I would seem to be right in the C-Max target demographics. We'd like to downsize from current vehicles now the older kids have left home but we still want decent size and practicality. We'd also like far better fuel consumption, partly for the cost savings, partly because it just seems the responsible thing to do. My wife hates the Prius console layout, so we would seem prime candidates for a C-Max. But - I'm vegetarian, and avoid leather. As such, I know I'm one of a very small minority, but this is something that's non-negotiable for me. Imagine what your reaction if you were told that the steering wheel you were using was lovingly made from human skin. I imagine you'd be grossed out. Well, take that emotion, scale it down to maybe just ten percent of what it was, and that's kind of how I feel about using cow skin. I'm not saying that all you people who prefer leather seats are evil, horrible people, just that it's not for me. So I was keen on the idea of the C-Max until I saw that there was no way to get steering wheel and gear shift gaiter in anything but leather. I appreciate it that for many people these will be slight positives, but for a few they will be huge negatives. I wonder if Ford marketing people are aware of this? I did some internet searches, and somewhat to my surprise found that when Toyota introduced the Prius they avoided the use of leather as a matter of policy, because some people might find it of dubious morality and Toyota was keen to grab the moral high ground (or at least appear to have done that). Perhaps it's good and proper that Ford are aiming for a mass market and not worried about the niche early adopters, but it's not an all round win for them, I was looking at the on-line comparisons that show leather steering wheel as some kind of plus for the C-Max - and thinking to myself that it was a huge minus, and to search for all the cars that had that as unavailable or option only. I skipped trying a C-Max and did a test drive of a Fusion hybrid. It was a very nice car, but even with the back seats folded for pass-through, it didn't really have the versatility that we'd like. I guess we'll be reluctant Toyota buyers. Actually, we're in a double minority. We currently have a Taurus wagon and really like the layout. What we'd like would be a Fusion wagon, a variant that Ford sell outside the USA as the Mondeo wagon. It seems that the vagaries of EPA classifications have pushed American car makers to promote SUVs and CUVs to do the job that the wagon used to do, but we'd prefer the better handling and better aerodynamics/fuel consumption of the lower vehicle. The fuel consumption of the C-Max at high speeds seems a little disappointing, I wonder what it would have been had it been a bit lower and more aerodynamic.
