaro Z28. Her first question when looking at the C-Max was how much power does it have, the second question was about fuel economy.

When I drive as the primary (the last fuel up data on fuelly) mpg increases dramatically. I don't really use any special techniques other that pulse quickly up to the speed limit and glide in EV. Every other hybrid I have driven (Lexus, Hyundai, check the Fuelly data for those) got within the same margin or error I am seeing reported here and Fuelly for the C-Max.

All the Ford comparions I have seen relate to the Prius V but all the forum comparisons are to the Prius sedan?

I have a 2012 Prius V so my comparison is based on the Prius V.

Questions for you: Your first 2 fillups on Fuelly are partial fill ups (no mpg calculated). Did you mean to check "Partial Fillup"? If not, you can edit your fillup information and uncheck the "Partial Fill up". Do you know the breakdown between total miles and EV miles? Can you add to your Fuelly notes?

[darrelld]

I have a 2012 Prius V so my comparison is based on the Prius V.

Questions for you: Your first 2 fillups on Fuelly are partial fill ups (no mpg calculated). Did you mean to check "Partial Fillup"? If not, you can edit your fillup information and uncheck the "Partial Fill up". Do you know the breakdown between total miles and EV miles? Can you add to your Fuelly notes?

Not partials, Fuelly does not start calculating and displaying data until your 3rd fill.

http://www.fuelly.co...browse-vehicles

A Fuelly car needs three fuel-ups before it shows up public areas of the site. We've found that average fuel economy is all over the map when you only have a couple entries, but once a few fuel-ups have been added the average tends to even out to a more realistic number for the vehicle. Excluding newly created cars makes the list more useful for people who want to compare fuel economy.

I have not started documenting total EV miles per fill and will start, its data that should be interesting to track.

Edited by darrelld, 26 November 2012 - 06:18 PM.

[skwcrj]

Not partials, Fuelly does not start calculating and displaying data until your 3rd fill.



I have not started documenting total EV miles per fill and will start, its data that should be interesting to track.

Hmmm. That's interesting because all of my fillups have show mpg from the first one (going way back). Now you have me curious as to why a few don't show mpg and most do.

[skwcrj]

From Fuelly.com:

Fuelly FAQ

Why doesn't my fuel-up have a calculated MPG (L/100km)?

There are several reasons why an individual fuel-up might not get an MPG (or L/100km if you're using metric) calculated. Here are the most common reasons with links to more information:

1.) You marked the fuel-up as partial.
2.) You marked the previous fuel-up as partial.
3.) You marked the fuel-up as missed.
4.) It's your first fuel-up and you're using odometer tracking.
5.) The fuel-up is a duplicate of an existing odometer reading so no distance could be calculated.
6.) The calculated MPG was over 199 miles/gallon.

If the calculated MPG was over 199 miles/gallon it might be caused by a data entry error somewhere along the line. Frequently, an extremely high MPG calculation is due to an extra or dropped digit from an odometer reading.

[darrelld]

Hmmm. That's interesting because all of my fillups have show mpg from the first one (going way back). Now you have me curious as to why a few don't show mpg and most do.

From my interpretation of the fuelly faq they reveal all the previous fillups once a predetermined number of data points have been reached.

[ptjones]

I have been trying to figure out when the shutters are closed. It appears that the shutters are closed any time the car is stopped in EV mode and the engine would only run if it was cold and if the AC is not on. I'm guessing that the shutters would open when the engine is running and temps are high enough. I don't have an easy way to check this out. I have rough cut a clear plexiglass center grill opening cover and I'm trying to figure out how to finish out and attach. Will post pics once I get it done.

Edited by ptjones, 28 November 2012 - 07:09 PM.

[ptjones]

I have rough cut a clear plexiglass center grill opening cover and I'm trying to figure out how to finish out and attach. Will post pics once I get it done.

Check out photos in my Gallery.

I am going to continue to do more testing to determine what mpg improvement I'm getting. Stay tuned!
Last night I made a 110mi. trip with two stops. I was averaging between 65 mph and 70 mph with speeds from 55 to 80 mph. I had an average of 46.3 mpg when I started with 100 mi on the tank. When I finished I still had 46.3 mpg average after 110 mi with drafting 75% of the time. My EV % went from 60% to 45% for this tank. This morning I tried out my TOCGO mod on the hwy setting the eco cruise for 70 mph and went 12 mi. hwy /2.2cty. My average for the trip was 39.8 mpg with no drafting 2.1EV mi.,.5 regen mi. This shows that drafting at 70 mph is worth at least 5 or more mpg. Also I checked again at 100 mi. on the tripometer the GPS had 101.5 mi. so I'm doing 1.5% better than calculated or +.5 mpg.

Edited by ptjones, 28 November 2012 - 10:27 PM.

[RobT]

So I'm stuck at 45.5 mpg...around 2000 on the odometer. My wife takes it down a little, I bring it up a little. It could be better but I get tired of thinking too much about the way I'm driving every second. Take a phone call and completely throw things off. Now when I see it sinking, I just bring it back. 45.5...that's my number I guess. I am still learning some different things about driving, definitely some tricks on how to handle hills, mountains, up stretches, down streches. Since I have the same commute everyday, I think I'll be able to maximize the mpg someday as I test out different exceleration points and cruise points...gonna be awhile.

[MSmith1915]

Just got back from a trip to Lowes, 5.2 miles and when I shut the car off, the mpg registered 65 mpg.  My best short trip so far.

 

December 2

Two short trips today, one about 13 miles and the other about 7.  Information display showed 50 mpg on both legs.  With 150 miles on this tank, holding above 47 mpg, actual today is 47.6

Edited by MSmith1915, 02 December 2012 - 04:54 PM.

[darrelld]

Just got back from a trip to Lowes, 5.2 miles and when I shut the car off, the mpg registered 65 mpg.  My best short trip so far.

 

Was this from a completely cold engine?

[darrelld]

Tricky issue

Measuring fuel economy can be tricky - an issue well highlighted by Ford Motor Co.'s Fusion sedan win of the "Green Car of the Year" at the L.A. auto show.

The Fusion hybrid is estimated to get 47 miles per gallon, although early tests by Consumer Reports magazine signal that the Fusion hybrid, like other hybrids that have been tested, has not come near that figure.

Ford spokesman Wes Sherwood said the company was expecting to see a wider range for fuel economy on its new generation of hybrids because it is not asking drivers to compromise on vehicle performance.

"If you want to drive for maximum fuel economy, the car has the tools. You can do it," Sherwood said. "If you want to drive 80 miles per hour on the highway you aren't going to get 47 miles per gallon."

A hybrid is an automobile with more than one power source, such as an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, or an electric motor with a battery and fuel cells for energy storage.

 

Read more: http://www.autonews....6#ixzz2DkEpqzIE

[MSmith1915]

Darrelid, no the engine wasn't cold.  I was coming back from Lowes, so it had warmed up on the way there.  If I remember correctly, the mpg on arriving at Lowes was somewhere in the low 50s.

[darrelld]

Darrelid, no the engine wasn't cold.  I was coming back from Lowes, so it had warmed up on the way there.  If I remember correctly, the mpg on arriving at Lowes was somewhere in the low 50s.

I have noticed a major drop in mpg once the temp dipped into the 40's.

[rkk]

I tried some tests today. The conditions weren't the greatest with 10-15 mph winds out of the south and temps at 55 degrees. The test I did involved going 10.3 miles north and 10.3 miles south on the freeeway at a steady speed with Eco Cruise on. I started and stopped measuring the mileage at the same point each way to balance the wind and elevation differences between the two points and then averaging the mileage. Based on these tests and differences between actual and indicated mileage I had measured before at an average of 2.9% here is what I found. The 70 is a little off because I had to slow a couple times on the north trip. So, for what it's worth...

55 mph 51.6 mpg indicated 50.1 actual 9.4 ev miles
60 mph 46.0 mpg indicated 44.67 actual 6.7 ev miles
65 mph 43.15 mpg indicated 41.9 actual
70 mph 40.75 mpg indicated 39.57 actual

 

Oh, and I had my best tank yet today at 44 mpg over 480.5 miles. Considering the temps not too bad but I have been trying hard and compared to my Civic Hybrid still disappointing.

Edited by rkk, 02 December 2012 - 01:29 AM.