bgs4859

Hey All,

 

I wanted to let you know how my mileage is doing since the updates.......

 

Last winter I averaged 42mpg. This summer, I average 56mpg. My current lifetime mileage is 49.2mpg with nearly 38,000 miles on my car.

 

Now, since the updates, my summer mileage is not changed (or not enough to comment on, except an increase in highway mpg). However, my cold weather mileage has definately changed. Here are my findings;

 

Last winter, I had a general prinicpal that seemed to be 100% correct everytime I drove. That principal was simply this;

 

My in town mileage was 40mpg at best when the temperature is 30 or below. 50mpg is doable at 50 degrees F. However, anything under 50 degrees, would put me soundly into the mid to lower 40s. Well, the last couple days have been cold here. Today started at 31 degrees nad never got over 41 degrees. However, my mileage ended at 53.7mpg! That would not have been possible last winter. At best, I would have seen 44mpg according to my mileage log.

 

So, one of two things is happening; either my car is further broken in, or the updates are making a huge difference. Either way, I am happily expecting some decent mileage this winter.  :)

 

Matt

Shorter warm-up ICE period was part of the FE update, I believe.  If that's true that would be a big part of the improvement I would think.

That's good to hear.  My 16 mi trip to work (combo of 55 expressway & city) took a little hit the last few days w/ the mid 40 deg. morning temps.  Down from the 48-52 range to 42-45 mpg.   I have a shorter trip and haven't had time to average out the ICE warmup hit.  That's  probably a factor.  

(I noticed we both ripped the same cmax stock photo!  haha)

On #1

 

I think some of us refer to this as "battery run down".  ptjones is probably right with the "why" part of it.  When I leave my house in the morning, I have to climb a big hill right off the bat.  It is a 30 mph road with people routinely speeding down the hill from my left at 45-50 mph, so that extra hp comes in useful for me some days.  Without it, my daily mpg avg would certainly dive if my cold ICE engine had to do all the work.

For me, when I leave home I start out on a flat, 25mph street for a bit. There's plenty of ICE HP  to handle it + charge the batt. ... so the reason is the computer is programmed not to charge the batt. when cold because the charging process won't work properly at low temp?

Regarding number two, sometimes it takes a little bit for ICE to complete shutdown.  So, you'll see the MPG go up to 60+ but in white for a few seconds while ICE is doing the shutdown.  Is this what you mean? 

 

If so, the reason that you think that ICE has turned off is that it is running quietly while shutting down, however, the white indicates that it is still on.  Once it has shut down, you will see the indicator turn blue.

 

My C-MAX will do this, but usually only does so occasionally, not nearly every time that it is shutting down.

Yes, that's exactly what I was referring to.  Strange that it does this sporadically, could it be that sometimes the transmission is still engaged when the computer tells ICE to shut down and it turns for a few revs?

My car is less than 2 months old, so the 13B07 was done at the dealer before I bought it.  Curious if these things are new with the upgrade?  ...or always been there? 

1) car stays in negative split mode through first half of its warm-up cycle.  (it would be nice to charge the battery during this time the ICE is running, rather than producing unneeded extra HP , but there must be reason it does this? Makes for faster warm up cycle?)  

2) When looking at the "Empower" display mode, and the car switches from ICE to EV, the display stays white for 5 sec. or so even though it seems the ICE has stopped and it's switched to EV mode.  Can be confusing when trying to feather the right foot for minimum ICE.  Seems to happen more in the first few miles of a trip.

Too early to be much of a data point, but just for fun mine is 46.9MPG w/ 640 miles and 1/4 of the way through my second tank. Seems as if the FE update was done before I took delivery in early August.

A few companies are adopting C-max cabs here in Chicago, maybe they will catch up to the number Prius cabs (there are tons).   I think it's a good fit for the car.  The basic elements/shape of the C-Max always reminded me of a London Taxi:  london-taxi-greatest-british-auto-design_426x281.jpg

I don't have any problem with CR mpg rating, they were testing pre-update and in the winter.

Plus the MPG display on the C-max is always off reading higher than it really is, shame on Ford.

Intentionally rigged MPG display? 

IMO, the dislike for Consumer Report and the CMax is the blatant bias they have shown excoriating the CMax MPG results they got while turning a blind eye to a similar Prii abysmal MPG report - this has been posted so many times here and in some many threads.

 

Their credibility is shot.

 

My family will never subscribe to them and if I want to read about a blender, I go google or Amazon - let alone trust their review of the upcoming MY14 CMax with any neutrality or bias. Want something real - go follow mpgomatic.com.

 

CR wrote the bed they wanted to lie on, and its our right to criticize them - just as they feel they have the right to criticize Ford. What goes around, comes around.

 

My 2c.

 

Heres a thought for CR lurkers: Since they CLAIM they buy these cars, did they all all the updates to 13b07 and lets see some followup testing in the summer (as they did their testing in winter). Will we see that --- oh when hell freezes over I guess... :lol2:

CR rates Ford second to last, "much worse than average" in reliability.  This mainly because of MyFordTouch. So distaste for software design and fixable bugs become what drags down the ratings.  Also heard they were factoring in their dislike for Ecoboost and claiming the MPG was not as good as advertised.  Maybe so, but their Cmax MPG testing makes me suspect.  Ok fine.   I don't deny that there are problems or that Ford deserves to be first but again not sure if "much worse than average" presents the clearest picture to consumers.   I do sense an unintentional (hopefully) institutional bias towards Japanese brands such as Toyota.  They LOVE them some Toyota. Always have, always will.   That's fine, but I don't really like their cars at all, ugly, boring, unsubstantial in my opinion.  I have had 6 new cars, a Honda, a Volvo, a VW, and 3 Fords including the Cmax.  The Honda was by far the most problematic although I do like Honda's cars WAY more than Toyota.

I don't understand the reasoning behind attacking Consumer Reports.  They honestly reported the mileage they achieved during their review of the vehicle.  I believe their goal was to describe the mileage they achieved without using any special hypermileing techniques.

 

For instance, many of the posters in this thread have only recently purchased their C-Max's.  Thus, they have been driving them only during the warm weather.  What they are going to find out is that the C-Max--like most hybrids--is extremely sensitive to the ambient air temperature.  For instance, I am now routinely getting 60+ mpg during my 9 mi commute to work in the morning.  However, during the coldest part of last winter, there was about a 10-day period in late January when I was getting in the very low 30 mpg range for the same commute, and this was even with intentionally not running the heater and nearly freezing to death during the morning ride.  Hopefully the recent 13B07 upgrade will help with this.

 

The bottom line:  I believe the Fuelly reporting on the C-Max's gas mileage is probably pretty accurate.  It currently lists the C-Max's gas mileage as around 40 mpg, with a pretty large distribution.  My own Fuelly mpg has only recently got into the 38 mpg range, and I consider myself to be fairly skilled at driving the C-Max.  However, I live in a very hilly area, and one that has a fairly long, fairly cold winter.  Not everyone is going to achieve 47 mpg--that's just reality.  And it's not because we have some sort of vendetta against the C-Max.

You make a good point about winter driving, I should wait a few months before summing up my experience, probably.  But I stick by the statement that the reviews should be more nuanced.  For example, does it serve someone who lives in a warm winter location like southern California and does a lot of city driving to assume an average 37mpg?  These reviews could explain how varied the results can be with regards to factors like climate, driving style, etc. Simply sputtering out "This car does not get 47 MPG" is not very helpful to anyone.

Welcome ML.   "I'm totally scratching my head over (those) who find it so completely impossible to get more than 37 MPG out of this car.  I don't think I could have gotten mileage that low if I tried."  Very much agree (at least in Summer).  Nick

Seconded.  If they insist on driving in a way which yields 37MPG (flooring it, etc. ?) at least they could also take a pass at driving it economically and state that  "if you drive this car a little less aggressively and mindfully, it can get 50MPG in mixed city/highway driving".   Seems like most readers could process this information and make a more informed decision about the car.   With regards to the "expert reviewers"  I question their objectivity (CR) and their thoroughness & common sense.  I watched one youtube video from one of the major auto magazines who stated probably 10 times that the car was "built on the Fiesta platform", rather than the Focus, and proceeded to make comments about how small the car was and "it's no wonder, being built on a Fiesta platform, one of the smallest cars built in the USA".  I wanted to ask, well we know you at least walked up to this car (looked at it?)  and got in and no bells went off saying it wasn't the size of a Fiesta?  Haha.

I have mixed feelings about this decision to compensate C-max owners.  On one hand, of course we are all happy to receive an unexpected $550 payment....but on the other I am feeling bad that this is a PR nightmare for the car in general.  Lots will conclude that the C-Max "sucks" and not even consider it, totally passing by it's many advantages over the competition.  I know it's ultimately Ford's fault, but the outrage seems relatively selective to me.  I am in the same boat as others who have said they're getting better than 47mpg and that this is the first time they've met the EPA rating on a car.  What about all those other vehicles' MPG ratings?  

But I also feel bad that Ford's hybrid program takes a ding, here.  They've obviously spend major money and research time to make this car, even taking a bath on each sale.  So it's a significant investment for the company and a big risk.  That doesn't happen very often when it comes to the big 3.    I would have liked to see them rewarded for their commitment to invest in high fuel efficiency.  If I'm a corporate officer at Ford right now,  I bet building more F150s sounds a lot better!  And the others are watching to see the results of this gamble.  Bottom line, this is a blow to hybrid cars in general, this decision can only be a disappointment for those who want to see the technology move forward.

I've had my new c-max since Saturday, so less than a week.  So far I'm very pleased with the mileage.  I have driven it to work 3 times so far and get around 50-52 mpg.  This is a route that is about half freeway and 1/4 surface street and 1/4 40mph road.  Traffic is lousy on all parts of the trip, so there is little time that I can get up to 60+ mph. Lots of stop-n-go.  I did not expect this good mileage also considering, 1) The car has only 120mi on it and hasn't been broken in 2) I'm new to it and have never driven a hybrid before.   The MPG achieved so far exceeded my expectations for the car, mostly considering the horrible press and "expert" reviews showing fuel mileage at ~35mpg.  I don't expect to get 50 mpg  on straight up freeway, 70mph driving, nor do I expect low 35-36mpg overall either.

After contemplating a bit, it seems the "Cmax EPA MPG" outrage is a little arbitrary.  I think about driving my 2012 focus, with it's 38mpg highway rating and how seldom I achieve that.  I would say on highway driving, probably only 25 percent of the time have I even achieved that fuel economy.  I'm sure it's similar with other traditional ICE cars  such as the Cruze.  So why the trashing of the C-max?  

I think there is a lot of bias and hostility still built up among industry press and the public that still hasn't forgiven the American car industry for it's lousy  (deserved) reputation it acquired in the 70s-80s.  (Is it me or does CR automatically give any Japanese car perfect 'til proven otherwise status simply for rolling onto their testing grounds? )      

Anyway, I hope this 50+ mpg trend continues (dare I say improves?) as I have the car longer.  But so far, it's been a blast to drive and gives warm feeling all over knowing it will be a while for even my first gas fill-up!!   

I'm scheduled to pick up my new SEL tomorrow with the 2 recall/upgrades completed: 13C02 and 13B07. It's been sitting in the dealership for 3 weeks waiting on the parts. I read on the forum today that some of you were getting the headliners fixed, so I called the service dept. directly and found out the parts were in... my SA was off for a few days, but another SA got it in the shop and I'm picking it up tomorrow. I'm stoked.... it's been a long, patient wait. SEL 302A Ice Storm...SWEEET!

So you were in charge of making sure the service department located the parts and that your car was scheduled to be updated?  No help from the person who sold you your car?

Called the  dealer today in the hopes of getting an update on when the headliner recall will be completed so we may officially purchase & take delivery on our c-max.  Unfortunately, they have no real information.  No idea when parts will even be in.  I may call Ford to try to get more info as I have read on this forum plenty have been getting this recall performed in the last few days.  You'd think a fairly large dealer in the Chicago  area (& Ford) would show eagerness to deliver and receive payment for this car?  

Called Ford, they were very helpful!  They were able to confirm the parts should be there and made the service dept. locate them. What do you know they turned up.   My guess they were probably sitting there since the weekend.  Salesman said he had been checking "everyday" to see if they arrived.  I doubt the truthfulness of that statement.   Again, you think these people would be interested in selling a car?  

Was planning on buying a cmax last Saturday and just getting it done that day, as my wife's about ready to have a baby.  So that day I found out about this recall from the dealer.  The dealer, as it seems to be their nature, didn't feel the need to tell me they couldn't sell a Cmax on the phone when I was going over details.  They waited until I drove there to tell me.  Seemed to be a pattern, earlier in the day I had gone to another dealership and was showed the car, was offered a test drive (!) and spent 1/2 hr going over pricing. There was no mention of the recall or that they were not able to deliver the car ( for who knows how long!).  Not exactly straight forward and honest, guess they'll do anything to get you there in person, so they can work their magic.

 

 

I drove home that day a little frustrated.  After my anger had subsided, and I had thought about it, we did end up putting a deposit on the car from the second dealer.  Their discount was great for a regular car and amazing for a hybrid. They also had the exact car w/ options I wanted, so figured why not lock it in.    Anyway, don't know about you, but I expect the parts & repairs to take longer than they think. Hopefully the fact they aren't selling any will light a fire to get the parts delivered.  But seems like these things take longer than the estimates you're given, right?

Called the  dealer today in the hopes of getting an update on when the headliner recall will be completed so we may officially purchase & take delivery on our c-max.  Unfortunately, they have no real information.  No idea when parts will even be in.  I may call Ford to try to get more info as I have read on this forum plenty have been getting this recall performed in the last few days.  You'd think a fairly large dealer in the Chicago  area (& Ford) would show eagerness to deliver and receive payment for this car?  

Was planning on buying a cmax last Saturday and just getting it done that day, as my wife's about ready to have a baby.  So that day I found out about this recall from the dealer.  The dealer, as it seems to be their nature, didn't feel the need to tell me they couldn't sell a Cmax on the phone when I was going over details.  They waited until I drove there to tell me.  Seemed to be a pattern, earlier in the day I had gone to another dealership and was showed the car, was offered a test drive (!) and spent 1/2 hr going over pricing. There was no mention of the recall or that they were not able to deliver the car ( for who knows how long!).  Not exactly straight forward and honest, guess they'll do anything to get you there in person, so they can work their magic.

I drove home that day a little frustrated.  After my anger had subsided, and I had thought about it, we did end up putting a deposit on the car from the second dealer.  Their discount was great for a regular car and amazing for a hybrid. They also had the exact car w/ options I wanted, so figured why not lock it in.    Anyway, don't know about you, but I expect the parts & repairs to take longer than they think. Hopefully the fact they aren't selling any will light a fire to get the parts delivered.  But seems like these things take longer than the estimates you're given, right?