raadsel

I would suspect it should fit in one of the bins under the floor in the back seat.

Yes, the Carfax will indicate if the car was bought back by the manufacturer under Lemon laws, someone posted a link to a car at a Chicago dealer, and the Carfax clearly showed it was a lemon. Actually, this is the car (there is a link to the Carfax on the page) and this is the header of the Carfax. And also agree, if they just traded in the car to get rid of it, and took the loss without going though the lemon law process, then likely the Carfax wouldn't show anything. Then again, some dealers report maintenance work done to Carfax, so in some cases you can see if the car had the battery fixed/replaced previously.

I would really like to see this broken up differently. At least part of my problem, most people aren't going to drive without multiple overnight stops. In this example, if you are driving 11 hours a day, you would need roughly 4 overnight stops (666 miles per day @ 63 mph average speed). This eliminates 4 "charging stops" or, more likely 6, as you can get a full charge which gives you an extra 100 miles of range over the 30 minute charge. In this case, depending on how you like to travel, it may not add a lot of time; you'd just need at least two meal breaks of at least 30 minutes -- and an hour would help give you some extra miles before the next stop. Personally, I like at least 30 minutes for a meal just to be out of the car and not staring at the road. Now, I'd likely try and do over 800 miles a day, to cut a day off. With a gas powered car, particularly a hybrid or diesel, this is much easier as you can spend more time driving. From my figures, with a Tesla you could start out the day going 300 miles, but then you'd need to charge (likely during lunch), but you'd still have 2 more times you'd have to charge the Tesla. 800 miles a day is about 13 hours of driving, at 63 mph; and adding an extra hour and a half of stops makes for an even longer day. The C-Max would only require one actual stop (though obviously you would take more), but it could cut an hour of extra time -- a 14 hour day instead of a 15 hour day. Of course, I think the biggest point this demonstrates, when you start looking at it this way, is why people typically don't drive across the US, but fly instead. ;) As for the number of charging stations, this will improve as we get more electric vehicles. What will be interesting will be to see how many gasoline stations there are in 25 years. There are currently 150,000 gas stations in the US but that number has fallen for 11 consecutive years. Additionally most gas stations are now also convenience stores, as they no longer make enough on gasoline sales alone. The number of gas stations should continue to decline, even without factoring EVs, as cars keep getting more efficient. The number of charging stations that will pop up is another question. The first problem is that you can "fill" your EV at home, eliminating some of the demand for charging stations. Additionally, the time element will change charging stations, as well. I suspect that many charging stations will eventually become part of various retail stores, such as malls or even big box stores; others will be part of "entertainment" venues and restaurants. People won't want to sit at the car while their car "fills", and it isn't required like it is with fuel pumps. I wouldn't be surprised to see a national chains that already exist at many freeway exits, come out with a program to include charging stations -- and even to give a discount for people who eat at their restaurant while charging. I can easily see a company like McDonald's doing this, then there are other travel stops like Stuckey's, Cracker Barrel, etc. So it will be interesting to see how things will change; particularly the how the ratio of gas stations to charging stations changes over time.

This sounds like part of the reason MBIs are typically so much cheaper than the extended warranties you buy through dealers. Since it is an addition to an existing policy, the insurance company doesn't need a lot of extra profit on the MBI alone. By contrast, not only is the insurance company needing to recoup administrative fees but the dealers want some of the profit as well, often quite a bit of profit, which causes large markups on extended warranties.

It would be fun to do this to one of the old Austin Healeys, or a similar sports car.

I'll agree ICE isn't going away, at least not soon. OTOH, something does have to change, particularly as the CAFE standards continue to get stricter. It will be interesting to see how the automotive industry adapts to meet those standards, though it does seem clear we will continue to see more hybrids and EVs. Additionally, we will see continued improvement in EV (including hybrid) technology, to help automakers meet those goals.

Except the regenerative braking components -- which is primarily the same electric motor that powers the car -- are largely covered under the hybrid warranty (8 years or 100,000 miles). That electric motor seems to be one of the most reliable parts on a hybrid vehicle. I just haven't ever heard of regenerative brakes having an issue with failing. There can be other issues with the regenerative brakes, though they are typically design/build issues -- in most cases it just getting the regenerative and friction braking to work together seamlessly. This is something you'll frequently see mentioned in hybrid reviews. So, in those cases, you should be able to feel the issues when you test the car.

And that want $20,000 for it? I mean, admittedly, it is a low mileage vehicle; OTOH, you have to realize that it is a low mileage vehicle because it kept going into the shop....

Most of the stations I recall in Utah had a mid-grade, that was around 87 octane -- though not all stations will have it. The reason for the 85 octane is because running a slightly lower octane, at high altitudes, compensates for the thinner air. You'll likely be fine running the 85 octane but, since 87 is recommended even at altitude, you might use the GasBuddy app or website (or similar) to find stations that sell mid grade gasoline in your area.

Yes, that was my thought, exactly. To paraphrase: Horses are not ending and they shouldn't. It's still the best power available for the application it's used in. Gasoline cars will never be the future--it cant be. People need to drive cross country, which cannot be done without a huge network of gasoline and extremely volatile, huge tank, filling stations. Further, some people just do not want cars. They want wagons that can tow 4000 lbs, and gasoline is especially not suited for that application.

The brakes don't seem to be the item to fear. As pointed out, while the parts may be unique to the hybrids, likely because of the regenerative braking, the systems are roughly the same as those found on every other Ford produced. This just isn't an area that Ford seems to have issues with. On top of that, because of the regenerative braking, brakes on hybrids have tended to have less problems, and last longer, than conventional cars; the goal on a hybrid is essentially to not use the physical braking system. I can recall Hybrid owners talking about selling their cars with 75,000 miles and that they never had to replace their brake pads; YMMV. That isn't to say there aren't things that could be an issue; as was pointed out, repairs on an MFT/Sync could be expensive. Another would be a problem with the "speedometer" display, with it's two LED screens and the computer that runs it. It will be interesting to see how the C-Max holds up over time. Having said that, there are hybrids, the Prius, for example, that appear to be doing quite well long term.

You might also check and see if your insurance company sells Mechanical Breakdown Insurance. The price is typically much lower (I believe mine would be under $40 every six months), though in exchange you do typically have a deductible (I believe $250 on mine). You can also wait at least a year, or several thousand miles (I believe 18 months or 15,000 miles) before you have to add it. There are definitely pros and cons both ways, but it gives you another choice.

I agree that we need to see more diesel cars in the US, as well as remove the extra taxes on diesel that drive the price higher than regular gasoline. For people, like ptjones, that drive over 75% highway, the diesel engine likely would be cheaper. One of the odd things about the EPA tests is that they seem to overestimate hybrid economy but underestimate diesel economy for "normal" drivers -- drivers of diesel cars can typically beat EPA estimates by a few mpg without changing how they drive. Having said that, as other have pointed out, it's fuel economy in the US would likely be similar to the Jetta's or Passat's. Beyond the ideas of the article using imperial gallons (US gallons = .83 imperial gallons), there is also the fact that US cars have additional safety and pollution controls that lower fuel economy. Last, surveys recently have found diesel engines have been less reliable, even in Europe, than the gasoline versions of the same vehicle. To me, I'd like to have the choice; it seems to me that various gasoline, diesel, hybrid, plug in hybrid, and pure EV all have their advantages, and it would be great to have more choices in the type of vehicle that works for me.

MFT is My Ford Touch; you have it if you have the 8" touchscreen. As for when your vehicle was manufactured, you can find it on a sticker on the frame of the driver's door, it lists the month and year. If I recall correctly, the sticker is the same one that shows the vehicle weight and capacity.

If I recall correctly, I believe it is 20 seconds after you turn the car off, much like the delay on windows and the audio system. I'm guessing it is so, just in case you get to your destination and only then discover you are missing the key, that you can get back home to get the key.

For speeds, I prefer to stay 65 or below, for fuel efficiency, and this particular drive was with A/C off. It was evening and ideal hybrid driving weather. Since most of my driving tends to be in the metro area, going 65 or under doesn't tend to be a problem. When you get onto the rural freeways, going 65 can make you feel like you are going to get run over. ;) For the record, I ended up not buying it as it was one of the "Special Order" vehicles and had been heavily used as a "Fleet" vehicle.. While it would have had a great warranty to cover any issues, there were little things that made me question how reliable it might be.

I believe the Energi has the same packages as the Hybrid SEL, meaning you need the 302A package to have a backup camera.

Just to be clear, the base SEL is package 300A. 301A adds the Sony sound system, HD Radio, and Navigation.

The maps are made by Here, which is owned by Nokia. I don't know of any way to get the maps directly from Here; though it is annoying that you can get their maps/navigation on you phone (Android/iOS/Windows), complete with free downloadable maps and free updates to the maps.

I currently am driving an Oxford White, 2014 C-Max SEL, package 302A, with 27,000 miles, debating if I want to buy it. I'd be buying it as a Certified Pre-Owned, with the extended warranty and roadside assistance. In fact, a quick question, for those that have used Ford's Roadside Assistance, what kind of experience have you had? I took a drive last night on the Interstate and, driving at 65 (to be clear, the dealer knew I was going to do it). I averaged 41.5 mpg (displayed). It also seemed like the speedometer was a 1-2 mph off, 67 on the speedometer is what GPS shows as 65. How accurate have people found the dashboard display on their 2014 (or even all years) C-Max -- the speedometer, odometer, and fuel economy? In terms of driving -- steering, braking, road noise, etc. -- the C-Max reminds me a lot of my Sonata Hybrid. The C-Max likely has a slight advantage with traction, because of the wider tires, but some of that is offset by the height, shorter wheelbase, and aerodynamics (the Sonata Hybrid has a 0.25 coefficient of drag). Of course, the big difference is that the Sonata gets better fuel economy on the highway, the C-Max (based on my driving thus far) clearly prefers city driving. It really is an interesting comparison. In the meantime, I have a decision to make. Guess we'll see what happens tomorrow.

I know it has been mentioned here but I think it is worth repeating -- gas prices are low and don't seem to be in a hurry to go back up. Because of this, the pricing for all hybrids has gone down. When gas prices go back up, the resell value of hybrids should also improve. I sometimes have to question the American car buying public. I don't want to say they are stupid (though there are moments it seems they are), just more that they are short sighted. Gas prices go down and, almost immediately, lots of people run out to buy big, gas guzzling, cars and trucks. Yet, when the gas prices go back up (as we all know they will), they'll be the ones heavily complaining about resell value, as many of these buying the gas guzzlers will be trying to trade them in, since they can't afford the payments and the gas these vehicles use.

One question: when the 2013 came out, the hybrid version was limited to (from what I recall) only 62 mph while running solely off battery power, and I believe Ford changed that on the 2014 where it could run up to 85 solely on the electric motor. So my question: did one of the updates to the 2013 C-Max Hybrid update the top speed while running off the battery, or is it still limited to only 62 mph?

I seem to recall it is a feature only found on the SEL models.

I think the first thing is to point out the Lithium battery packs should have a long lifespan. Though I wish I could find some numbers from Ford's testing, I know that Hyundai reported that they were getting 300,000 miles from their Lithium battery packs in testing. I'm sure that contributed to Hyundai offering a lifetime battery warranty to first owners of their hybrids. What we have heard from Ford, rather than a mileage count, is that they expect the battery packs to last the life of the vehicle -- that would suggest they have seen similar results in their testing, as cars are typically built for 250,000 miles. I expect we'll see third party companies offering battery replacements for the Lithium batteries in the Ford hybrids, using most of the same techniques we are seeing with the companies offering battery replacements in the Prius. I know locally, for the Prius, you can get a battery replacement for $1000 or less, though that is with a refurbished battery that is warranted for a year. As for "replacing" your battery, it helps to realize that your "battery" is actually a number of individual battery cells hardwired to make one battery; one source I found claimed it is 76 cells in the C-Max hybrid and 84 (larger cells) in the Energi. What is often found in the Prius, when a battery fails, is that it is only a few, or even one, of the individual cells that failed. In one case, an electrician tested the individual cells in his Prius and only found one bad cell. He replaced that one cell, for less than $100, and the Prius was fine -- I know he used it for several thousand more miles without issue. And I should insert the standard "don't try this at home" warning, only try this if you are trained to service high voltage equipment. I trust we'll see third party companies start offering replacements for the Ford Lithium battery hybrids, likely some of the same companies offering it for the Prius. They'll likely get the initial battery packs from wrecked Ford hybrids in junkyards. They'll then recondition the individual cells, recycling any bad cells, and create refurbished battery packs. Then, as they replace customer batteries, they'll keep repeating this process, using the replaced packs to help them build new refurbished packs. Again, the battery should have a life of over 300,000 miles, though individual cells might fail.

It is actually a lot more complicated than that, as there are several battery cells in both the hybrid and the Energi, which are connected together to create a large battery. If the source I read is correct, there are 76 separate battery cells in the hybrid and 84 in the Energi; of course, the individual cells in the Energi are much larger than those in the hybrid. So, yes, it is quite complicated the way they do it.