Blue Tom

Based on what you've described, I would suggest you lease a C-Max Hybrid SEL for 2-3 years and then assess the situation again at that time. If you don't plan on owning it for more than a few years regardless, then you won't like the depreciation when it comes time to trade it in; the lease solves that problem. As for Energi vs. Hybrid, that seems to be well covered above. If you don't mind buying a 240v power station for your home and you don't mind the nearly-nil trunk space, then sure, the Energi will net you a little more "green pride" with the improved efficiency. But when we compared them side-by-side, we chose the added cargo space of the Hybrid without hesitation. I'm sure we have different needs, though (long trips, baby on the way, etc.). I don't know if you can still lease a 2014 model, but if so, you can probably get a great deal on it. I've got a 2014 Ice Storm (great color indeed) SEL with 301A over 3 years with $0 down for about $365, which would be a little less elsewhere since we pay more in tax here in Texas. Or get the color you want in a barely-used model for really, really cheap. I agree that the turning radius catches me off guard sometimes, but I'm coming from a Volvo V70R that U-turned with the agility of a cruise ship, so the C-Max is obviously an appreciable improvement. It still turns a little wider than my Cadillac ATS sedan, but we have no problem getting into our tight garage or any other spots. I don't consider it a significant weakness. My wife loves everything about her C-Max, and I've very much enjoyed the fuel bills lately.

Had to step in to bring down the average. I'm 33 and I drive a Cadillac. I bought the C-Max for my 32-year-old wife. Maybe we should apply for AARP membership after all.

Ha, nice. There's one (a C-Max Hybrid yellow cab) owned by someone in my neighborhood; we saw it the other day while walking the dog. I get more excited than my wife does when I see a C-Max around town, even though she's the hybrid driver of the house.

That was one of the only things that a saleswoman pointed out on our first C-Max test drive. My wife was commenting that it seemed kind of noisy on the highway. The sales gal said "well, the typical response would be to turn up the radio and say, 'What noise?'" Then she pointed out the microphones and explained the ANC, which I thought was pretty cool. The audio happened to be off at that time during the test drive, FWIW. But since we bought the car, I've actually noticed a lot less engine noise/vibration than I remember on that test drive. Probably was just more sensitive at the time since we were looking for flaws. I still think it's cool that they include it, but I can't help but think it was just an engineering requirement because they couldn't mechanically suppress it to acceptable NVH standards. Some sports cars play artificial engine noises over the speakers because their cabins are so quiet. The C-Max, with its tiny engine, does its best to eliminate the engine noise from the cabin. Different strokes for different car buyers, it would seem. Personally, I wouldn't mind an option to pipe in some sweet V8 burbles that are synced to the throttle. You know, for irony. But that's just me.

New 2014 SEL. Sirius shows a message that it is "Not connected" on the lower left corner tab, and when I'm on the main Sirius screen, the message is in an overlay on the screen. But the thing is...it's connected. It's playing satellite radio stations just fine. Everything else works fine. Voice commands work to change channels. I don't know if I can scroll and choose other channels around the overlay. But...anyone seen that? Do I talk to Ford or to Sirius about it? Is there a simple reset for something like that?

Clearly y'all don't live in Texas, where any lane is fair game. Is it annoying to come up behind someone in the left lane, traveling more slowly than I am? Sure. Is it even more annoying when multiple people choose to drive at the exact same speed two (or even three) wide so I can't even get around them? You bet. But do I think it should be illegal? No. Do I lose my shit over it? Of course not. "Slower traffic keep right" is a great suggestion to keep things flowing, but ultimately, I've grown up perfectly happy to pass on whichever side is available, and to drive as fast as I please (especially on our fancy tollways with an 85mph suggested limit).

My ATS is supposed to be pretty efficient with its 2.0L turbo motor, but I still struggle to hit 300 miles off its 16 gal tank (premium, to boot). I filled up the C-Max for $22 last night (with about 30 miles to empty). After driving something like 420 miles on the last tank. Tough to complain about that.

Took a trip this past weekend Austin to San Antonio. About 170 miles round trip. 35F outside. Raining. At night. So we had the heater (and my wife likes it like 80 degrees on her side), heated seats, headlights, and wipers (front and back) on. And stereo (bluetooth) and navigation, of course. Speed varied 65-85mph, no traffic. Overall slightly downhill there and slightly uphill back (with lots of slight variation throughout the trip). Maybe 30% cruise control. I've only had the car a week, so I'm no efficiency expert. I think I averaged about 40 on the way there and around 35 on the way back, for a trip average of like 37.9. Which I thought was pretty reasonable, considering the conditions and my lack of hybrid driving experience.

No kidding. She likes my ATS, but it's definitely low and dark and manly, for lack of a better way to describe it. She's excited about the new C-Max, and I think the drive home from the dealership sealed that deal, to your point. You ain't kidding. One more thing about the seats, though: no position memory. During the test drive, I noticed it, but I thought maybe it was something that had to be linked to each key fob through the vehicle settings. But no. I'm sure this is something that has been covered in these forums plenty of times, but it was just a surprise to find that they left it out. I mean, cars have had memory seats since the 80s; frankly, I didn't know it was still just a luxury option these days. Anyway, that's all. It's only significant because my wife is 4' 11", and I'm...not. So that's a lot of adjusting (seats, mirrors, steering wheel) for each driver. More than anything else, I think that may end up keeping each of us to their own car.

Yeah I don't think either of us feels like it's a step down in a meaningful sense. By the time she got the Acura (it's an '04), it wasn't exactly luxurious anymore. And if we're honest, that generation was really a luxury car only in badge. For all intents and purposes, it's an Accord with a few extra gizmos. (That's not to say that the newest Acura's aren't nice; they are). Is the C-Max a luxury car? No, of course not. Is it as sleek and quiet and soft and supple and double-stitched as my Cadillac? No, it's not. Does it have the amazing seats and stereo and AWD of my old Volvo? Nope. Does it air-condition my butt, have speakers in the seats, or offer laser cruise control like my old Infiniti? Sadly no. But it's a damn fine car. It is well thought out, and it does exactly what its market demographic needs from it. And the price is right on. My wife thought the Prius was really weird and uncomfortable, and that the RAV4 (even in Limited trim) felt cheaper than the C-Max. I think the materials and technology are better than in the Mazda CX-5 or Mazda3. If I could have found a 2014 SEL with 302A within a 2-hour drive, I would have gotten it. But it seemed like the only ones I could find were leftover models that were fully loaded, with parking assist, sunroof, and sparkly paint. And that just defeats the purpose of an affordable hybrid hatchback. Hell, we would have been happy to find an SE model with navigation, but there were none to be had with heated seats (another wife requirement). Speaking of heated seats, the ones in the C-Max are straight roasters. I feel like I'll have grill marks on my thighs when I get up. The power liftgate is surely handy when you need it most. But since my Caddy turns on my lights, high beams, wipers, and seat heaters, and it starts the car remotely and locks it automatically when I leave; I feel like I should accept a car that requires me to open my own trunk. And I would love to have a rear view camera (my only real beef is that they don't include that with every MyFord Touch car). But alas...when you're buying last year's cars before the year-end incentives expire, compromises must be made. I think we did really well, and that we'll be quite happy with the car. Will of course report back once we've lived with it a while.

Hey folks. Quick back story. That's a lie. Nothing I type is ever short nor quick. Anyway. I go through cars pretty often (kept my last one for 18 months; never had one more than 3 years), but my wife has kept the same car since she got it (when it was handed down from her father). I got myself a new Cadillac in November, and we still planned on keeping her Acura indefinitely, since it served her purposes and showed no signs of slowing down at 125k. But you know, I'm always shopping. I've known for about a year which car I would get her if she needed a new one: The Ford C-Max Hybrid. During the Christmas break, I have lots of time to look at cars on the internet. Somehow I get this crazy idea that we actually should get her a new car. She has a baby coming, the electronics in the Acura are starting to go, she's finally learned to not run into the garage door (and everything else), etc. Maybe if I move some things around in the budget (new kid notwithstanding), we could get her into something newer, nicer, safer, more efficient, and more comfortable. Well, it wasn't but about a week later that I had convinced myself it was the right thing to do, and I was signing a lease for a 2014 C-Max Hybrid SEL with the 301A package. With all of the discounts and incentives, and the currently desperate market for hybrids, how could I afford not to? I would have preferred one of the higher trims, simply because I have this neurosis about having the best, but I had to draw the line somewhere in terms of budget and distance I was willing to travel to get it. the foot-powered liftgate was deemed an unnecessary gimmick, as was the parking assist (regardless of how cool it is), and I couldn't find her anything else in the Ice Storm color, which she adores. But I'll tell you a secret. I wanted the car. I like the idea of the C-Max. Call me a European at heart (I seem to have a penchant for turbo wagons, diesels, and hatchback city cars). It's unique and practical and kind of attractive in a butt-dragging puppy sort of way. I think it offers great value for the money, especially in performance and driving experience vs. the Prius. And also, since I sold my wagon and bought a small sport sedan, I felt compelled to add something new with cargo space to the garage. Lumber ain't gonna drive itself home from the hardware store, after all. So I had it all planned out, and luckily she liked the car and went along with the plan. I had this dream of being able to walk into the garage each morning and just choose whichever car I wanted for the day. With the Cadillac ATS 2.0T and the Ford C-Max Hybrid SEL, I'm livin' the dream, baby. After spending a couple of days at the dealer getting windows tinted, navigation updated, TSBs addressed, etc., we'll be picking up the new C-Max this evening. I'm big into forums, so I look forward to learning what I can from you more experience hybrid folks. Cheers!

Hey, one of those was me! I'm going to pick up my Hybrid SEL today.