mlsstl

Adding some more forum sections is a good idea. In fact, I was a bit surprised as to how few categories this place has. The Mini and Volvo forums I visit have many more sections with their "welcome" area or equivalent pretty much being only for newcomers. Operational and technical discussions tend to occur in more subject specific areas. Members with a longer standing that I are better equiped to suggest what those additional sections should be, but it seems there is room for expansion. (And, out of curiosity, what's the deal with the big white space in between the search bar and the Ford ad at the top of every page? I've tried a couple of different browsers and they all display the same way. It seems an odd waste of space.)

Good idea to see if I can dredge up a rental. Will have to check around when I get some time. I did another short (6 mile) test drive over lunchtime today, this time in a SEL. Once again, the car's suspension is excellent and I like the steering and road handling - very well planted on choppy surfaces for a small car. Engine/transmission seemed a bit more vague this time around, but still not bad for a CVT. Brakes are still weird (due to the regeneration aspect) but believe that's just a matter of getting used to them. This one had the power leather seats and they seemed a bit more comfortable than the ones in the SE, though I didn't spend a lot of time seeing if that was due to just adjustment differences. The right-knee-against-the-center console didn't seem near as annoying today. Must be the weather.... Hopped on an interstate this time and acceleration/merging power was more than adequate for me, though I didn't have a long enough drive to see what type of mileage I might realistically get. When I drive highways, I tend to be in the just-over 70 club, but almost never exceed 75. What was interesting is I had my wife's Mini Clubman (w/stick shift) today, so got to compare them back-to-back. The C-Max is certainly a more button-down ride, but is still solid enough to qualify as a good drive. I have to remember that we're keeping the Mini so will always have that available if I need a fix. It'll be interesting to see what I end up with here in a few months. I believe could be happy with any of the choices. While good MPGs are a nice benefit, the C-Max scores well in the driving zone, and for me, there is more that one way to accomplish that. Just a matter of figuring out which set of characteristics I'm willing to sacrifice for another set.

Restricting newcomers from posting new topics until they have 10 or more posts would have been a negative in my case. I just found this forum a day or two ago after test driving a C-Max that left me surprised & impressed, but with a specific question I didn't find addressed previously. My question was not a gripe or bash, but if I'd had to wait for whatever period before I could ask without hijacking another thread, I would have probably just moved on, figuring this forum was a private old-boys club that wasn't really interested in having new people join. I've been active in various online discussion groups since the pre-internet CompuServe bulletin board days, so not every newcomer is just there for a hit and run. Sure, the poster who gripes and immediately disappears is annoying, but is it worth it to set up rules that run off new people to the extent that you're only left with a small group of regulars and everyone else is just an anonymous lurker?

Thanks for the comments -- much appreciated. Any purchase is likely later this summer or early fall so I still have plenty of time to decide. Looks like some more test drives are in order. I'll also keep watching this forum to learn more about the car. Glad I stumbled across this!

I'll be trading cars here in the near future (coming on 10 good years with my Volvo S40 but its about time) and I test drove the C-Max today after going in to look at a Fusion. Have to say I was very impressed -- I hadn't considered a hybrid until today. My neighbor has a Prius and I've been spectacularly unimpressed by that car and just assumed all hybrids were that dull. The C-Max test drive took care of that impression, but I do have one question. How comfortable are the seats for long distance trips? My short trip today indicated the seats are good, but not great. (Of course, Volvo seats are among the best from any car maker.) However, the bigger thing I'm worried about is the width of the driver's well around the knee area. I tend to sit with my knees apart and noticed that my right knee was leaning against the console. The section that rises to the dash is much closer to the driver on the C-Max compared to my S40. So, having said that, how comfortable are owners finding the seats & sitting position for long trips?