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Opinions Welcome! Considering a C-Max for 30kmiles/year


G8orFord
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Brand new to the forum and I'm really intrigued with the C-Max.  I'm looking at a couple of low mileage 2013 SEL's and possibly a new 2015 SEL.  One of 2013's has 21k on it and I'm pretty sure it's off-lease.  It's at a Ford dealer and being sold as a CPO vehicle.  The other 2013 only has 9k on the clock, but it's not a CPO vehicle.  The new one pretty much speaks for itself.

 

My question is, I will be putting roughly 30k miles a year on the vehicle due to my 120 mile round trip everyday.  It's about 60% highway and 40% city/local road driving.  Is the C-max a good candidate for this type of commute or would I be better off just looking at a Focus or something?  I'm 6'2" and about 230 lbs. so anything smaller just isn't an option.

 

Any input is welcome.

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Brand new to the forum and I'm really intrigued with the C-Max.  I'm looking at a couple of low mileage 2013 SEL's and possibly a new 2015 SEL.  One of 2013's has 21k on it and I'm pretty sure it's off-lease.  It's at a Ford dealer and being sold as a CPO vehicle.  The other 2013 only has 9k on the clock, but it's not a CPO vehicle.  The new one pretty much speaks for itself.

 

My question is, I will be putting roughly 30k miles a year on the vehicle due to my 120 mile round trip everyday.  It's about 60% highway and 40% city/local road driving.  Is the C-max a good candidate for this type of commute or would I be better off just looking at a Focus or something?  I'm 6'2" and about 230 lbs. so anything smaller just isn't an option.

 

Any input is welcome.

I'd recommend a diesel for mostly highway miles, but to be truthful, at 60-65 MPH, you would get similar mileage to a diesel with the C-Max (around 40). The diesel would do better at 75, for example, due to better aerodynamics. The only cheaper diesels I know of are VW. Out here in LA, diesel is one buck cheaper per gallon over RUG, which may be a factor for you.

 

But at your mileage needs, you might consider a used vehicle - anything you buy is going to depreciate rapidly due to the miles.

 

I'm a bigger fellow, and I fit into the C-Max (energi in my case, but the same design) well. It has great road characteristics, is easy to enter/egress, and has a lot of head room. I'd sit in one and check it out, but you probably would be more comfortable in the C-Max than a smaller car.

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Given you have a large faction highway, and there have been transmission failures seen with 2013's that drive a lot of highway, I'd discount the 2013's. Mine was delivered 10/1/12, but I'm not doing much highway driving with it, so I'm not concerned. Here's a thread on build dates.

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/5288-build-date-for-ecvt-that-have-failed/?do=findComment&comment=58883

 

Now, I don't think we've had many out-of-warranty failures, and it's possible software/firmware updates have addressed the transmission reliability issue, but it's something to consider when anticipating high highway mileage.

 

Have fun,

Frank

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Really?  A Focus?  I'm 6'0" and I could barely get in and out of the thing.   I did covet a Focus Electric for a long time, however.

 

Hey, if you want to try out a Focus Electric for a while without a long-term commitment, there's a guy on Swapalease who's only got 6 months left on his lease and is willing to be bought out: you just take over his monthlies, which are pretty low, and he'll kick in $500 which should be enough to ship the car to you. Hardly seems worth his effort at this point, but I was tempted!

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Water under the bridge; (congrats on your purchase), but on our recent trip to New Mexico and back, we got 46 MPG on our Passat diesel, with the cruise control set at either 75 (CA) or 80 (Arizona or NM). Average speed was 71. The mileage has improved as the engine breaks in. We have 22K on it. When new, the same trip and speeds returned 42 MPG.

 

My Energi got 36 on this same trip and speeds - good, but not as good as the diesel.

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  • 1 month later...

I've had mine for a year now and have been certified as the worst type driver for a hydrid by my buddy the Ford Dealer Mechanic. I drive 150 miles a day to work and back and it is all highway and 85-90 MPH. I have 26K miles on it and really enjoy driving it. I bought it because I am an electrician at Ford Michigan Assembly Plant and my area is just before they go out the door. I am getting 35.9 MPG and in the winter I drive my F-350 truck.

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