valkraider

Oh come on, you guys are so conservative and plain. ;) If we had wanted one of the "boring" colors we could have had the car from dealer stock. They only ordered the conservative colors. :) We ordered ours in Blue Candy. The demo units we saw at the drive event had a couple Blue Candy and it was a really nice color. We actually would have preferred some of the other colors which the Fiesta, Focus and Escape come with but the C-Max wasn't offered with them. Tangerine Scream Metallic on the Focus is really nice. Deep impact blue on the Escape. We also like Lime Squeeze and Yellow Blaze on the Fiesta. My truck is silver because I don't need to clean it as much and it's really just for camping and hauling. But our car we want to be more fun.

Can this be adjusted in the lighting settings in the vehicle configuration menus? Cost. My guess is that adding LED external lighting would add another $1000 to the vehicle, and they are leaving it out due to cost since the other systems in the vehicle are already expensive. I will bet that after a couple model years when Ford has recouped some of the development costs, and we have seen some sales numbers from the C-Max that they will upgrade (or offer a package upgrade) the lights to LED versions. The same thing happened with our Dodge Caravan. In 2008 they released them with regular lights for the initial runs. After a few model years they switched to LED versions. I have seen this in other cars as well, from VW and GM alike. LED light housings are costly, especially LED headlights. I would have liked to have them as an option though - I would have bought them...

That all looks an sounds like what is in the C-Max.

I have read of a couple in the Albuquerque area (Edgewood to be exact - my old stomping grounds...)

It is most assuredly easier with the fob or buttons. But if your hands are full and the fob is in your pocket or purse, then that is when the kick to open pays for itself. :) Especially in bad weather when you may not want to set your items on the ground...

The vast majority of car owners never bother to find Internet discussion forums. Even fewer bother to create accounts and write posts. Those who do are usually motivated by two things: they are enthusiasts or they have problems. Internet forums will always be weighted heavily with problems, because people don't log on every day and post "made another drive today with no problems!" (They do that on Facebook :) ) Yeah, the whole unintended acceleration problem never happened... Or maybe it just killed the people who it happened to so they could never log on and post about it...

First, not all Prius are consistent with EPA. I know many people with Prius who both exceed EPA numbers and fail to meet EPA numbers. Portland has a *ton* of Prius, I know a lot of people who drive them. However it anecdotally seems that Prius is at least *more* consistent with EPA numbers than our early experience with C-Max. I said this before, and will say it again. One of the biggest complaints about Prius is that it drives boring. Toyota has designed a programming which is tame but consistently fuel efficient. Ford has advertised C-Max as the drivers' hybrid with a a sportier and more responsive system. So while we have people who beat the EPA numbers in their C-Max it looks like Ford *allows* people to drive more inefficiently if they want. The difference may be entirely our own fault...

The post 2008 EPA tests include a highway test, and a high speed test. Remember, these tests are done on a dynometer using 100% gasoline (no ethanol) with fair weather conditions - not on real highways. The highway test basically slowly gets up to cruising speed and will go a little faster or slower, averaging 48mph with a peak of 60mph for something like 10 miles. The key point here is the 48mph average. The high speed test focuses more on accelerating and decelerating. The test includes several rapid accelerations up to a peak of 80mph. This test also averages 48mph and is only about 10 miles or so. Air resistence is a real bitch above 48mph. I have posted more details in this forum...

Our 2003 TDI New Beetle and our 2009 TDI Jetta both are drastically affected by our driving style. I could range from 30 to 50 mpg on the highway - mostly dependent on speed and time of year. Winter fuel economy was way worse than other times of year due to winterized fuel and rougher weather. Our city economy would also fluctuate drastically. Accelerate fast and fuel economy dropped quick. Heck, our fuel economy would drop 1 or 2 mpg if we were running heated seats on high... The reality is this: The EPA tests do not reflect real world driving conditions. There are 1000 variables which can make a vehicle completely different in the real world than it does in the EPA tests. Clearly, the Prius has it dialed in - to get a better match. But the EPA test is tame. (I have posted about it in the fuel economy section of this board and on the energi board). The EPA highway test averages 48mph and peaks at 60mph. The EPA high speed test averages 48mph as well, and peaks at 80mph. Both run for like 10 miles only. And they are done on a dynometer, not on a real road. They are also done using 100% gasoline not E10 (E10 drops fuel economy 2% itself). The EPA tests are also done for fair weather conditions (It is winter in most of the country now when the C-Max models are starting to hit people's driveways). EPA tests also don't take into account heaters, entertainment units, or lights. Since we are seeing huge swings in economy - my guess is that C-Max has way more variability in it's programmning than Prius. Prius may restrict driving behavior way more than C-Max, maybe Ford is letting people get more performance out of the car if they want to which quickly eats into economy... Also, possibly we could start tracking trim levels. For example, what if the MyFord Touch system pulls more or less juice than the other options. The C-Max probably needs to be driven differently than other vehicles. Figure out what the C-Max needs to get good numbers.

I know this isn't necessarily important now, but for future reference: Don't ever buy a key at the dealer (unless you don't like your money). I have bought many genuine OEM key blanks / keyfobs on the net and programmed them myself. I have done GM, Chrysler, and Volkswagen. My most recent one was a new GM. The dealer wanted $129 for the keyfob, $60 for the key, and $50 to program/cut them. I bought a genuine GM key blank online 2 for $12. I bought a keyfob for $19. I programed the keyfob myself, and I had the key blank cut by a locksmith for $10. I have done Volkswagen laser-cut flip-key keyfobs. I have done one-piece Chrysler key+keyfobs. If you are nervous about it call some local locksmiths and you may have one who is licensed, yet is still way way less expensive than a dealership. Even laser cut keys are done by locksmiths now. ONE IMPORTANT CAVEAT: To program things with your car you always have to have at least one currently working key. You cannot program a keyfob without at least one currently working key. Without an existing key, you will need the dealership or a licensed auto locksmith. "Special Ordered" is standard dealership BS for "we are going to gouge the crap out of you". The internet is your friend. I am sure I will even be able to find a way to get it done with smart keys that use RFID, like Ford MyKey...

I don't know how Ford does it, but our Chrysler's didn't protect the medium - they simply encoded it by VIN. So when you got an update it was encoded with your VIN and would only work with that single vehicle. We could copy the DVD update as much as we want, it just wouldn't install in any other vehicle.

Here is an interesting article on Edmunds about the EPA ratings and real world mileage: Here's Why Real-World MPG Doesn't Match EPA Ratings I broke down a lot of other reasons in a post here: Essentially there are a ton of differences between the EPA tests and how we drive. However, this Edmunds article also pointed out a couple tidbits which I did not mention in my other post: EPA tests are done with 100% gasoline, zero ethanol. EPA tests are not actually *driven*

The computer manages it all. There's not much a driver can monitor better or faster than the computer. Welcome to 2012! ;) If you really want to see this stuff, you can buy a ScanGauge II - they work well.

What trim? The one we test drove had the garage door opener system (is it called HomeLink on a Ford?)

Heck, I've had to rebuild engines and replace transmissions more often than these batteries will need replacement.... Some times things wear out on a car. Some times they don't. I still don't understand all the worry around batteries. When a car has over 100k miles, *any* car, you should start planning for some level of replacements needed. When a car is over 200k miles, you should downright expect it. If you get 300k miles out of a car be really happy - that's a good run... However, Li Ion batteries also degrade with *time* in addition to use. So, if in 8 years you do end up replacing it, and you want to find one in a junk yard or salvage - find one that is as late a model year as possible so that the *age* of the battery is minimized.

EV stands for "electric vehicle". It is just shorthand for electric cars. EV+ is a system that Ford has in the C-Max Hybrid and Energi which using GPS learns some of your driving patterns and locations, and tries to optimize performance and fuel economy based on where you are driving.

Or if real-time traffic data could be used as well. Traffic jam approaching - optimize power functions accordingly... Or weather. etc etc etc. Then again, I am an analyst working in automotive data - so maybe I just think outside the box?

I am curious, why does this seem so "revolutionary"? It seems like an obvious thing to use GPS for. I would even take it a step further and throw altitude and terrain data into it. For example, I have always thought that cruise control could be made more efficient with GPS and terrain data, if it knows a hill is coming it can adjust speed accordingly ahead of time instead of having to shift down and go high throttle mid-ascent. Or it could know the top of the hill is coming and back off throttle a little rather than burning more fuel to just exceed the speed just over the summit... It could also learn where the most regenerative braking occurs. For example if there is a long hill with a stop sign at the bottom. The system can learn that EVERY time the car (or any car on the network) goes down that road they always come to a stop at the bottom of the hill. The computer could then be more aggressive with regen towards the bottom of the hill... I always thought that it was taking car companies too long to think like this...

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine-archive/2011/february/cars/toyota-prius/overview/index.htm

Buy one online and have it shipped. It's a Ford compact car. There is no reason for hype or mark-up or any lack of negotiation. Ford is gunning for Prius with C-Max. Prius has sold 200,000 this year so far. You can find a dealer who will deal. This isn't some rare collectors item or exotic. I sent a message to all the dealers in our region, and bought from the one who gave us invoice price.

1. Support Tapatalk. I use it regularly for many other forums. Tapatalk is AWESOME. 2. Merge with the Energi forum. Why the heck is there two whole separate forums to begin with?

Just because an individual has not asked the question does not mean the question is not being asked. :) I am 39, and in high-tech as a career. I want more gadgets. I usually have to add them in myself. Youth are being raised with always internet connected devices, computers, ipads, TVs... Our TV has more computer functionality than my older computers. Our family has smart phones and tablets and interconnected houses. I have gadgets mounted on my bicycle, motorcycle and in my cars. I even use gadgets while I ski and hike. I read all my books and news on my phone. I have not looked at a paper newspaper for a decade, and I get annoyed when I have to read a "real" paper book... I prefer to find my TV shows on the internet, and I rarely use my phone for voice calls outside of work - instead we communicate mostly with text, instant message, facebook, or other means... There will come a time when people will consider a car without gadgets to be "quaint" and "classic".