RobMax

Oh, I forgot to mention the gentleman on the line for Ford Customer Service told me I would NOT be getting a check for the vehicle, since the dealership had said they swapped the window sticker out.

EDIT: Adding that the gentleman also stated if I wanted to push for the rebate I would have to notify the dealership to ask for it. Alas, the car was purchased by my dealership from another dealership that apparently lied to Ford about changing out the window sticker, so I'm not exactly sure who/where/what/how I'd even start asking to push for the rebate. Seems like it'd be way too much hassle.

My $0.02...

 

Learning to drive a C-Max is like learning to play a musical instrument. Anyone can hit the keys on a piano in the correct order, at the correct time, but only some players can make a piano sing. I am reminded of a M*A*S*H episode where David Ogden Stiers' character, a classical music aficionado, has a patient who is a pianist, who has lost their right hand. He finds piano pieces written for the left hand, in hopes that the pianist will not abandon a gift that this character would dearly love to possess, but doesn't. Wow, this was easy to find.

Don't you see? Your hand may be stilled, but your gift cannot be silenced if you refuse to let it be. The gift does not lie in your hands. I have hands, David. Hands that can make a scalpel sing. More than anything in my life I wanted to play, but I do not have the gift. I can play the notes, but I cannot make the music. You have performed Liszt, Rachmaninoff, Chopin. Even if you never do so again, you've already known a joy that I will never know as long as I live. Because the true gift is in your head and in your heart and in your soul. Now you can shut it off forever, or you can find new ways to share your gift with the world - through the baton, the classroom, or the pen. As to these works, they're for you, because you and the piano will always be as one.

 

Now, I'm not equating this to driving a car, but there's a lot to be said for the synergy that develops with time, that learning is only the first step if one is willing to practice and practice... I'm getting markedly better mileage than a year ago, even though I gave myself a month to come up the hybrid learning curve. Tomorrow is my first anniversary of ownership, and I'm just starting to really know how to drive this car.

 

And my wife's the same as you all describe... makes you appreciate our few female forum posters even more!

 

Have fun,

Frank

Okay, best M.A.S.H. reference I've seen on the web right here. You sir, win the internet.  :hat_tip: To be fair though, it's also the only M.A.S.H. reference I've seen online.  ;)

That was an excellent episode though: http://mash.wikia.com/wiki/Morale_Victory_(TV_series_episode)

That said, my wife has physical problems actually feeling her feet (spina bifida when born but corrected), so her driving style is far from ideal for a hybrid, but I'm hopeful the fancy dash graphics and information will help her with understanding and feeling the sweet spot. 

Not sure where exactly on that site to check for that notice. Is it on the first screen after inputting the VIN? If so, I didn't see it so figure I'm not getting it. 

I called Ford's customer line and they said their records indicated the dealership actually did swap out the window sticker, but that's clearly not true.

At least I know the dealerships can do that work themselves now. 

I'm just happy to get 500 miles per tank these days, 700 or 800 seems like a pipe dream.  Maxus just isn't doing it pure and simple. My fuelly numbers have hit an new low high 30's :sad:

Hey Mike, that sounds pretty low with how flat the south bay is. You doing a lot of high-speed hwy miles? I did an 11 mile trip from work off 101/Trimble to home in Sunnyvale near Remington/S. Bernardo and got an indicated 49mpg with slow/stop-and-go on the local roads with mostly 70mph driving on 101 in between. I'm still learning how to drive this car, but that "empower" screen really helps with keeping the ICE off. I'm curious if you have an odder commute than I do, seeing as how other variables like weather, etc, wouldn't cause any difference. 

Great read here! One question, I'm probably overlooking it in the manual. But Ecodrive and cruise are the same thing? I keep bouncing back from page 184 to 171 and I believe it is. Thankfully my learning curve isn't as bad as others since this is my third hybrid. But, wow, this car is like a computer on wheels.  The things it can do are awesome. I've learned from the Escape hybrid that a gentle touch is needed to keep the EV mode engaged. Not to mention the Escape was not meant to run in electric over 40 by itself anyway.I'm going to try the tricks listed here. I drove the C-max about 45 miles yesterday and I was seeing around 43mpg. In November we're going to N.C. for a vacation. It'll be interesting to see what it does on a long haul. We're going to Maine in about two weeks for vacation, I'm tempted to use it then. But I prefer it to have more miles on it first. Plus my Subaru will come in handy for some of the roads we'll be on.

 

Anyway, hats off to all that gave this info. Very much appreciated!

I totally agree with you on how awesome this car is regarding the ability to feed the driver great information and enable us to use that info to obtain great MPGs. My '08 FEH (Ford Escape Hybrid) is like an analog modem and The Max is like fiber. I always thought the less-than-40mph EV restriction on the FEH was a nuisance, as there were plenty of times when a steep downgrade could've greatly improved my MPGs. At least The Max allows running in EV past 40mph, and I was surprised to find myself in EV during portions of my hwy cruise this AM, which could never have happened in my FEH.

I will definitely be trying more of the techniques Justin mentions regarding the 0-15mph EV runs with up to 2 bar ICE burns when traffic patterns allow. Up till tonight, I used the FEH driving style, which is to say I just tried to stay off the gas pedal to squeeze out a bit more EV mode, but it seems the lithium-ion batteries and increased electronic nannies improve ICE efficiency to a point where a slightly different driving style is necessary. Even with that old FEH style I was amazed I eeked out a 49mpg run home (according to the key-off readout) with mostly 70mph fwy driving with some 20-40mph slow-and-go mixed in. This is on a car with less than 100 miles total on the odometer. Hell, on the city streets near the end of my commute I was in EV mode far more than I ever was in the FEH. Awesome improvements, Ford.

Interesting thread. Did some research and ETIS shows our just-purchased 2014 SE has a 5/3/2014 build date. Ford just lowered the ratings in early/mid June to 42/37/40, and we just bought ours on 8/15. I just discovered our window sticker still shows 45/40/43 city/hwy/combined MPG.

Entering our car's info into the http://www.ford.com/mpglabel/ website shows we should be getting a $475.00 check by September 30th. Has anyone purchased as recently as me and verified they'll be receiving a check?

I'll follow up with a phone call to "the Ford Customer Relationship Center at 1-866-436-7332" but thought I'd ask here too.

I figured the dealerships with cars showing the outdated window stickers would have swapped them out for updated window stickers, but that doesn't seem to be the case. For all I know that may be illegal, but figure it'd be easier than mailing customers $475.

LOL, great thread ideas! Highest Trap Speed! Lowest Elapsed Time!

What I'd like to see is the tuning community be able to tweak these things to either improve the mileage, or the power, or the whatever, like what I see on the Cobras, Shelbys, ecoboost engines, etc.

Congrats! This is our first hybrid and this site has been helpful. The only problem is, it's my Wife's car and I don't get to drive it very much!

LOL, yeah same with me. I bought the Max knowing it would be a huge improvement over the FEH, but it's technically the wife's car and we'll see limited bennies with her driving style. Still though, I can't wait to drive the darn thing whenever we have errands to run.

Hi Eve. Good color choice. ;) I just started my own newbie thread earlier and bought the same RR color. Like you, I read up on the 12V battery issues, and figured it was worth the purchase. Being a forum member on many sites over the years I've grown accustomed to reading threads started by owners reaching out for answers and sharing experiences, but thankfully it's normally a very small minority of owners that have those problems. That being said, being aware of common or uncommon problems is definitely a good practice, so good on you for that.

A quick shout out to members like drdiesel1 and fotomoto. I've read quite a few posts by you two and your patience and experiences are most appreciated. 

Hey all. I just picked up our family's first new car today and am having a blast so far. We're coming from an 08 Escape Hybrid so it's a night/day difference in build quality, handling, NVH, etc. Just took it for some quick local errands in 70* weather and averaged 51mpg over the 5 miles or so, way better than the 32mpg I can normally squeeze out of the FEH. You'll likely see me around here learning all I can, and I'll hopefully learn enough to contribute something eventually. Till then I'll try to keep the oft-asked/answered questions to a minimum. My Dad was a mechanic for over 40yrs and taught me everything I know, and since I'm naturally inquisitive, if all goes well I'll be here quite awhile to share and learn.

I'm also on the SVTPerformance.com forum since I'm also into muscle and speed, another reason I gravitated toward the C-Max and not a puny Prius. I had an 04 Mystichrome Cobra 'vert for awhile and loved it, so I can love both ends of the spectrum.

Rob