AgentCMAX

I used to own a 4x4 pick-up truck that was getting 15-17 mpg. I changed my driving because of such low mileage. But since I started driving the C-Max, I noticed I have become even more conscious of my driving habits and have improved on it wrt being fuel efficient. I now clearly see the folly of jack rabbit starts and racing to the next light only to stop harshly as I witness other drivers rushing in traffic. I noticed these things before but not as conscious as now. Have your driving habits changed since you bought your C-Max?

My thinking on this is... It takes more energy to start an engine than to keep it running. Hence the more frequent you go into EV mode the more often you have to start the engine and thus you consume more energy which leads to less efficiency.

Looks awesome, RedLdr1. I need to make some time to get mine tinted as well. Did they tint the little window area up in the front as well? (I can't tell from the pictures). Also, how is the view with the tinted sunroof at night time? Can you still see the street lights and the sky clearly? Thanks.

Or convert it into a plug-in hybrid in the future, especially if battery cost drops!

I haven't seen any hybrid specific screens on the MFT. Ford has the MFT app that you can download onto your iPhone or Android phone that will give you an idea of what the MFT screens look like on your C-Max. I don't know what the app is called on the iPhone, but on Android phone, it's called MFT Guide.

I couldn't access it earlier this morning. I tried Googling it and Google came back saying this site may harm my computer.

Does this mean if we disconnect the C-Max's high-voltage battery, the car can still be driven?

This is a nice concept if you can implement it w/ a portable solar panel charger! I don't know how much energy it would require to charge the C-Max but that would be a nice accessory to have.

For those interested...this article below talks about how to do P&G (Pulse and Glide) to improve fuel efficiency. This if for the Prius II but I'm sure we can adapt the technique to the C-Max. I haven't read the whole article yet but thought the folks here may want to get more mileage out of their C-Max. http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1224

I've owned my White C-Max SEL with sunroof for about a month or so now. I have about 2000 miles on it so far and really enjoy driving it. It's very comfortable, quiet and has the oomph for those time when you really need it. If I would change something about the car, it would be the cup holders. They are a little small and the ones on the doors prevent placing a tall water bottle in them. I'm on the east side of S.F. Bay Area and although our traffic is not as bad as L.A., we get a decent amount, especially when there are accidents (which seems to happen once a week at a minimum). The C-Max does very well in terms of mpg in stop and go traffic. For my driving habit and commute (50+ miles round trip with 45% freeway), I am getting excellent mileage (46-47 mpg in 37-47 deg ambient temp). On short round trips (5-10 miles) in the city, I've seen my mpg goes as high as 50+ mpg. Light Stone color is most likely cooler. However, I opted for the Charcoal color because I have kids and I figure the darker color will hide the dirt marks better. ;) I am very happy with my purchase of the C-Max so far and I would definitely recommend it to my friends and relatives.

http://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/epa-investigates-ford-hybrid-mpg-figures/ "Consumer Reports says its most accurate numbers for the C-Max are 35 mpg city, 38 mpg highway, and 37 mpg combined. The Fusion scored 35 mpg city, 41 mpg highway, and 39 mpg combined." CR's numbers for city driving just doesn't jive with what a lot of people on this forum are getting as well as for a hybrid car in general. I see many people here posted numbers way above 47 for short trips. I myself have seen numbers as high as 55+ mpg for short round-trips in the city (range of 5-10 miles). In my daily commute which includes 45% highway driving and rolling hills, I'm seeing close to 46-47 mpg (50+ miles round-trip for ambient temp of 37-47 deg F). I haven't check what my tire pressure is (drove it as is since I picked it up from the dealership), but I bet it probably isn't ideal for fuel-efficiency. So if I were to adjust tire pressure, I may see another 1-2mpg increase. From another article... http://www.csmonitor.com/Business/In-Gear/2012/1211/EPA-to-review-2013-Ford-Fusion-C-Max-fuel-economy-claims "Last week, the EPA's Linc Wehrly told AutoNews that fuel economy in hybrids is apt to vary widely -- far more so than in conventional, combustion-engined vehicles. That's because of variables in hybrid systems: the distance a vehicle can travel in electric or assisted mode is subject to fluctuation, and that, in turn, can have an exponential effect on gas consumption." The only explanation I can come up with is CR drivers were not maximizing the use of EV mode in their testing or they were not driving efficiently. The C-Max has lots of power that can be easily tapped into.

My experience mirrors darreld's. What I have been doing lately is to simply wait longer during start up before shifting the gear into reverse and have not experience the stall since.

Thanks for the info Chinto! I was considering inflating my tires to 38psi but didn't want to make the trip to the gas station. This lil' unit w/ built-in gauge is definitely nice.

In reading the description of that technology and reading the comments in the thread, one poster (RedylC94) posed an interesting question: "What happens when the engine and passengers are warm enough? If a thermostat shuts off coolant flow through the manifold, why wouldn't the coolant passage in the manifold get so hot it cooks residual coolant?" Granted he is assuming that they would shut off flow. I don't know anything about engine design but I would guess instead of stopping flow, perhaps they could redirect it away from the cabin? But then what happens when the engine stops and switch over to EV mode? Will the flow stop then? And if so, then his point still stands.

Check out this thread discussing some fuel-saving technology used by Ford in their 2013 C-Max and Fusion... http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?p=364212

Looks like the EPA posts the data for all the cars on their website: http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/download.shtml For the C-Max, this is the data... Model Year - 2013 Mfr Name - Ford Motor Company Division - Ford Carline - C-MAX Hybrid FWD City FE (Guide) - Conventional Fuel - 47 mpg Hwy FE (Guide) - Conventional Fuel - 47 mpg Comb FE (Guide) - Conventional Fuel - 47 mpg City Unadj FE - Conventional Fuel - 65.1335 mpg Hwy Unadj FE - Conventional Fuel - 67.3794 mpg Comb Unadj FE - Conventional Fuel - 66.1253 mpg City Unrd Adj FE - Conventional Fuel - 46.7654 mpg Hwy Unrd Adj FE - Conventional Fuel - 46.8135 mpg Comb Unrd Adj FE - Conventional Fuel - 46.787 mpg Another interesting info on the C-Max on their website... http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/best-worst.shtml The C-Max is categorize as Large for EPA Vehicle Class while the Prius V is considered a Midsize Station Wagon. They must be going by weight instead of dimension then?

I read in one of the online hyper-mile forums that to go up a big hill/mountain, you should keep your pedal/throttle steady (i.e. just let the speed drop as you climb the hill/mountain). The logic is you will get the speed back on the other side so don't worry about increasing the throttle to bring your speed up. Of course, that is as long as it is reasonably safe to do so (i.e. don't let the speed drop so low that you are a hazard).

Now that would be interesting indeed. We recently took our 2010 Honda Pilot up to Tahoe for a weekend ski-trip right after Thanksgiving and I started out with 13mpg shown on the info screen (my wife normally drives it mostly in the city and she doesn't really pay attention to fuel economy). I drove with fuel economy in mind and I was surprised at how well it actually performed. When we got home from the trip, the screen showed 25mpg! Heck, that's really impressive for such a big vehicle as the Honda Pilot. My 2005 Nissan Frontier 4x4 that I traded-in for the C-Max averaged 18mpg.

Wow! You must have some very flat hwy to travel on! ;) There are too many rolling hills here in California. Although I did get around 50-ish mpg readings from the C-Max at cruise-controlled speed of 65mph on a small stretch of the fwy that I thought was pretty flat. It would be nice if we can actually get the EPA test results for the C-Max. Manufacturers should post their EPA test results so people can see how their cars performed in the EPA tests. (Ok, I assume they don't post it...if anyone knows where we can access these reports, please post link.Thx.)

Wow, I'm always learning something new on this forum! Thanks, Mike!

Here's an interesting review of the C-Max's MPG where the author critiiques the EPA test critieria... http://www.marketwatch.com/story/fords-fine-c-max-falls-way-short-on-mileage-2012-12-08

I don't have the built-in nav system and seeing that my C-Max has EV+ capability, I surmise that the C-Max has its own built-in GPS sensor. If this is true, then is there a way we can get access to that GPS for tracking purposes? For example I would like to know where my car is if it got stolen. That would be a nice SYNC feature! Simply log in to your on-line SYNC account and it reports your C-Max location.

My C-Max enabled EV+ mode after maybe 2 weeks of driving. But my work was recently recognized for EV+ mode after 4-5 weeks. I think the reason the work place took a while to recognize is due to different parking positions in the parking lot. At home, I'm always parked at the same location.

Thanks for the info. I was wondering why they cut it off so early. I see full EV comes on higher than 62mph occasionally, depending on the charge level of the battery. And your info sort of confirms that.

My phone is still under warranty and plan so I haven't tried to root it yet. I did find some info on how to make it work for the iPhone if anyone is interested... fordsyncforum.com/index.php?/topic/2791-how-do-i-create-a-rolling-hotspot/