StoBro2

Most of my suggested improvements center around MFT. Beyond eliminating all of the bugs, I'd like to have the "buttons" rearranged so that there's more space between them. It would be a lot easier to hit the correct button with a gloved hand if they just shrank some of the blank space and spread them out a little bit. Another complaint I have is with glare on the instrument cluster. There are too many reflections from the nearby bright trim pieces. Some of the perimeter readouts on the screens (like outdoor temperature and time) are too small and dim to be readable on a bright day when you're wearing sunglasses. The front passenger seat would benefit from a height adjuster, and I'd pay extra to have the seatback fold forward (flat would be nice) to extend the length of the cargo area. The HVAC control should have buttons you can identify by feel, instead of having them all flush with each other. Finally, since I have an SE with a traditional key/fob, how about a folding key? And better protection for the buttons to prevent accidental activation?

I've noticed some extra noise recently that I think is caused by the rotors rusting. Our weather lately has been especially mild and damp for January, and there's a tendency for all disc brake rotors to get a light coating of surface rust. (Whenever I wash my car I can guarantee the rotors will be rusty before I finish drying it.) I think the fact that I'm using the regenerative brakes a lot more than I'm relying on the discs means that it takes longer for the pads to scrub off the surface rust. After I drive for a couple of miles I don't notice the noise any more. It either goes away, or I just get used to it. I'm not sure which.

I do all of my shopping at the local Piggly Wiggly. Shop the Pig!

I like the part where they had to run the heaters in their cloth seats because it was 45 degrees, and how they froze their butts off while waiting for the tow truck. 45 degrees? That's car washing weather for me!

The Ford works in mysterious ways...

My non-Sony MFT audio display also has a "Rear" setting that doesn't do anything. If I have passengers in the car, I have the control set for all seats, otherwise I keep it on "Driver".

Folding the mirrors in only gets you a couple of extra inches of clearance on each side. I know if I park the C-Max in the garage with enough room to open the driver's side doors a couple of detents without banging into the wall, there's just enough room on the passenger's side to roll my wheeled trash bin past the car it I fold the mirror first. I go through this every trash day so I'm quite familiar with the limited folding range of the mirrors.

I guess I'm used to cars with 8,9,10 or more factory speakers. Separate mid-bass and tweeters in each door, plus a center channel in the dash and a subwoofer in the cargo area. I can see where a single pair of speakers would be preferred in a home environment where everyone has a roughly equal chance of hearing the music, but how can the rear seat passengers hear anything close to what the front seat passengers hear when the sound has to travel around the front seat passengers (and the seats) or up from the lousy sounding speakers aimed at their shins?

I've never had an issue with that panel- I never realized there was one in that location. I've had a couple of other trim details that needed correction and the dealer was quick to take care of them. On a side note, if I took a photo of the footwell of my C-Max today practically every visible surface would be coated with a thick layer of road salt tracked in by my boots.

My printed sticker has a code of 08 16 12 and the electronic version has that plus 120120823 in the bottom margin. Maybe one is the date the order was initiated in the system at the plant and the other is the date the car went out the door? Both are Thursdays. Given the number of little assembly flaws, I could've sworn it was built on a Monday or Friday.

Part of the problem with fuel prices in the US is that diesel fuel, which is mostly used for commercial purposes, is taxed at a higher rate than gasoline. To discourage the wasting of petroleum products by the general population without raising the prices on everything, that tax structure should be reversed.

Another Tuxedo Black owner here! Ditto on the versatility and room. My personal preference would've been for a traditional drivetrain with a manual transmission, which is what I've driven for over 35 years. I test drove a C-Max while I was out looking at the Focus ST, and I was won over by the way it goes about it's business without extracting a huge penalty in drivability, responsiveness, comfort and flexibility. I don't feel like I'm having to compromise to get impressive fuel economy.

Is anyone using the under-floor storage bins in the back seat? Or the little storage trays on the floor on the outboard edges of the front seats? I have no idea what use I could possibly have for any of them.

The EPA's testing procedures are pretty accurate when you're looking at traditional gasoline powered vehicles. I've always managed an average of somewhere between the EPA combined and highway numbers for the last 5 gas vehicles I've owned. The EPA's tests aren't as accurate for diesels, where my lifetime average was close to the highway number despite rarely taking the car on the highway. In this case, the EPA's numbers are slightly pessimistic. The EPA tests also aren't as accurate for hybrids, especially newer, higher battery capacity hybrids. The EPA's numbers are a lot more optimistic for hybrids than what is consistently achievable in the real world.

Technically, these are all initialisms, not acronyms. Acronyms are initial abbreviations that can be pronounced as words, like SCUBA, NASA, RADAR and others. That being said, here are some more generic automotive ones to throw into the pile: OCI = Oil Change Interval OEM = Original Equipment Manufacturer UOA = Used Oil Analysis AKI = Anti-Knock Index (Octane rating method used in U.S.)

Mine works the way yours does.

I guess I'm probably all alone here, but I never use cruise control. Every car I've owned for the last 20 years has had it, but I've never used it except to test it to make sure it functions. I feel the same way about armrests. Both of my hands are always on the wheel, so why is there a padded spot for my elbow? OK, I'll crawl back under my rock now.

During the week I drive from work to home for my lunch break. It's six miles and about 15 minutes of driving each way (I'm lucky, I get a full hour for lunch!). The temperature lately has been in the upper 20s to lower 30s. On my way home for lunch after the car has been sitting outside for 4 hours I get MPGs in the mid-30s. When I head back to work after lunch the car has only been sitting for about 20 or 25 minutes, so it's pre-warmed. I always get MPGs in the mid-40s. This is with the HVAC set at 69 degrees and running the entire time. I would imagine if my commute was only 3.5 miles and the engine was cold for all trips that I'd probably get MPG in the low to mid 30s too.

You can always turn the EV+ Mode off, right?

I've put over 3000 miles on my SE Hybrid and today when I got in the car to drive home from work I got a brand new message. A yellow message that said something to the effect of "MyKey activated, speed limited to 80 mph". This surprised me because I never set up any MyKeys. I tried to find some setting that explained what the message was all about without luck. I turned off the car, removed the key, waited a few seconds then repeated the start up sequence only this time I didn't get the MyKey message. When I got home I checked the owner's manual, then checked the MyKey info screen and it says I have (2) Admin keys and (0) MyKeys, which is as it should be. To be sure that the 80 mph speed limit is not enabled I guess I'll have to get out on the highway and check it out for myself. It seems like the MyFordTouch glitches are growing and spreading to other systems in the car.

Running the seat heater to stay warm doesn't do you much good when it's 11 degrees and your breath is frosting up the insides of all of the glass in the car. I just use the HVAC like it's any other car. I can live with the consequences. My current rate of 37 miles traveled for every gallon consumed is still almost double what I would have gotten in my previous car under the same conditions.

This morning makes the 6th time that the clock has displayed the wrong time on start up. At 10:20 this morning is was showing 3:45 PM. I haven't driven it since Saturday. That may be the time I shut it off, I don't remember. The calendar is still correct. Everything else seems to function normally.

I bought an Energizer key chain LED light at PepBoys and used some double stick tape to attach it to the inside of the bin just below where the lid hits it. The angle of the LED aims the light just where I need it to illuminate the space. So far, all I have in there is my ipod and its cord. I did discover that there is a small circular recess in the floor that I assume is meant for a water bottle or something similar. I also discovered that the rubbery bottom is removable for cleaning. http://www.energizer.com/flashlights-lighting/flashlights/keychain/Pages/high-tech-led-keychain-light.aspx

If I think I might have to clear snow off of the windshield, I try to remember to put the wipers in the service position when I shut it off. That gets them about halfway up the windshield where they can be lifted from the glass for cleaning. I don't recall the exact section of the owner's manual where this is covered, but it's in there somewhere. Within 30 seconds or so of switching the car off, activate the single wipe function, only hold the stalk down until the wipers move up the the service position and then stop. Release the stalk and the wipers should remain in place.

The body shop was able to adjust the front fenders into alignment with the front doors. It now looks the way it should have looked when it left the factory. The gaps are more uniform and there is no rubbing. And they washed off all of the road salt spray, so it looks like a black car again! They gave me a Focus 5-door SEL loaner. It had (unheated) leather seats, a non-MFT audio system and an automatic transmission. Dropping into the Focus reminded me of why I like the C-Max so much. In the Focus, I felt like I was sitting almost on the floor. It was like climbing out of a hole to exit the car. The transmission reminded me of why I never drove anything but manuals for the last 35+ years. It always seemed to be up or down shifting at the wrong time, never when I would want it to. The CVT in the C-Max is much more refined. I still prefer manual transmissions for the control and involvement in the driving process, but the CVT seems to behave the way I think an automated transmission should behave- seamlessly.