mnrobitaille

robitalle,even at 70mph your driving style will not match the EPA testing so you can expect to see lower mpgs. lower your speed to 65 or 62 and you will see a greater improvement but we realize you have to go with the flow of traffic offer law.this is why the EPA test needs to be updated to match more real world environments in a hybrid not just a regular gas car.

The past week, I've been taking my wife to work & bringing her home, on those trips I am averaging only 2 gallons round trip, while the trip average is 39.5-42 MPG. It just depends on which of the 3 routes I take. The majority of the highway driving is on a 4 lane farm access highway so we do have to contend with farm traffic as well. There is some 2 lane highway driving as well (speed limit there is 55-65 MPH depending on what's posted.

robitalle, will you be going to get the fuel economy update for you cmax when it's available and if so do you think it will help and how much better do you think it will give you?

Yes we are planning on getting 13B07 done.

How many use the little cubby hole in the very back for storage?

I use it.  I keep some tools, ratchet straps, and a small first aid kit back there.  

We mostly use it for frozen/cold grocery items as it seems to be insulated. Like the idea about a first aid kit or emergency supplies.

Our best MPG has been 38.6, & that was when we drove down to Salt Lake City, then Fernley, NV & back home. 

Right now we are averaging about 36.5 MPG. However we are not going after Ford for false advertising. 

Being early adopters, there are risks, but without those risks nothing can be learned.

I believe EPA highway MPG is calculated at 55mph, not 75mph. If you are getting 36-37 MPG at 75 mph, that's outstanding and unworthy of complaint. You're driving a van-shaped, non-diesel car at speeds where the hybrid system can offer very little help.

Around here the main highways have a posted speed limit of 70 MPH, a lot of people however seem to drive at 74-80 MPH. We stick to doing the posted speed limit & are averaging 36.5 MPG.

Ford said the majority of buyers are opting for higher end options. Just take yourself for example, you bought a top of the line C-max with a moon roof.

We weren't being real nit picky either on what options & features we wanted. It was just what was available at the time on the lot. 

What I'm meaning is if you were to add in the BLIS or the Adaptive Cruise Control, how much more would that add to the price?

From my experience, there is no need to add the BLIS as the blind spot (fish eye) mirrors do the job of BLIS. Just by doing Orderly Visual Search Pattern (OVSP) by checking all mirrors & blind spots, the chance of getting into an accident is minimized.

The adaptive cruise control would be a nice additional safety feature especially with the varying speeds people drive around here. However, without it, driving just becomes more interesting as it makes one have to be more aware of their surroundings.

The C-max could be so much better if Ford would just give it all of their latest safety features.

At what additional cost would that make the C-Max however?

I was using the prices from the example above.

 

My last fillup (yesterday), it was $3.399.

Our Costco here is the cheapest gas, according to GasBuddy. The average here for Regular is about $3.85.

I'm curious who all is leasing vs. those who are purchasing/have purchased.

Also wondering what the rate is for going over the mileage in lease.

10,000 miles at 37 mpg:

$3.35/gal = $905

$3.45/gal = $932

$3.55/gal = $934

At least your gas is cheaper, here our Costco is $3.73 for regular, according to Gasbuddy.

Ford should just invite some of us members to question us about how we get such high mpg. Then they could release a informational video from real owners.

In other words do something like "The Fiesta Movement" that they are currently doing.

That would be fun & interesting to do. How about do regional based videos done by the early adopters?

The interesting thing is that while my wife & I actually stopped & helped, several other vehicles went by without batting an eyelash. Of course, those vehicles were either Ford Super Duty Diesels or some other noisy vehicle that caused the cow to spook.

Let's do some math:

Scenerio 1:

Assumptions:

1.  Regular costs $3.35 and Premium costs $3.55 (local Costco prices in Virginia).

2.  Using regular gas, 10,000 a year at 40 mpg average = 250 gallons or $838 a year for fuel.

 

Using Premium

10,000 a year at 41 mpg average = 244 gallons  x $3.55 = $866 costing an additional $28 a year.   -  6 gallons saved per year

10,000 a year at 42 mpg average = 238 gallons  x $3.55 = $845 costing an additional $7 a year.   -  12 gallons saved per year

10,000 a year at 43 mpg average = 233 gallons  x $3.55 = $827 saving $11 a year.   -  17 gallons saved per year

 

==================

Scenerio 2:

Assumptions:

1.  Regular costs $3.35 and Premium costs $3.55 (local Costco prices in Virginia).

2.  Using regular gas, 10,000 a year at 50 mpg average = 200 gallons or $670 a year for fuel.

 

Using Premium:

10,000 a year at 51 mpg average = 196 gallons  x $3.55 = $696 costing an additional $26 a year.   -  4 gallons saved per year

10,000 a year at 52 mpg average = 192 gallons  x $3.55 = $683 costing an additional $13 a year.   -  8 gallons saved per year

10,000 a year at 53 mpg average = 189 gallons  x $3.55 = $670 saving $0 a year.   -  11 gallons saved per year

 

Conclusion, If you're getting lower mpg (e.g., 40 mpg) and can raise mpg by 3 or more mpg, saves a few dollars.

If you're getting excellent mpg (50 mpg), you'll need to get at least 3 mpg to break even.

 

The higher your average mpg in regular, the harder it will be to save money using premium.

 

Using premium gas needs to raise mpg significantly to save any money.

 

If using premium results in better mpg, it is a benefit to the environment.

So what would the math be like if averaging 37 MPG on regular gas??

How do you access the weather map?

The weather map is part of Sirius Travellink (sp?)

ETIS shows the update is needed, yet I am unable to find any info on http://owner.ford.com

The one under the floor? I have jumper cables, an umbrella, and an ice scraper under there. :)

I'm meaning the one in the very back in the cargo area, not under the floor in front of the back seats.

If I remember right, I think only the C-Max Hybrid has that little cubby hole.

How many use the little cubby hole in the very back for storage?

For anyone not aware:  the two cupholders in the center console have a rubber mat at the bottom which can be removed by pulling up on the small tab located at the rear of said mat.

Soaking the insert in hot water now to clean it.

Yee Haw!  Git along little doggie...

The funny part is that this was not the first time I've used a vehicle for cattle wrangling. Back in 2002-03, we had a Ford Escape SE in Red, & came across a loose bull (no he did not charge  :rockon: )

Moving from an older vehicle to the C-Max is like moving from the space shuttle to the star ship Enterprise.  So many features that you never realized you needed.  Such as auto wipers, auto hatch back with auto kick feature, hill assist (holds car while moving foot from brake to accelerator pedal), The left information screen which allows you to customize it.  Although auto seat adjustment would be nice, we don't find it that inconvenient.  MyFord Touch features, GPS, etc.

Actually a more accurate description would be moving from an Apollo Mission Module to the Starship Enterprise-E.

Salsaguy,

 

The car is MAINLY for her but I'll drive it on weekends and long trips. I am getting good at the MPG game in the Mach, commuting in that thing at $3.85/gal kind of forces me to eke as much mileage as possible.

 

As for settling, we talked about it and she wants to see the car in person before the final decision but the lack of a power seat and no push button start are apparently little details she wanted but doesn't think is worth the additional $3k that the SEL upgrade costs. Remember her current car is a 15 year old Subaru with manual locks and seats so bad you can feel the metal frames.

We have a fully loaded C-Max Hybrid SEL, & although we may not use all the options/features all the time, it can be beneficial to have them if the need arises. Better to have an item not immediately needed, than to have an immediate need & not have it.

Being that your fiancee is 5'1" the power/handsfree liftgate might be of a benefit especially with her having Fibro as she wouldn't have to overly strain herself to open/close the liftgate. My wife has Fibro & the times she sits in the front heated seat is a lifesaver for her. 

I found this on FB and it came from Ford Social....

 

Kevin Layden, Director of Electrification Programs and Engineering for Ford talks about some of the myths INCLUDING the Premium vs Economy gas (f you must...go to 2:54 on the video).

 

Other INTERESTING NOTE: use of the carbon cannister (see 1:08 time on video) to capture vapour to power vehicle.

 

So onward....the discussion cover the following (copy and paste from Ford Social web page):

 

 

http://social.ford.com/our-articles/cars/focus/ford-takes-on-fuel-economy-myths-from-fans/

 

Discuss away....

 

 

:)

I've seen several postings about people filling their C-Max with Premium fuel, is there really an advantage to the fuel mileage vs, the additional costs?

It was my understanding that technically the only vehicles that should be filled with Premium are specifically designed to use it, which the C-Max is not rated for.

Ouch!  Hope she does well mnrobitaille.  Nice that the C-Max seats are as high as they are for her to get in and out.

This was her 2nd knee replacement (left knee), as she had her right knee done 9 months ago (right after we got Neytiri). so we have some experience on what all we can do to make the ride more comfortable for her (in fact that's one reason why we got the C-Max). 

When we picked her up from the hospital on Thursday, we have commodities for 2 families, one suitcase, 2 belongings bags, one Get Well bag, & a wheeled walker in the C-max plus 3 adults. Having the hands-free lift gate with the cargo cover made things easier to get the walker in & out of the back (we are using the cargo cover as a walker shelf).

If you want them, the signs should say:

  47 EPA

(or more)

  Rated

Vehicles

  Only!

:stirpot:

To me, the signs are there just to boost a "Green" image.  We don't need more ordinances.  I too thought this topic was about saving fuel while parking, and since it didn't sound like you could save very much, I ignored it for a while.  However, I like the ideas of pull-through and shade.  Which reminds me of a shady space at work which once was "claimed" by a certain employee.  Others who parked there were likely to "hear about it".  Hence the limerick:

There once was a parking space fair,

With a maple to hide the sun's glare.

And its great popularity,

Showed with great clarity.

Why we should all want to share!

Yes, in a way, the Energy Efficient parking spaces are to boost a company's "green" image, however at the same time, knowing that those spaces are designated most specifically for EVs & Plug-Ins, as well as (depending on local/state ordinance) hybrids or alternative fuel. Most of the Energy Efficient parking spaces I've noticed are located with some sort of shade source (building or tree). 

On the way home, from picking up the wife from work, We saw a Jersey Cow roaming around near the side of the road. As soon as I saw it, I slowed down, hit the hazards & turned around to go to the dairy to alert them about the loose cow. After notifying them, I went back to the road & did a bit of cattle wrangling while in EV mode the whole time. The car was so quiet, so the cow didn't get spooked.