NavyRuss

Sync services is useful and I have not yet had to call an operator for directions. My general rule is (1) find a location first through the Sync iPhone app and then download it when I get into the car. (2). If I forget or do not have time, I then try to find the location by using verbal commands for the navigation in the car. (3). If verbal navigation commands and spelling name fail, then I contact Sync services. However, in the few cases I have done this, the computerized instructions have then manged to find my destination before I turned the task into an operator call. Thus, I have used the voice operator only a couple times and then mainly as a cheap long-distance 411, when I needed to contact a business out of the area and did not know the phone number while driving and could not find via the Sync navigation system. (The navigation sometimes shows very bizarre phone numbers for businesses that are really not the main number.)

Since I bought a CMAX this year and knew I would drive it a few years, I invested in a second set of tires and bought the Michelin xICE xi3 tires with a set of additional wheels from Costco so that I will not need to remount the tires each season when I switch them off. I have really enjoyed Michelin tires which I know is one of the few made in single tire molds rather than sections. Over the winter season, my mileage on the dashboard dropped from about 44.9 miles to 40.5 with the snow tires. However, I have noticed that they have minimized the time when I could not access my garage's back alley to just during the aftermath of a storm. I definitely have added piece of mind driving in winter weather with the xICE tires. I suppose for the summer months, I should just go back to the energy saver OEM tires, but I'm also curious whether the Michelin premier is advisable as it appears to score better than the energy savers in every category but average mileage.

I guess the indirect implication of my question-- is the 2013 basic CMAX any less fuel efficient that the 2014 or 2015 models which receive the fuel efficient property tax break? I guess I can call the VA DMV, but my assumption is that I will receive a non-answer. A bit odd that the 2014 and 2015 CMAX models qualify for special VA license plates for fuel efficient vehicles but the 2013 model does not. Is it perhaps a political issue rather than one of fuel efficiency? -- i.e. until recently VA charged a higher registration fee for hybrid vehicles with the assumption they would receive less fuel tax revenue, so maybe the 2013 model year was caught up in politics while 2014 and 2015 receive the state tax breaks? Or has the CMAX fuel efficiency improved on more recent model year non-energi vehicles? Really appreciate your comments! Thanks again!

Recently I purchased a 2013 used CMAX. When I received my tax bill in my county, I was surprised to find I did not receive the tax discount offered to clean special fuel vehicles. I checked the Virginia DMV's website and found that the 2013 CMAX 2.0L Energi is listed as a clean special fuel and both the 2014 CMAX 2.0L Energi and 2014 CMAX 2.0 L but that the 2013 CMAX 2.0L is not. Anyone know why the 2013 CMAX non-energi models don't get the tax discount in Virginia when the 2014 and 2015 models do? Were the 2013 standard models less efficient? I thought the whole reason I was paying extra for a hybrid was to try to capture some of the tax discounts and now find the 2013 model appears not to qualify. I don't think every county in Virginia offers a property tax discount but mine does and they base it off the vehicles that qualify for clean special fuel plates. I never guessed that a CMAX hybrid would just be classified as a standard vehicle when the Prius and other competitors qualify.

Recently I ordered the A6 from a Ford dealer online, because it is so new that I have not yet seen the map on EBay. I figured that I have received so many Hertz upgrades to vehicles with Ford My Touch luxury vehicles but with no navigation SD card, that I can take the older SD card with me when I travel and use it in rental cars when I get a an upgrade on a Ford vehicle.

kc1174, You brought up some issues that have been going through my mind-- what benefit is the EV+ feature to the non-energi hybrid driver? I can understand you want to ride more in electric mode with an energi close to home so that you can subsequently charge up. But with the conventional hybrid, I think you made the point that either you are driving downhill home and the car would be in the battery mode and use regenerative charging anyway or you are driving possibly uphill and using more of the battery in EV+ so that your battery will be more drained when you start out on your next trip. Thus, is EV+ anything more than symbolic to a normal hybrid? Or is the assumption that if you start the car such as in a cold climate, you will be using the engine and charging the battery anyway on your next trip, thus it makes sense to drain the battery more upon arrival? However, I also note others in the forum claim that turning the EV+ off seems to improve mileage...?

Talking general all-season tires-- I was delighted to see that the car came with the Michelin Energy Saver A/S tires. I'm curious if someone has also used the Premier A/S tires on a CMAX. Michelin's site seems to rate the Premier all season with the same or higher numbers in virtually every category but fuel efficiency. (Primacy has a 9 but Energy Saver has a 10). When it comes time to replace the tires on my used CMAX, would I want to try the Primacy A/S instead of the Energy Saver A/S? Will the loss of fuel efficiency be so great on the primacy that I will want to stick with the energy saver model?

While I have not seen a prototype, I recently received an overview from GM execs at an Auto Show. The Bolt drawings seemed to look much like the CMAX with the higher headroom for passengers and the SUV type design on a compact car. It struck me that this car may be a great alternative and more economic competitor to a Tesla because it is all electric. For single car people such as I, I do not think it will compete against a CMAX Hybrid or CMAX Energi. I would just not like to be dependent upon an all electric car. This week I saw a couple stranded in the middle of the roadway with a Tesla and had to wonder whether they had car problems or let their battery run dead. Last summer I saw another Tesla owner who had backed his car too far into a space at a Lake Tahoe Food and Wine Festival so that the back wheels went off the asphalt and partially a couple feet down a grade so that he could not drive forward out of the space. I'm just glad I have the electric features of the Hybrid CMAX SEL without being all-electric. While I might have been intrigued with the Energi model, I might have regretted losing that cargo space. In any case, I do not think I would like to have a Bolt as an only car.

Interesting to hear your comment about discovering the car in an Auto Show. I was also in the situation where I had never considered or thought about the CMAX until a Ford executive took me for a ride at a Ford Fleet event last year. It prompted me to give up my older Cadillac because I liked the efficiency of driving a smaller vehicle while still having that SUV passenger compartment with high head room and added legroom. It is truly a comfortable car and definitely beats other competitors on the market. I was also surprised that conservative driving makes it easy to beat the estimated MPG. My mileage has gone down with the heater running every day in winter but I am still averaging 38MPG on the road and will make it back up to around 45MPG when the weather warms up.

I bought my used 2013 CMAX SEL mid November. I did quite a bit of research and there didn't seem to be as many people selling newer used CMAX vehicles compared to other conventional car models. I shopped around on the internet with the planned on buying anyway I could find the best deal throughout the country and on shipping to me on the East Coast. I also went searching the features of models using the VINs because the online dealers do not always post more info online than a generic statement. At the time, I was looking closely at the West Coast as there seemed to be quite a few California used fleet vehicles in 2013 model year with about 27K miles and panorama sunroofs with Ford Sync My Touch with Navigation. In the end, I found one close to home on the East Coast which had no panorama sunroof but had the park assist and only 20K miles. When I showed up at the dealer, they were reluctant to show me the car, as it had not even been cleaned and was at the body shop for minor touch ups but I bought it after a 10 min look. It had not been out on the lot and they had not even advertised the super high end electronic features in their internet posting with the park assist. I was also glad I saved $1K to ship the vehicle from the West Coast and could simply drive it home after giving the dealer two days to prep it. There are some fairly good priced commercial shippers out there and I think it may be a good deal buying the best priced CMAX in excellent condition wherever it is being offered around the country. Interestingly, I had never given much thought to the CMAX name or model until I was at a Ford Fleet event last spring for my work and a Ford executive encouraged me to go for a ride with him. The car's comfort built on an SUV chassis with high head clearance and leg room immediately caught my attention. When it came time to buy a new car, I realized I much prefer a CMAX compared to a Mercedes, Lexus or other luxury vehicle. I also love the "cockpit" feel I have for my 6 foot frame with my head nudged flush against the headrest when I drive. I also think Ford receives a bad rap from the press when Ford Sync My Touch is criticized for being overly complicated. It may be one thing if I get in a rental car and feel overwhelmed with the technology, but when I buy a car, I am willing to take a few hours to really understand the system and I am happy that I can accomplish everything by voice when I am driving down the road without having to press a button or look away from the highway. And I love the audio system for my bluetooth phone. I get in the car every morning and call my customers in Europe without missing a beat. If you are in a winter region (even more so than I), then I wouldn't worry about the color. I have a darker gray color but then I enrolled in a $29 monthly car wash plan and just drive the car through a couple times a week in winter to clean off the salt and dirt. If you do that, then I'd just buy the color you like or the car that provides the best value and not worry about whether the color will hide the dirt.

Just purchased a used 2013 CMAX SEL with 20K miles this past week and could not be happier. I had never heard of this model vehicle until I test drove it at a Ford event last summer. I am more comfortable in the driver's compartment with the higher clearance than I am in the Fusion. As I guessed, I had my elderly tall father get in the vehicle at a dealership and he found it far more comfortable to enter than a sedan or a higher off-the-ground SUV. Scouring the country and ready to ship a vehicle purchase, I was surprised to find exactly the 2013 used model I wanted close to my residence-- an SEL with the premium navigation, Sony audio, sync and park assist package. When I called USAA, I discovered my $100 deductible insurance only went up $200 annually compared to the old gas guzzling '96 Cadillac I was driving. Why did I wait so long? So far I have driven about 300 miles on about 7 gallons of gas so I cannot be happier. Now that winter is setting in, I also love the heated seats!