fbov

In our case, the owner really is getting younger... my father-in-law Porter was 81 when he bought the C-Max we call Porter in his memory, yet it's owner is not yet 60. Frank

I have a 10/2012 built date, SEL 302 with pano roof, and the only thing I've paid for at the dealership is oil. I think you're good with either. Frank

I'm early in my 5th decade of car ownership, but I agree with the rest of the statement. Only thing I've paid for is oil changes (and a tire I holed). Another place to check the VIN is Ford's etis site. Enter the VIN on the Vehicle tab. 12M02 and 14B03 should be the only things listed under "Outstanding Field Service Actions." https://www.etis.ford.com/ Have fun, Frank

+1 Do the 2014.

I have a dash cam, too. Chelyabinsk wouldn't have been the same without them. For a while, I had mine plugged in to the cargo area socket, which is on 24/7. No issues with the car, but I only have ~2.6 hrs of recording time, so it had lots of parking lot footage, and very little driving. I then moved power to the console. Now, the camera chimes when I open the door as if to acknowledge power-on. It still records in 2 minute files, and has an onboard battery. I don't find partial files, so I suspect that when the console socket goes dead, it runs on the internal battery until that 2-minute segment is done, then shuts down. Working on the car, it won't chime every time I open the door unless enough time's passed. I suspect yours is staying on using internal power, too. See what happens when you unplug it after you know its on. HAve fun, Frank

I keep track of trip mileage shown when you turn the car off. I have two commuter routes, this is for my "rural" route that's primarily 35MPH speed limits and little-to-no traffic. This chart shows my baseline (first 2 months), last Summer, and this past Winter, as defined by mounting snowtires. You'll note that my mileage has improved quite dramatically over the baseline, part car updates but mostly learning... about 2 years worth. The other story is one of tire design in the face of widely varying applications... Michelin's X-ice 3 snows have equivalent rolling resistance to their Energy Saver/AS OEM tires. But you asked about temperature, and I'm seeing about 3MPG lost for every 10F colder it gets. Highway driving yields lower MPG, and is slighly less sensitive as a result. Have fun,Frank

And since no one's mentioned it... https://www.etis.ford.com/, the Online Technical Information and Services website from Ford. Click the Vehicle tab, enter your VIN and you get a display of service type information on the left and car options on the right if you click the link under Minor Features. If you have any recalls pending, they'll be on the left. Note that 12M02 and 14B03 are not repairs, per se, but remain listed Otherwise, you're off to a good start! HAve fun, Frank

I didn't want to get into Cd, as there are so many tricks you can play to get the numbers you want ... but that's not the case with dimensions. This one should have been obvious. At least Ford came clean... twice. Update from the dealer; two of these are all related, and the third covered under a techincal service bulletin, I'm told, and I do see a new TSB 14-0070 (2/15) on the forum that looks right. Gotta love vendors that address customer problems! (And forums that allow you to research them independently!!) HAve fun, Frank

Remember, EV+ is just an increase in ICE threshold. Speed has nothing to do with it if you keep the throttle below the ICE threshold. The 1/3 mile max distance feels about right, too. I'd love to have it a mile out, but it's never happened. And to Jack's tease, you have to leave the EV+ regions for it to work when you return. I get into EV+ returning from a 4 mile trip, but not a 1 miler to the pharmacy I forgot to hit on my way home. (Where can I get some memory; I seem to have misplaced mine...) Have fun, Frank

Clearly, in any tradeoff scenario, there are points of diminishing returns. I believe a 10x different in burn duration is well past that point. I'm suggesting more like 1.5x duration, 8 to 12 second burns instead of 5 to 9 seconds. The goal is lower RPM, not the lowest. To Snow's point, I see the 2K-2.2K RPM sweet spot a lot, but also one at 1.5K RPM, and a couple scenarios that run more like 1-1.1K RPM. Of course, I'm drving mostly with a 35 MPH speed limit, so I'm not surprised I see lower ICE RPM modes. And you've got the BSFC map link, right? http://ecomodder.com/wiki/index.php/Brake_Specific_Fuel_Consumption_(BSFC)_Maps Viewing several BSFC maps, I see a common thread... peak efficiency is a plateau of high load in the 1.5K-3KRPM range for Atkinson (Toyota) and many conventional gas engines. In Snow's example, I expect the 24kW@2000RPM running point would shift lower as road energy needs, or charging needs, diminished without leaving the optimum efficiency plateau region. At 1.5K PRM, you might get 18kW, which assuming 10kW charge, leaves only 8kW for the road, which is at the low range of the power needed to maintain speed. If nothing else, it points to the benefit of using ICE uphill, where gravity adds load, so you crest it with high SOC, and extend the EV glide even farther with some downhill slope. If you live in hilly country, where you fill the battery going downhill, the reverse may be true. There's a lot to be said for knowing your route! Have fun, Frank

I'm one of the lucky owners who's only nonfuel expense has been oil changes and a blown tire I can't blame on Ford. The car's been in the shop many times under warranty, about half for recalls (October 2012 purchase, by my late father-in-law from whom we inherited). In fact, I'm driving a loaner today due to reverse camera, intelligent access and liftgate issues. But it's never failed to take me where I needed to go (save for the flat). What I didn't expect was that the car has changed my personality... I'm less anxious, more patient, more willing to wait. And my wife doesn't recognize the new nut behind the wheel. I was an autocrosser for decades, and it showed in my driving style. Now I drive a hybrid, and it shows in my driving style, regardless my speed in the turns (never used brakes before, why start now?). Internalizing Kostby's "BAD" is one of my goods. You'll be amazed how much stuff you can fit in one of these things - dressers, dining tables, and a stair lift in my case. Water heaters and laundry dryers in others'. That said, I'd like to correct a couple things. My data on temperature sensitivity shows more like 3MPG per 10F. It's a little less on the highway, a little more in rural driving (35MPH speed limits). I tell folks my mileage is between 30 and 60MPG depending on speed and season. The C-Max is not "less aerodynamic" than the Fusion, it's BIGGER. About 5.7" taller, and only 1" narrower. Aerodynamic drag depends on two vehicle parameters, drag coefficient and cross-sectional area. The Fusion only pokes 92%as big of a hole in the air as the C-Max. That was obvious to Ford's engineers, even as their marketing dept. was screaming for an EPA rating better than the Prius. Have fun, and enjoy your new car regardless the choice! Frank

I've come to question this, with very positive results, as this is exactly what I changed. The "higher burn for a shorter time" approach leaves me with lower SOC compared with "lower burn for a longer time." Believe me when I say I was skeptical, but watching the tank average MPG, I realized that at 1.5-2K RPM, the car seems to use much less gas than at 2.5-3K RPM. A low burn that drops the average 0.1MPG is a lot longer than a high burn with the same MPG drop, and you gain SOC and WT (a critical advantage in winter). Conversely, SDM, I'm finally getting the hang of EV'ing from a stop, a technique you once suggested that I had a hard time achieving. BTW, the low burn approach has an interesting affect on following traffic. Invariably, the conventional drivetrain is on my bumber coming out of the intersection, because they're in a low gear putting lots of torque to the road. As their tranny shifts to higher gears, their accelaration rate slows. They invariably end up many car lengths behind because they stop accelerating when they hit high gears. Our little CVT will keep the ICE RPM constant the whole time, so my slow acceleration has continued past their achieved cruising speed. They may catch up, but I've still only been passed once in 21 months driving the car. Have fun, Frank

I got a ~15% improvement in mileage when I stopped doing that. When I got the car, the conventional wisdom was to accelerate as fast as would keep the battery charging. Keep that ^ visible, which allowed full 2-bar acceleration if SOC was low. Last year, I tried lower throttle settings, about 1.5-bar, so the car accelerated more slowly, and spent more time charging the battery (and warming coolant in winter). I soon realized that lower throttle settings increased the charge rate as well. I've since set My View up with a tachometer so I could watch RPM. Keeping it under 2,000 RPM most of the time has made a huge difference, as I can still accelerate and climb what pass for hills around here while charging the HVB - win-win-win. You may have to open this is a new browser window to see it, but in the lower chart, "baseline" was using 2-bar, and the "Spring" and "Summer" were more like 1.5-bar acceleration (when prudent, of course) Have fun, Frank

I drive past the dealership on the way to work. After SW upgrades, I frequently get EV+ driving by. And as I've said before, EV+ is beneficial for hybrids, because it's best to store Li-ion batteries at low charge levels. High charge levels and heat are the enemy, especially in tandem. If I always park at low SOC, I've done my part. As to Jack's issue, I can only add that I see both a distance and a temperature effect. The distance at which EV+ engages seems SOC dependent; a smart move in my book - more charge to drain, so start draining sooner. It also won't activate if the engine's cool. Took a while to split out short trips from engine temp, but I EV+ more easily in summer! Have fun, Frank

Several of the Fords (Explorer, Edge, Expedition) listed with rain sensors have two glass options, based on model year. It looks like they made a change to the rain sensor that required a new part number. Frank

+1 The sunglasses stay on the MFT shelf...

That's highly unlikely. There's always air movement, what are known as "prevailing winds." A google search for " prevailiing winds sacramento" yields this: SACRAMENTO EXECUTIVE AP, CA | SE SSE S SSW S S S S S S SSE SSE | S SACRAMENTO INT'L AP, CA (KSM | SSE SSE S S S S S S S S NW SSE | S SACRAMENTO-MATHER AP, CA (KM | SE SE SE S S S S S S SE SE SE | S I didn't copy over the monthly headers, but it's clear the prevailing winds in that part of CA is Southerly. I-5 and I-505 run north-south. It's highly likely that prevailing winds are affecting your data. Despite a known link between ambient temperature and mileage, my 3K mile trip to Louisiana last year showed no temperature affect, but a very strong directional affect due to prevailing southwesterly winds. 33.7 MPG into the wind, 37.7MPG with a tailwind. It's as important as elevation over long trips as elevation has its limits. Have fun, Frank

Poor choice for an analogy... no shortage of sellers or new product http://www.soundstagedirect.com/?gclid=CMjgvtLs-MQCFcEkgQod8iYA5A http://www.amazon.com/Vinyl-Records-Albums-LPs-Eps/b?ie=UTF8&node=372989011 and my favorite; a listening comparision on some top-notch audio gear: http://www.audioholics.com/editorials/analog-vinyl-vs-digital-audio CDs weren't gone in the first blink of that eye. In the second blink, some folks realized they'd been hoodwinked by the digitial transition, and so vinyl lives on, as will fossil fuels for the forseeable future. Not saying the market won't shift - it has to - but markets rarely make absolute shifts unless driven to it by external forces. Have fun, Frank

In an emergency stop, the most critical thing is maintaining control, thus ABS systems. Given you can already lock the front brakes, there's nothing to be gained. There is some advantage to using only hydraulic brakes under sensor-driven control in a panic stop situation. Try downshifting a FWD standard tranny on a slippery road. You'll find that proper rear wheel braking is critical to vehicle stability. Have fun, Frank

Two thoughts... It might just be marketing... add tractor and charger capacities to get 118HP, even if only one is a motor/generator that can actually drive the wheels There may be times when it's advantageous for the ICE to generate added current for the tractor MG, beyond what the battery can provide. This car is darn quick for a 1.8L intake-displacement engine pushing 2 tons... HAve fun, Frank

What, no one willing to help the new guy? There are several ways to access the OBDII port in your car. There are two ports in the car; most folks find what they need from the one under the panel in front of your left knee. You're looking for a port that plugs into devices like these. There are two popular ways to access onboard diagnostics (OBD), - a hardwired device called a "Scangauge" which includes a data display - a plug-in module that may have a USB (hardwired), or Bluetooth/Ethernet wireless connection to a PC or smartphone. From there, options multiply. I use a plug-in BT module (of the correct type to access Ford OBDII codes), and an Android app called Torque. It natively gives basic information, but with a little programming (what's mostly discussed here), it has access to anything Ford's diagnostics measure. And that's as far as I'll take you, because I haven't done the deep dive some posters have, and would prefer not to mislead you in my ignorance. HAve fun, Frank

From my spec sheet PERFORMANCE Engine horsepower 141 hp Engine torque 129 lb.-ft. and ELECTRIC MOTOR/GENERATOR Type Permanent magnet AC synchronous motor Output 118 hp@6,000 RPM/88kW@6,000 Torque 177 lb.-ft./240Nm so I can see where folks fail to notice HIGH VOLTAGE BATTERY Type 1.4 kWh Lithium-ion Peak power (charge sustain mode) 35 kW (emphasis added) which jives with your numbers, for sustainable power. What doesn't jive is: 141HP from the engine + 118HP from the motor >> Total system power (sustain) 188 hp unless you realize that the 118HP from the "electric motor/generator" includes a unit that's not connected to the drivetrain, and can't move the car directly. Have fun, Frank

Where'd you get that idea? Best I can find in jkumpire's posts is: "The problem is of course the normal warranty is about done,..." which I interpret as referring to the bumper-to-bumper warranty, or about the 32K miles I have on my 2013. I'm not trying to be diffucult, just give the OP an accurate picture. Frank Frank

Ford would beg to differ... the technology is sound (pardon the pun); sandwiching a viscous layer between stiffer layers is a well known isolation approach known as "constrained layer damping." I use it when building loudspeakers, to reduce the box radiation in favor of that from the acoustic drivers. Frank From the 2013 sales brochure (emphasis added): Interior 12-volt powerpoints (3) 110-volt power outlet Active noise cancellation Acoustic-laminate windshield And from the 2015 sales brochure (different layout, fewer pages... and emphasis added) Interior 12-volt powerpoints (2) 110-volt power outlet Acoustic-laminate windshield Active noise cancellation

Not once you understand that Li-ion battery life has a strong dependency on maximum charge level and depth of discharge, with an interaction during storage between SOC and battery temperature. In all cases, 100% charging will kill the battery, and storing it charged and hot kills it faster. Ford did their homework... use EV+ to discharge your battery before you park, whenever possible. Frank