RaPieR

I don't understand something about this feature which I do not plan to use, I'm too chicken to try it.  If you are suppose to keep your foot on the brake to abort if need be?  I'm assuming this means just having your foot poised and ready since actual foot pressure on the pedal would defeat the parking assist feature...right?  Just wondered for those of you who better understand the workings of this feature.

On a flat surface the car should propel itself "creep" and you just keep your foot ready on the brake pedal to stop the car.

I've used this feature probably over a hundred times now in Toronto.  I've only had one issue where it malfunctioned during the procedure and I had to abort because it would have hit the parked car ahead.

It's a little too good, it can park the car in the smallest possible space that will accommodate a C-Max.  I had it park into a tiny space where I only had a few inches front and back and I had to spend a minute shuffling in the space so I could get out.  It's great if you just need a space and you're looking for anything that will work, but you'll have a hard time leaving.

hi, guys, i need help from cmax owners in toronto, canada.

 

i have my cmax for couple months.  my cmax has park assist and i have using it almost everyday.  it works perfectly.  But the "park assist button" has never light up when i push the button and turn on park assist.  i have always believe that the park assist button is NOT suppose to light up until i saw a youtube video and saw another cmax that the park assist button will actually light up!  see video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0WDOBde-Vnc  @1:40.  You will see the park assist button light up when she pushed it.

 

so i brought my cmax to dealership and ask for help, instead they told me it is NOT suppose to light up and i showed him the youtube video and he said that it is a "special effect"!!!

 

now, i am really confused.  Is the light suppose ON or OFF?  that's why i need your help from toronto.  Please check your park assist button and see if it lights up.  if it does, can you take a picture and post it here please?  so that i have proof to go back my dealership for the "special effect" of my park assist button.

 

thanks in advance for all your help.

 

PS: does your button next to park assist (which is the park sensor off button) also light up or not?

Both buttons illuminate when the button is pressed.  See picture below:

We had the Nokian Nordman snow tires with aluminum rims put on our C-Max this afternoon.  Boy there sure is a sound change compared to the original tires.  It is a steady whine and I hate it!  Hubby said it doesn't bother him and he measured the decibels inside the car, and there was not a significant increase i.e. 52 while idling and 58 while driven at 70 kilometers per hour.  However, I find it very annoying as before when in EV it was so silent on the road and now I hear the whine.  Is this typical?

Just depends on the type of winter tire but generally are going to be louder because of the tread.

The General Artic winter set on my Speed3 is quieter than the Hankook set on my C-Max but that could just be that the C-Max is a lot quieter in the cabin compared to the Mazda.

Here is an explanation of what it took to get 875.3 actual  miles as verified by Garmin GPS. Smart Gauge is off by 1.4% which comes out to about a .5mpg improvement. From what I have heard from other C-Max owners, this appears to be a common problem. BTW I didn't run out of gas and might have made 900mi with the remaining gas in the tank!

 

 

• First: Fortunately a business trip to Deltona, FL gave me the golden opportunity to plan the ultimate fuel economy test trip!
• Second: My goal was 900 mi. on a tank.
• Third: I calculated 45mph as the average speed needed to accomplish 900 mi.
• Fourth: Realistically, you can't drive on Interstates because it's not safe to travel between 40-45mph. In planning my route I used MapQuest and GoogleMaps trip planning to avoid Interstate highways. By using State highways I was able to save 40 mi. each way and typically the speed limit is 55mph. With less traffic I was able to drive 40-55mph.
• Fifth: P&G (Pulse & Glide) is the strategy for max mpg, no ECO Cruise. You need to watch your Miles To Empty (MTE) to make sure you are going to make it. I started with Pulse to55-60mph and Glide to 45mph. Halfway through the trip I could see it was going to be close so I slowed down to 40mph and easily made it.

 

 

Here is a list of MODs and explanation:

 

Grill Covers minimize heat loss from ICE and improve aerodynamics to improve MPGs.

 

 

Top off with Non Ethanol gas improves MPGs 1+ but is not cost effective for regular use, $4/gal vs $3.19/gal.

 

GasPods improve aerodynamics, not sure how much yet.

 

 

45psi in tires.

 

Covered Fog Lamps with clear carpet tape.

 

 

ScanGauge keeps track of Coolant Temps, Instant MPG, Air Intake Temps and RPMs.

 

 

Garmin GPS keeps track of actual miles traveled, average speed and route.  It is advantageous to compare the routes between two GPSs; many times they do not use the same route! I also recommend MapQuest or GoogleMaps to plan the trip, print out directions and compare to GPS routing.

 

Drafting is problematic on back roads because it is hard to find a suitable drafting partner. Truckers tend to drive 65mph in 55mph speed zones and that is just too fast and stressful to achieve optimum MPGs.

 

Weather is important for good MPGs and I was lucky with winds light and variable and 63-84 degree temps so didn't use the AC.

 

I had an EV of 66% and high 90%s for brake scores.

 

Here is my Lifetime Score as of October 2, 2013 and it keeps going up!

 

Did you drive that in one day using pulse and glide the entire time?  You are crazy man, nice job on that tank!

I'm at 32K now with my C-Max driven around 80% highway and 20% city.  Haven't had any mechanical problems what-so-ever so far.  I did purchase the extended warranty for the C-Max.

Just got mine today!  No signature was required, FedEx just left it outside on the ground.  Luckily it hasn't started raining yet today or it wasn't taken by somebody passing by.

I'd swear it's harder to shake the ICE after the update than before, probably just me.  I'd be really shocked if the update improves winter driving more than 5%, and I think it will be very difficult to identify.  Sure hope I'm wrong!

 

Now SDM, that is almost cheating.  Remember we are all going to be watching over your shoulder now for sterling results this winter.  :)   Nick

Prior to the update, when I drove to work in the morning if I had ICE on and had to stop within a mile of starting at my apartment it would hold ICE the entire time I'm waiting at the light until it warmed now.

Now post update, if I coast to that light that is about a mile off from my apartment, it'll drop into EV more often instead of sitting at the with ICE trying to warm up the engine.

For both scenarios this is with the AC/HVAC off, if the HVAC was on then ICE wouldn't shut off.

The calibration update allows EV at a higher speed.  I'm not sure it will affect temperature related MPG's

The update also changed warm up time and how the grill shutter functions to reduce warm-up time so hopefully it will improve winter mileage.  Granted last year I was completely ignorant on how to maximize the strengths of a hybrid but I only managed 34-38MPG during the winter time.  I'm hoping to see an improvement this winter.

• The cars will automatically stay in electric-only mode to 85 MPH, up from 62 MPH currently
• Active grille shutters will now close in cold weather or when the A/C is running to warm or cool the interior quicker, this will allow electric mode to kick in sooner.
• Fan speed will be reduced. Less electric load means better fuel economy.
• The cars will now reach operating temperature in half the time, allowing the stop-start feature to work sooner. People in colder climates will appreciate this.

I have to say I am shocked at our bad my mileage is the last few days.  Temperatures have dropped from around 18 C to about 11 C with heavy rain.  It feels very mild out and yes I am wearing a rain slicker, but a sweater is all that is required to stay warm.  With the Fall weather hitting, our mileage has gone from 5.5 L (close to 43 mpg) to the best I could get today was 8.6 L (that is 27 mpg).  This is even worse than last winter when we could be in the 6.8 to 7.4 range.  Granted we aren't booked for our power train upgrade until Oct.16th, but we only have roughly 7000 k on the car (4200 miles).  I had the defrost blowing on high and the temp. set at 21 C to keep the windows defrosted to drive in the torrential rain.  So it is not like I had AC or heat cranked up.  Bizarre.  I will need more than a one time $895 cheque to keep me happy if this keeps up. One other comment is that we have always had crummy in town mileage and much better highway mileage.  I count on my highway trips to bring my mileage down to the 5.5 L range as typically in town driving can range 18 L for the first short 10 k run and gradually get down to 4.8 L when the car is fully warmed up.  I have to say the worst thing about driving the C-Max is the crazy making all over the map mileage that happens on our usual short in town trips of 10 to 20 kilometers.  I want to tape over the screen as it makes me so peeved.   And yes I drive the same as I always do--no rabbit starts and nice brake scores of 99%, and much of the trip the car was in EV so how is this bad mileage even possible?  We are really curious to see how our upgrades pan out on Oct.16th. Probably most post will be the first of the many winter mileage ones that are to come LOL. 

Try adjusting your defroster settings, I just drove from Toronto to Detroit last night and the temperature was in the 50s range and rainy conditions.  I used cruise control at 65-68MPH and managed 44.3MPG on the dashboard which turned out to be 43MPG when I filled up this morning.  You don't need the defroster on high for the mild temperatures now, I was using 73F on the lowest fan setting to keep the windows de-fogged.

Also, for any short trips where the engine can't warm up it's pretty hard to get good mileage when the weather turns colder.  I had several short trips in Toronto that were less than 5 miles and I only averaged 26-27MPG for those short trips but on the return trip when the engine was warmed up it climbed to 44-57MPG.

As stated above by HannahWCU, plenty of threads/discussions on this topic already.  There are way too many variables on the fuel reading.  I fill up at the same pump at the same time 6 - 6:30am every week or so and I'm hovering around a 6% to 8% difference between the dashboard reading and the gas pump reading.  This has been consistent with not only my C-Max but with the Mazda3 and Mazda Protege I've driven.

Did I hear correctly that the Fusion Owners are not getting this refund?

I think only affects C-Max owners since the mileage discrepancy was due to Ford using the Fusion test data for the C-Max.

75mph seems to be the sweet spot for gearing/engine load to achieve 40-50+mpg hwy! 

 

I've used "Torque" (free android app) to see a numerical instant MPG, including tenths, i.e., 45.1, 45.9  (which I've asked Ford engineers to add/include in next firmware update, they were surprised there was no numerical instant mpg- guess it was an oversight, and other Fords have it? the focus, etc? anyways they tried to find it in the left hand screen...) and thus ascertain the most efficient speed to go up a 5% grade is 73mph=23mpg, and 75mph seems to be the sweet spot (on level ground) for gearing/engine load to achieve 40-50+mpg hwy. 

 

 

Seems to also be why mpg is higher the faster you go. Within reason. Well, or within air resistance reason. I tested up to 90mph, and wind resistance above 75mph decreases mpg. Unless you were drafting someone else fairly (unsafely) closely (like within 15-20 feet), and that becomes a safety issue and potentially so expensive that a crash would destroy any FE savings. 

 

Granted 75mph is risking your dilithium crystals, (getting a speeding ticket) I prefer to set eco cruise at 65.1mph and let people blow steam out their ears if they get stuck behind me rather than constantly adjusting speed in light L.A. traffic or forego cruise altogether, but given this discovery, I feel more comfortable setting the cruise at 67-68mph or so without fear of ticketing and safe in the knowledge that faster is better/more efficient. Sometimes even 70-75mph if I have a front and back door...

This is new to me, I would expect the C-Max's drag to be heavily hindering mileage at this speed.  I will give 75 a try on my next road trip but so far from my previous trips anything above 66-68MPH drops mileage considerably.

    I think you are missing my point. The upgrade was supposed to make the Cmax work in EV mode up to 85 MPH. On this trip, it did not and worked as it did before the upgrade even on flat terrain and going a steady 70 MPH. Maybe it will not give you 47 MPG because of other factors like speed, aerodynamics, etc, but there was no change.

Does your C-Max drop into EV mode if you reduce load?  For example you are cruising at 75MPH and tap the cruise button down twice to slow down slightly or when you go into a downhill?

The update increased the operating speed limit of the electric motor but it can't sustain EV at higher speeds if load condition are not right.

Hello welcome!  I've only been around the Ontario part of Canada but it's good to hear about Canadian C-Maxes since I've only seen a handful on my visits to Ontario.

Despite the complaints and bugs the system is very popular.

http://corporate.ford.com/news-center/press-releases-detail/pr-sync-and-myford-touch-sold-on-79-38169

It's sold on nearly 80% on all of 2013 Ford vehicles so Ford has a really big incentive to keep improving the system.

Also, the list showing available voice command was available of 3.1.3.  It was just disabled by default, I used it when I first got my C-Max because I was unfamiliar with the voice command structure and I was too lazy to read through the manual or quickstart guide.

The "goodwill payment" will probably net an owner a lot more than a class lawsuit where the lawyers make a killing.

Anybody go in the 13B10 update?  Is it even an update?

I drive a pretty regular route and fill-up at the same pump in the morning every week or two.  Doing this has led to a pretty consistent reading between calculated gallons used and actual gallons used.

Date - Actual / Computer Calculated

9/3 - 12.94 / 12.68

8/30 - 1.81 / 1.78

8/27 - 15.24 / 14.61 (Used a different pump for a partial fill-up in Canada)

8/19 - 11.94 / 11.89

8/15 - 2.42 / 2.41

8/12 - 11.89 / 11.69

8/9 - 3.76 / 3.68

8/3 - 3 / 2.85

The results have been pretty consistent especially after the PCM update.  Before I would get slightly higher error in highway driving and low error in city driving.

Mine is slowly rising.  It is at 42.4MPG right now with ~28,000 miles.  My initial mileage and winter mileage really killed it for me.  My current running average right now is hovering around 49MPG.

Found this site that shows how the hybrid power split architecture works.

 

http://eahart.com/prius/psd/

 

The model is based on the current Prius.  The C-Max uses a similar architecture but has changed the size and power of the ICE and electric motor/generators (MG1 and MG2).  

 

In the simulation it is interesting to see how the planetary gear system acts as the CVT and how the MGs combine to keep ICE rpms at a minimum for a given speed.  

 

Disclaimer - the remainder of this email is personal conjecture based on my limited knowledge of mechanics.  I have driven both the Prius and C-Max.

 

My sense is Ford with the increased size of the ICE and MG1 has loosened the rules within the hybrid computer software that allows for more manual control and hence more variability.  Ford sacrificed some fuel efficiency through styling (less aerodynamic) and overall weight of the car.  Toyota has taken a "systems" approach to their overall architecture - balancing all pertinent components and hybrid controls to achieve the highest MPG but sacrificing on the driving experience (my opinion).  

 

For those that want high mpg with less dependency on driving style the Prius is probably the right choice.  For those that want the better driving experience (my opinion) and greater power with the sacrifice of greater mpg variability and dependency on driving style the C-Max is a better choice.  

That's a pretty cool simulation.  Thanks for the info.  Another thing to note with Ford on the C-Max, Fusion, and all their hybrids is that they are all shared platforms.  Unlike Toyota, they haven't pursued a pure hybrid platform but instead chose to use existing platforms and just modified them to accept the hybrid powertrain.

Oh, no wonder I started seeing traffic updates on the GPS again. Thanks for the info

YESTERDAY I DROVE TO A NEARBY CITY AND RETURNED. I SET THE ECO CRUISE TO 70MPH ON THE 50 MILE INTERSTATE TRIP, I NOTICED THAT THE ICE DIDN'T EVER START DURING THE WHOLE 50 MILES. ON THE RETURN TRIP OVER THE SAME ROUTE AT 60 MPH THE ICE RAN VERY INFREQUENTLY SHOWING 80% TP 90%

EXCEPT AFTER THE ELECTRIC MOTOR ENGAGED (EV MODE). THE RESULTING MPG WAS 40.?.  MY DRIVING METHODS HAVE ALWAYS BEEN CONSERVITATIVE, AMD WITH THE CMAS IT BECAME MORE CONSERVITATIVE. THE SERVICE PEOPLE AT THE LOCAL FORD DEALERSHIP SEEMED UNINTRESTED IN MY PROBLEM. 

I'm confused with your post.  So ICE was off the entire 50 mile trip or EV never kicked in?

It sounds like you need to find a better dealership.  Unfortunately, I had to go through 2 dealerships to install updates on my C-Max because the first one was poorly trained or didn't understand the process because they couldn't install the updates correctly.

I USE CAPS BECAUSE THEY ARE EASIER TO READ. I AM NOT CONCERNED ABOUT INTERNET PROPRITIES, ONLY THE SIGNIFICANT DROP IN MPG

Is the car running differently versus what you observed before the update?  For example JohnnyOhio was having intermittent problems where the car didn't seem to be behaving normally.

The easiest way to check if the update installed correctly is to drive 65MPH or above and release the throttle to see if the car will go into EV mode.

I'll see what I can do.

 

D yes Not in 2nd gear or anything

Taking a video of acceleration is a good idea have it show the speedometer that way you can also time acceleration.  The way you're describing it sounds like something wasn't correct with the update.  However taking a mile to accelerate to 70MPH doesn't sound like much of a rollout distance to accelerate.  I haven't noticed any change in acceleration since the update.  

Although I use the empower screen I usually use the 4th bar to accelerate and merge onto the expressway and haven't had any issues but I do try to time entry into the expressway and look for a space to merge into.  I just used the image above to reference the 4th bar.

Well I switched my view to empowerment per a suggestion to see better how the EV was working---don't like that view much, prefer my simplistic Coach view. I was really surprised to see my ICE mpg is 20 when driving in my neighborhood or on surface streets while driving up to 40 mph. I think that sucks, but explains why in EV it shows as 60+, thus averaging  around 40 something. And the point behind this is NO IMPROVEMENT with the update. Gonna have to break down and call the dealer and complain---never a fun time. Hope everyone else is getting some real improvement in the mpg with the update---

You'll see a much bigger improvement on fuel economy if you use the empower screen and change driving habits to maximize the advantages of the C-Max (higher EV speed / battery capacity).  If you look at my fuelly, I started with a range of 30mpg to 40mpg.  The C-Max is my first hybrid and my driving style before did not maximize the available features of a hybrid.

From my experience the update hasn't provided a significant change in mileage for the C-Max.  As a reference I had 4554 miles prior to the update with about 80% highway driving to and from Toronto to Detroit where I averaged 44.2mpg.  After the update I've driven 2449.1 miles on pretty much the same route, with about 80% highway where I'm now averaging 45.02mpg.  The biggest impact the update is providing will probably be during winter because of the shorter warm-up time.

I've searched around trying to find an answer to this, but often the answers are hidden in other threads.  So, sorry if this is a repeat.

 

When entering information into Fuelly, which number should I use for the gallons used?  What's on the gas receipt or what is showing on the trip screen?  

Thanks.

I'm not sure what the consensus is, but I use the actual gallons used based on what I paid at the pump.