greensteve

No bashing...cmax is a very nice car and fit me nice. Just had issues with the wifey not being to fit her tiny frame. I love the discussions pros and cons and it does make you think of the stupid little things that eventually hit you on a long ride that you wouldn't care about on short point to point drive. I know one day if hybrids are here to stay long term is that the words you used "work at it" and that they take it out of the experience of driving a hybrid. Just remember the days when gas wasn't a factor and how much fun it was to drive a car...other than it breaking down...we as drivers shouldn't have yet another thing to work or worry about to obtain high mpg's that is what computers and machines should do for us. hahaha I know something as crazy as a center armrest as a deal breaker! Well that should say kudos to Ford for creating a fine machine to take on the Prius. For me and Ford I think their track record needs to win back my trust in them. Lets hope they do and others like myself.

hahaha wab...there is the possibility of a dry cell in every battery pack :) Well I would love to see the prototype of the center armrest extender and do post when you get er done!

Ok so this is an issue with most of you that own this car and this was the case with most of these SUV's I was coming across when I was checking out all the different makes and models out there. AudenHoggart...nice find...A quick look at some UK ford sites and yes it appears British people have this feature! Centre console Premium, with sliding armrest, open stowage bins, CD storage, additional 12V front and rear power sockets, 2nd row airvents, and bright finish cup holder surrounds (includes woven headliner), Z-shape handbrake Now does anyone know any UK people that have done this?

I was looking at the real plugin figures for hybrids and they really don't look that good...I just don't like the fact that electricity is being pushed...I can see that everyone has it already and that makes it viable but heck jacking up my electric bill I guess is a slightly lesser cost then gas. Sad that harnessing the suns rays is still wicked expensive. I like the idea of liquid natural gas option or hydrogen as a future fuel...can reduce big time on our dependent from foreign oil but there doesn't seem to be a push as far as I can tell for it. Funny...it all looks like the days of which will win....Betamax or VHS so I guess we will be pawns in the game.

That is cool...I was hoping you say that. Also lets get that "custom" arm rest in production and sold on Ebay! You will make millions!

It just sucks that something in plain sight was overlooked. Correction on the wife's height...it is 5foot 1inch so even in the SEL C-Max with the seat as high as it can go that armrest is useless and just didn't give her enough reach on the wheel. Also one thing I didn't understand with the center armrest was the array of A/V connections in there. Now I didn't look closely but if you have say 5 of those connections plugged in was there a way to route the wires out of the armrest? or do you have to disconnect them every time and can you close the armrest door with wires plugged in?

I would say the driving experience was nice with the C-Max and average with the PriusV. The PriusV had no bells and whistles but I think the longer wheel base and I thought that the fake leather seats were ok a lot better than the standard Prius. My wife is a big critiquer when it comes to driving and I thought for sure that the PriusV was going to kill her but to my crazy surprise it was the C-Max that didn't fit her. So I think what I might do is to get her a PriusV and me probably something that includes plugin technology.

hahaha I know...it's just all that money I threw away at American cars that make me vent. What's that saying...once bitten (my case 4 times) twice shy? You know the cut still stings from time to time. ;-) Well I haven't bought a PriusV yet...in my spare time I build electric bikes so I am getting around town with that and my Honda civic...fun times but this is what we have on the menu in 2013 a mish mosh of technologies floating about but I now know that the game is mpg's and how it puts a dent in my wallet.

hahaha I just mentioned the LI-ions because that is all that Ford needs right now in the hybrid market...but I see that all these companies put a lot of devotion in cooling their batteries almost to the point caring more to keep them cool then me in hot Florida! ;-) True though about your comments when making decisions when buying a car but in this case the main reason for even entertaining a hybrid market is for extending mpg's. For Toyota to even put out a SUV style hybrid with the lowest mpg in their fleet but the highest in any other "suv" is purely to capture market share. So here I am without a car on the fence about buying another car and wanting the world at my finger tips.

I really liked the C-max when it came to options because I was saying when checking out the Prius V for the first time I was like...should have had this and should have had that when it came to accessories. I would say that in my 26 driving history having owned 4 crappy American cars and then owning my first Toyota Solara in 1999 and just recently selling it with no issues at all with 200k on it and enjoying the past 13 years not having to worry about new models out or looking for a used car...just drive and get me from point A to B with no issues left a lasting impression on me here on out. I do hope that the future will change and I think I am seeing that now with American cars but that still has to be proven with time to win back buyers like myself.

I am really surprised that I have not readily found any reports of the lithium ion batteries catching fire yet...I guess it might be a matter of time.

What do you mean by "after the great mpg novelty wore off"?

That was one of the deal breakers for us. We also have a Honda civic and I like that feature where the arm rest moves forward. The other was that the drivers seat does not go up high enough for the 5foot 3inch wife. I like to start from the drivers seat out when reviewing a car and couldn't even get past that point with the seat height but the things I did like in the C-max where the steering wheel, the many air vents, dual climate control, the blind spot mirrors and the air vents in the center console for the rear passengers, the optional lift gate and it felt like it had more power over the Prius V with a higher EV control (which really doesn't mean anything but cool.) Things I didn't like....the drivers seat height, no seat memory, lack of cargo space, that raised battery compartment With all that said...I had a chance to rent a Prius V on a 400 mile road trip and even that car had things I liked and disliked. Well It had none of the things that I liked with the C-Max...bad steering wheel design, not that many air vents, no blind spot mirrors and no air vents in the center console for the rear passengers, no optional lift gate (that lift is hard to close) and lack of power and a lower EV control. With all that said...It was nice to have those "creatures of comfort" with the C-Max and yes I will miss what the C-Max delivered to the table but the Prius V was bigger and got better mileage and it is made by Toyota that I feel has a newer generation and better build reputation.