BobJustBob

The link worked fine for me. Thank you for posting this. I really like James Healey's reviews. Normally, I wait for his review before buying a new vehicle, but this time, I bought my C-Max before Healey reviewed it.

Welcome to the forum, BWP! I am sure you will find this forum to be a great resource for information about Ford's most innovative new vehicle. Me too. The C-Max is my first new vehicle in 12 years, so it makes the old one feel like a horse-and-buggy. It is just full of innovative features. I've had my vehicle for only two weeks, so it is far too early to tell what the ultimate gas mileage is going to be. I am still learning how to drive a hybrid, so as I gain experience I'm sure the gas mileage is going to go up. I did have to chuckle a week ago: I was running some Saturday errands, and one of my "trips" was less than 3 miles, all downhill. When I shut off the car, the trip summary reported my gas mileage as 90.3 mpg. Too bad it doesn't get that on every trip!

Hi Mark and MaryAnn, Welcome to the Forum. I think you will find it is a great resource for information about the C-Max.

Hi JulieB, A local dealer has a Blue Candy C-Max in its parking lot. It is a very striking color. I hope you get your vehicle soon. I brought home my silver ingot SE on November 20th, and I am having fun learning how to drive the C-Max in order to get the best gas mileage. I am really enjoying the vehicle!

Idm, First, welcome to the forum! I think you will find this to be a great resource for information on the brand new C-Max. I've had my SE C-Max for 12 days, so I can't give you any insights on how comfortable it will be for extended trips. However, I can tell you that it has the quietest cabin of any vehicle I have ever owned. The C-Max has a feature called Active Noise Cancellation by which it electronically monitors the noise entering the cabin and then "feeds-back" sound waves which cancel those of the noise. Especially when one is driving in Electric Vehicle (EV) mode (i.e., the gasoline engine is not running), it is almost eerie how quiet the vehicle is. I find the front seats to be comfortable. However, I noticed that the rear, leather seats in the SEL which I test drove (I bought an SE with cloth seats) seemed to be very hard. This was mentioned in several of the C-Max reviews I read, as well. So, if you plan on buying an SEL and will have passengers in the rear seats on those very long road trips, you had better concentrate on the comfort level of the seats before making a buying decision.

Hi folks, I was pleasantly surprised to see the EV+ mode designator come up on my left display (I think I am using the "Engage" display) yesterday while returning home after running a Saturday afternoon errand. I thought it was going to take longer for the C-Max to learn my driving habits; somewhere (I think it was the Owner's Manual) I read it would take 2-to-4 weeks for the C-Max to learn my frequent routes and switch-on EV+ mode. Well, it took only 11 days of driving before it switched-on for me. This is probably because I return home by the same route 99% of the time, so it was easy for the system to "learn" my home route. Anyway, I hope this feature fulfills it purpose and boosts by gas mileage!

No, I have an SE and I get the same pop-up "dialogue box" notifying me that the parking brake is on. You can either press "OK" on the left Information Display Control or else simply start driving and this dialogue box will disappear.

Welcome mtb9153! I am glad to hear that with 4000 mi on your vehicle you are getting close to 45 mpg.

This thread makes me feel good knowing that under the right conditions one can get great mpg with the C-Max. I've had my C-Max for just slightly longer than one week. My longest drive so far is my 9.1 mile commute to work. This past Monday, the Monday after Thanksgiving, traffic was lighter than normal and it was warm, so I didn't have to use the heater. My drive to work is mainly downhill, and I obtained 44.3 mpg. My drive home has been averaging in the mid-to-high 30's. I have less than 150 miles total on the vehicle, so I realize I am still in the break-in period and that my mileage is going to get better as the car "breaks-in" and I learn how to drive it. What has made me feel good is realizing that I can get into EV mode on the highway; that was a pleasant surprise!

Welcome, Rich. Keep us posted as to how you like the new C-Max.

Congratulations and welcome to the forum!

Car manufacturers really frustrate me with how they treat the rear cargo area. It is as if they never ask anyone how they are used in the real world. The only vehicle I had experience with which got the rear cargo area completely right was the original model of the Hyundai Santa Fe (the vehicle I traded-in for my C-Max). Besides coming with a sliding cargo cover (which the C-Max has, thank goodness), it also included a nice cargo net as original equipment. The back of the rear seats had two D-rings on them, as well as the outboard corners of the cargo area floor, for the attachment of the cargo net. The cargo net kept your grocery bags secure and upright, and you didn't have to worry about your groceries spilling onto the floor and potentially falling out the back as Hybrid Dude experienced. I see Ford offers both a large and small cargo container, as well as a cargo net, but all are accessories at added cost, not original equipment.

Welcome, Seymour_Bears. I am glad you are enjoying your new C-Max. This forum is proving to be a valuable resource for information about this great new vehicle from Ford.

Won't you be getting "the evil eye" if you show up with a brand new car from a competitor?

Hey NewMaxDriver, Thanks for the tip! I just brought my new C-Max home this past Tuesday (today is Friday, 11/23), and I hadn't had a chance to explore all the lighting options until this evening. I was able to get all the other lighting options and features to work, but for the life of me, I could not get the ambient lighting to work. Now I know why. I am going to head back out right now and see if your tip works.

Hi folks, I am a brand new C-Max owner, and even though I work in technology (I am a computer programmer), I was a little intimidated by the displays on the vehicle. The Owner's Manual really didn't help that much. I did some searching and found some nice tutorials on YouTube showing how to configure the displays. The following link is to the comprehensive tutorial which reviews most of the options available: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zdzIzzaQtgg&feature=channel&list=UL. Please note that sections of this tutorial have been made into individual, shorter tutorials which are also available in the same general section in YouTube.

Nick: Thank you so much for posting this. This is exactly the reason I signed-up for this forum--to take advantage of the insights of other C-Max owners so I can maximize my enjoyment and, gas mileage, of this great little vehicle.

Bill: First of all, I wanted to thank the founders of this forum for it is proving to be a wonderful source of information on the C-Max. I am a brand new C-Max owner--I just picked up my new C-Max yesterday--so I am on the lookout for site where I can learn valuable information about how to maximize my enjoyment of my new vehicle. My one suggestion is about this Lounge sub-forum. What is its purpose? I am confused by the phrase "off topic" in its title. By off topic do you mean non-C Max subjects, or C-Max topics not covered by the other sub-forums? Most other online discussion forums I belong to have a "General Discussion" sub-forum. Now that I own a C-Max, I want to know which sub-forum to use to have discussions with other owners on how to maximize my enjoyment of my new vehicle. Thanks.

Hi Laurel, Thank you for posting this. I know from watching the news over the last several years that there are a number of hybrids which have failed to live up to their EPA mileage. I just took delivery of my new C-Max today (11/20), so it is far too early to tell what kind of mileage I will achieve. If I get 40 mpg or higher, I will be happy; if I get less than 40, I will be very disappointed.

JAZ: Thank you for posting the link to this nice "first impression" story about the C-Max.

It was a combination of factors. The first was that I was in the market--I had owned my previous vehicle, a Hyundai Santa Fe, for twelve years and was getting the new car "itch". So I started researching vehicles which would be introduced during the 2013 model year. I initially started looking at the new Ford Escape. Then, last winter, while reading an article about one of the winter-season's many auto shows, I saw a brief article about the C-Max. That got the name in my consciousness. So I started reading about it on the Internet and watching videos about older (European) versions of the C-Max on YouTube. As more information became available about the 2013 hybrid version, I became more interested and started following it more closely. Finally, in late summer/early fall, actual reviews and "first drive" reports and videos started appearing on the Internet, and most were very positive. So, I put the vehicle on my "short list" and started contacting area dealerships in September to see if any were available to test drive. Eventually, vehicles started appearing on dealer lots, and I started test driving them and talking to the dealers to learn as much about the vehicle as possible. I liked the vehicle from my very first test drive and it boiled down to which trim line--the SE or SEL--I was going to buy. I spent over two hours this past Monday comparing them side-by-side at a local dealer, and I eventually bought an SE and took delivery today (11/20).

Hi everyone, Well, I'm joining the burgeoning ranks of C-Max owners tomorrow (Tuesday, 11/20). I bought an SE with Equipment Group 201A (power liftgate, reverse sensing system, and ambient lighting) plus the Winter Package (heated cloth front seats and heated mirrors) in color Ingot Silver. I spent a lot of time going back and forth between the SE and the SEL, but ultimately chose the SE. It has been so long since I bought a new vehicle (I bought my current vehicle in 2000) that I feel almost like a little kid at Christmas--I am that excited.

Welcome, walkerw. I just bought my C-Max today and, aside from the color (I got Ingot Silver), I got the same vehicle as you--an SE with Equipment Group 201A (power liftgate, reverse sensing system, and ambient lighting) and the Winter Package (heated cloth front seats and heated mirrors). Chinto: Can you give us complete newbie owners any tips on how to achieve the higher mileage? Thanks.

This is how I feel--that the C-Max has a modern, European look to it. I have mixed feelings about the multiple grills in the front, but other than that, I like the looks of the C-Max.

Hello and welcome to the forum. I am considering the C-Max but have not yet bought one. Please keep us posted as to your experience with the C-Max for this is extremely helpful for people like me. Thanks.