Kelleytoons

He said the temps were from the 30's to the 80's, so I suspect he used both at various times. Driving to and from Orlando quite frequently nowadays and even at 70+ speeds I find it fairly easy to get over 40mpg, fully loaded with four passengers, with or without AC (no heat in Florida, natch :>). I've kind of given up trying to get any better because our trips are usual "social" and I find it takes a lot more concentration to get the absolute best mpg (so just easy to put it in cruise control and enjoy the company). I would say it's not stellar but it's more than I ever imagined I could get and with plenty of power for passing I don't envy any Prius owners on the road <g>.

First of all, CU has, for the last 20 years, basically been a joke. Those of us who know of what we are talking about (in my case, cameras, electronics, stereos, etc.) know there is absolutely NOTHING reliable about how they rate things. I subscribed to CU for about 20 years so it's not like I'm coming from a place of prejudice. It's just that their testing facilities and methodologies are about as unscientific as they come. The truth is that CU made their big name with their rollover "discovery" of the Rav4 which, in retrospect, was rigged and admitted as rigged by CU themselves. So they are basically whores whose opinion only the very ignorant would respect. I wish I had strong feelings about them to report, though <g>. Now, if you go to more honest sites you will find many reviews that place the C-Max as at or above the ratings of most vehicles in its class. Yes, there are some folks who hate SYNC (I happen to love it, though) but there are just as many that hate just about any electronics in any car package (just find any typical one and you'll see). Talking to people on forums such as these who own these vehicles can help, but you also have to remember that by and large folks who come to these kinds of forums are like those in hospitals (if all you ever frequented was hospitals you'd think there were no well people anywhere). Yet you can see, time and again, how many of us love our Max and it's hard to argue with those of us who have had the experience and are passionate about it. In the end only you can make the best decision you can about any choice -- a car or a house (or a spouse) is obviously a much bigger decision than almost any other one you make in life, but unlike the latter two it's still a bit easier to trade it in and get something else if you are truly disappointed (there's actually no way to win with the other two -- but in those cases I certainly wouldn't trust a consumer magazine to tell me what to do). Best of luck to you -- if I had read negative things I wouldn't be driving around the best vehicle I've owned in over a half a century.

AFAIK (others here will tell you right, though), the 12 volt ONLY supplies power to actually turn the car on (all other power being supplied by the HVB).

Having worked for a state government for 30 years this sounds *exactly* like a state government thing <g>. Or, for some of you older folks, it's because the WeSaySo Corp.... um, says so.

Hello, I must be going. I cannot stay, I came to say I must be going. I'm glad I came but just the same I must be going. For my sake you must stay, for if you go away, you'll spoil this party I am throwing. I'll stay a week or two, I'll stay the summer through, but I am telling you, I must be going. (Sorry, it just amused me this post was in the "Welcome" forum).

I know this is a *bit* OT but just came back from a 54.5 mile trip to Orlando and I had the air on (only about 75 but it was 82 outside) and was going at least 70 most of the way and I averaged 47.4 mpg (yeah, I know the read out isn't completely accurate but still...) That's pretty amazing for me -- even without air we've been lucky to get in the low 40's on our Orlando trips this winter (we don't need heat, natch). I have to figure it was like a perfect storm of conditions -- just warm enough without being too warm, and perhaps going just fast enough without being too fast (although for long portions I was driving nearly 80mph -- but for equal portions I was only going 60+). Weird.

All good points except perhaps Adrian's optimism about batteries (battery technology is the one technology that hasn't gotten appreciably cheaper over the years -- certainly not on the order of computer chips and other such tech). My own hunch is the Max battery will last as long as anyone wants to keep their car -- but that to replace it will be more or less the same cost as it is now (and that new batteries, at that time, will have improved around 20%. Which is to say, some, but not a tremendous amount).

Well, I don't know if you'd call it "long term" but Maximis has been with us for eight months now and I'm more excited about it today than I was even back when we first got it, and I've never had that feeling with any vehicle. By which I don't mean to say I haven't had other vehicles I enjoyed and kept long time -- most all of the ones I've owned have been kept at least five years, and usually 10-15 (our Durango is still with us at 15 and should go strong for another five). But I've never had anything I just enjoyed so much getting in and even doing drives which would have been chores in any other ride. I actually seek out reasons to drive, something I've NEVER done (driving for me, while enjoyable at times, is never something I want to do with my time. Until now :>). I'm sure other folks feel this way about other transportation -- it just constantly surprises me that I still feel this way about the C-Max. You owe it to yourself to at least give it a very good test drive.

Um, just complaining or are you looking for help? (I mention this because this is the identical post in another thread -- folks that do that in general aren't looking for assistance but just to vent. I well understand the feeling, but since we're all users here venting isn't particular useful and most likely won't even make you feel better). Clearly early model C-Max's had more issues than later ones, and it looks as though you've fallen into that early category. I truly feel sorry for you, honestly, but if you are looking for advice mine is to perhaps start Lemon Law procedures (which vary by state) in order to see if you can get a buyback or some other compensation. The other option is to do some research (which you haven't done yet -- I'm not dinging you, just pointing out a fact) and see what all the causes for the battery issue are (they are listed here and they are many -- and most dealers will not have heard of all of them) and see if you can get your dealer to track down what is really causing the problem. The Ford rep here can help, but you will have to appeal to her for that help (it won't be automatic) and only if you want to try and solve the problem (IOW, if you want to go Lemon Law route that's up to you and you won't get assistance from Ford. There are also some threads here that talk about that and may provide you with information you'll need). I wish you luck -- it's terrible when your transportation isn't reliable (which is why we ended up with a C-Max in the first place - and it's been stellar for us. Then again, we bought after most of the battery issues had been resolved).

Hmmm, I'm trying to add up all the "second time he had to jump start it" -- looks like 10 or 20 times <g>. (Maybe he meant -- "fifth time I've tried to post the second time I had to jump start it").

And this driver is *still* confused -- this IS covered under the original three year warranty? Or not? (Although I'm unlikely to have 37K even at four years, let alone three. And I don't live where it's cold, natch).

50K miles and you replaced the wipers *when*? (Because it's not the years, it's the mileage). Our Durango goes through about a set every 12K, so at the very least I'd suspect you were on your third. Perhaps you didn't replace them properly (so it's hardly a POS if it's your fault). As others have said here, best wipers on any car I've ever owned (and in Florida we give wipers a pretty good workout, although even in Nevada we had to replace wipers regularly because, well, they DO wear out -- even just being in the elements without wiping).

+1 (and ScubaDad). My feelings exactly -- I just love driving it and the FE is a sweet bonus.

Sorry just can't help this (from "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - 1973"): At first I thought it was only because the tires were soft, so I took it into the Texaco station next to the Flamingo and had the tires pumped up to fifty pounds each—which alarmed the attendant, until I explained that these were “experimental” tires. But fifty pounds each didn’t help the cornering, so I went back a few hours later and told him I wanted to try seventy-five. He shook his head nervously. “Not me,” he said, handing me the air hose. “Here. They’re your tires. You do it.” “What’s wrong?” I asked. “You think they can’t take seventy-five?” He nodded, moving away as I stooped to deal with the left front. “You’re damn right,” he said. “Those tires want twenty-eight in the front and thirty-two in the rear. Hell, fifty’s dangerous, but seventy-five is crazy. They’ll explode!” I shook my head and kept filling the left front. “I told you,” I said. Sandoz laboratories designed these tires. They’re special. I could load them up to a hundred. “God almighty!” he groaned. “Don’t do that here.” “Not today,” I replied. “I want to see how they corner with seventy-five.” He chuckled. “You won’t even get to the corner, Mister.” “We’ll see,” I said, moving around to the rear with the air-hose. In truth, I was nervous. The two front ones were tighter than snare drums; they felt like teak wood when I tapped on them with the rod. But what the hell? I thought. If they explode, so what? It’s not often that a man gets a chance to run terminal experiments on a virgin Cadillac and four brand-new $80 tires. For all I knew, the thing might start cornering like a Lotus Elan.

This particular commerical http://www.ispot.tv/ad/7N8s/ford-c-max-hybrid-full-of-life-song-by-pilote has been on many times nationally -- heck, my wife and I don't even see commercials (we TiVO everything, or Netflix, or, ahem, acquire from other methods and then play digitally) but we've seen this more times than I can count (Ford sponsors "The Amazing Race" and even TiVO'ed we can see that commercial almost every week -- we fast forward but can now recognize it without even stopping, as we did the first few times). Same goes for some sports events, although I can't tell you which ones (we watch a LOT of television). I wish they'd do another one, and perhaps they will when "Race" starts up the new season in a few weeks, but it's almost surely on at least another show or two regularly (while we watch a lot of stuff most of it is not network things). Now, that doesn't compare with what they do for their other line, to be sure, but they are making at least some effort.

Here in Florida Ice Storm is the absolute best color for hiding dirt -- have washed it exactly ONCE and it looks as new as the day we got it seven months ago (and you might have heard but we do get a bit of rain here now and then :>).

Yeah, we've made a long trip with four passengers and lots of luggage and as long as I kept it to speed limits (60-65mpg) I got nearly 52mpg registered at fillup (but flat roads here in Florida and, as others have noted, no A/C and no heat -- weather was fine so I didn't need it).

They've started to advertise them more (I've actually seen the same ad -- unfortunately -- a LOT in recent months) but, yet, it's not pushed out there. I'm not sure that Ford themselves really knows what to do with it (and it's an odd duck anyway -- existing in Europe under a completely different format and function). But that's okay with me -- I actually love the fact I'm not one of the herd (like the many Prius owners around here). Although my biggest concern is that when our Durango finally dies and we need another vehicle there won't be a C-Max around to get our second one (because I'm now spoiled and don't want to drive anything else).

Here in Florida I've been consistently getting around 42mpg when going 75+, so it's not all that difficult (although it brings down my total mpg average. Sigh).

AFAIK any built after December '13 are as up to date on the battery issue as can be (ours was built in January and we have no issues). However, an SE with a standard radio is a bit more suspect than one with MFT (which ours has -- in any case, I would not have wanted a car without it). That's probably a more important consideration than whether it was built in September versus February.

Well, just PM me with your address and I'll send A4 out to you if you want.

You are correct about free time -- that's kind of the definition of being retired. I have to ponder if I would have spent the same amount of time on the headphones if I were still working (perhaps not -- but trying to gain that perspective again may be beyond my reach now). I do think we tend to not be as patient about our transportation as other things, since it often is far more critical to us to get where we need to go. Heck, the reason I got Maximis in the first place was our issues with our Durango. I felt it wasn't reliable enough and my wife still works part time. But, by the same token, we did not give up on it (after we had something we *could* rely on) and now it's what she drives exclusively to work. And I get to drive Maximis after living for almost a decade with only one vehicle. So I guess I really am saying it's nice to get older and (hopefully) wiser and more patient. How much patience we might have had without other alternatives is a good question, though.

Oh, I see what you were trying to say. Right, the Garp thing was just for fun's sake. (Although it does make a certain kind of sense). I assume (without checking) that I posted the video link. If not, my bad, because that's the whole point (and I will if you want to see it). The gambler's fallacy is based on assuming the past will influence the future, as I'm well aware of. But, truly, all seriousness aside, if I had a lemon in a particular model it would really depend on WHAT the "lemony" aspects of that model were. To use the wife analogy (always dangerous in oh so many ways :>) and which is why you're wrong about it, women share a ton of similarities (but, no, I don't think that "in the dark, all cats are black"). Saying you shouldn't try another because you got a broken one is erroneous because of a lot of things, not the least of which is there isn't many alternatives (although someone once said that being bisexual doubles your chance of a date on Saturday night). But it's also important to identify exactly what the problem was. If I had a C-Max with a battery issue, and I came to a forum like this, I might well think I shouldn't try another one, particularly if the dealer wasn't helpful at all in resolving it. OTOH, I would also do due diligence and ask folks here who *haven't* had issues what they thought. If there were enough things about the woman, um, car that attracted me to her in the first place, I'd go ahead and take the plunge but keep a careful eye out again for the warning signs (which is what I did -- as I said, many decades later it appears to be working out, although my wife would argue it's still a work in progress). But, I want to close with a Real Life example that does prove you wrong, no BS or joking about it. I absolutely LOVED the Bose Soundtrue on-ear Bluetooth headphones. They were light, portable, and had great sound. Unfortunately, they also didn't work properly with my iPhone (I won't go into the details). I worked with Bose for nearly a month without being able to resolve it, so I returned them to Amazon. A few weeks later I found (on a forum :>) someone who suggested I may have just gotten (you guessed it) a lemon. Okay, so I ordered another pair from Amazon and... didn't work. Now, returning them got more problematic, as Amazon was getting a bit mad at me (also a long story -- suffice it to say that their return policy isn't as clear cut as they make it out to be). I went through the equivalent of a "lemon-buy back" and all was well. Except (did you guess it?) a few months later Bose contacted me and assured me they had a fix. So I ordered yet one more time... and yet one more time it didn't work (and went back but THAT horror story is best left untold). Now I will admit this is no where near the expense or trouble of a car that didn't work but... I still, as burned as I was, continued to try with that model headphone. Why? Because in all other aspects it was perfect. Yes, it didn't work with my phone properly, but there were no other headphones that came close. So I'm pretty sure that I would, indeed, try another C-Max even if it turns out (still could) that I had gotten a lemon. There is just too much else about this car that I like, and I'm stubborn in that regard. It didn't work out for me in the headphones case, and perhaps the guy here would have gotten another lemon. In that particular (and only) case would I say -- move on. The C-Max is NOT the car for you.

Yeah, I got A5 from eBay for about $35, IIRC. It was an official, sealed copy (from the Lincoln Navigation system -- same maps). Works great and has for six months. I have an A4 I'd be willing to give you (not really all that out of date depending on the area). A6 has not been released yet and I would expect it will hit eBay at about the same prices (when I got A5 it had JUST been released and my dealership wanted $150 even though my A4 came with the car after A5 had come out). Note that you have to be absolutely positive you have the Nav hardware -- I am no expert, but the screen shot you have shown doesn't convince me you do (and it would be odd for a used vehicle to have the maps removed: no real point since you can't use them elsewhere). I have been told that only a dealership could tell you whether the hardware is installed or not (because we tested a car that appeared to just need the nav card only to be told that the hardware wasn't installed and could not be added after the fact).

Someone asked the question here once about using their car at a drive-in with the heater on, and how often the engine would run, and IIRC the idea is that the engine would only come on as needed to charge up the battery. Seems to me your best bet would be to not shut the engine off. As long as you have EV it will run everything off that, and then the engine will come on briefly to charge things up (that's kind of the situation we were in when stuck for 40 minutes on the freeway at night -- I never turned the engine off but it didn't go into ICE mode more than once or twice, and then only briefly. And we had our lights and heat on -- I would think that with just the radio going it might never come on during a two or three hour situation).