HPRifleman

I have never used a navigation system before the C-Max. It has come in very handy on a number of occasions. The integration with the car is a plus for me as I think getting directions from a phone would not be as user friendly. The displays of the upcoming interstate signs and ramp configurations have also been helpful. My sole frustration has been providing destination information using voice commands. I just want to tap the paddle on the steering wheel and, with one command, give a destination via address (123 sesame street) or by name (Bob's Bar & Grill). Whenever I use the paddle I have to answer a bunch of questions to narrow down my choice. This takes way too long and in some instances won't find the destination I want. Overall I am glad I got the navigation and would do so again. I recommend using the screen entry if you already know where you are going.

Holy cow!

The state of charge will vary over the course of the trip. When pulling out of my driveway (in the residential part) there may be enough charge to get me through the 0.5 miles in electric only if I go slowly enough. Usually though the ICE comes on before I get to the end of my street and the first stop sign. Coming home the 0.5 miles is always covered using EV+ so that is 999.9 MPG. On the other two portions the state of charge will very greatly with how often I stop. This is because if I stop and have to accelerate back to speed I will be recharging the batter at the same time. If the lights are green and I can keep moving I will stay in EV longer and the battery stays in a lower charge state.

Competitive rifle shooting. It's such a big part of my life I went to a dealership with a tape measure before I bought a C-Max and measured the cargo area to make sure my rifle would fit width-wise in the back.

A lot of us talk about the mileage we get with our cars. Some seem to be doing great while others wonder how anyone can get reach EPA. What we can't compare very well are the routes that we are driving. So I thought I would drive the same route every day and record my mileage for each trip. This is my daily commute so each mileage value is either coming home or going to work. Each trip consists of the following: 0.5 miles - Residential streets with a 25MPH speed limit. 3.5 miles - Suburban 4-lane roads with stop lights, strip malls, and traffic. 45MPH speed limit. 3.0 miles - Rural/Forest preserve 2-lane roads. 40MPH speed limit. Total one-way distance: 7.0 miles Almost all of this commute is on flat land with minimal elevation changes. There are 9 stop lights and 2 stop signs. Fuel was 87 octane unleaded and climate control was not used. While the lower speeds play to the hybrid's strengths, the low total miles mean the car spends a larger percentage of the drive warming up the ICE as opposed to a longer commute. Trip MPG: 52.2 59.2 46.1 50.4 48.2 56.7 65.0 51.8 53.3 56.9 54.3 57.1 50.0 56.9 46.1 60.3 56.3 Min: 46.1 Max: 65.0 Ave: 54.2 As you can see the mileage over the route can vary greatly. The route was the same and I like to think I drive fairly consistently. What I can't account for is other traffic and the amount of stops I will have to make. Some days I can breeze through green lights while other days I have to stop several times. Each stop means that I will have to engage the ICE getting back up to speed while constant driving allows uninterrupted Pulse & Glide. I don't really have a point posting this information except to maybe clarify one type of driving that can achieve good mileage numbers. I would like to hear from people who drive under similar circumstances to see if you get similar mileage (or worse or better).

As of this morning: Miles: 4811.8 Lifetime MPG: 46.6 Lifetime Brake Score: 98%

Except the EPA highway estimate has nothing to do with typical interstate speeds.

When I get a text the only options on the screen are to listen or cancel. I don't recall any reply option.

I certainly hope not. I shouldn't have to rely on a government entity dictating whether my headlights should be on or not. I had DRL's in my last vehicle. They turned on by default so to turn them off I had to push the Dome Override button on the dash four times in two seconds. The system reset every time the car was turned off. So I had to do the button push every time I started the car and did not want the DRL's. Royal pain.

The way I see it the problem doesn't really lie with Ford. It's more of a problem with the EPA and their methods and with the general car-buying public. The EPA thinks that they can provide an apples to apples metric for fuel mileage that covers all propulsion technologies. But this episode shows that they are behind the curve with cars that don't follow the "engine always-on" model. I think the EPA mileage rules will always be a day late when it comes to newer technology. Car purchasers are also to blame for not understanding the meaning of the EPA mileage rating. It is intended as a way to compare multiple vehicles against each other, not as an absolute expectation of fuel efficiency.

Why not just turn the headlamp knob to ON?

I have had Sirius in my cars for 8 years now with various receivers and speakers. For most of that time the music channels sounded fine. Then about 2 years ago songs started to sound a little garbled. The best analogy I can think of is that the music sounded like it was being played on cassettes with stretched tape or like the speakers were under water. The talk radio channels have always sounded like crummy AM radio. Despite this I can't stand listening to terrestrial redio any more. Way too many commercials, overly-talkative DJs, traffic reports, radio station contests, and lots of other stuff that interupts the music. I also have my iPod plugged into the USB port in case I want to listen to specific songs. The trade-off for the sometimes poor quality is that there is more variety with Sirius and that you can listen to the same channel as you drive across an entire state.

Here is the link to a thread I started on a similar subject. http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/1565-what-to-do-before-driving-away-from-dealership/

These three statements seem to contradict each other. If you like the car, why would you not repeat the purchase?

I'm still not sure that we have answered my original question. Certainly if you feel the light will turn green before a complete stop is made, it is better to retain as much speed as possible so coasting is best. But if you know that you will have to completely stop, what is the best way to recover the most energy? I guess what would really help is knowing how the C-Max recovers kinetic energy by just coasting with no brakes applied. At least I assume it recovers energy because the upward chevron appears above the battery gauge when coasting.

The Chicago Park District has been putting up those signs for a while now. But they make no mention of how those vehicles are defined or if you will receive a ticket if you park your Bugatti Veyron in one. As an aside, if you are in the neighborhood of Soldier Field, there are supposedly charging stations in the north parking garage. I'm curious if any Energi owners have used them.

I called the dealer that I bought the C-Max from to have 13B06, 13B07, and 12M02 done. I made the appointment and then they told me they do not give out loaners. Had to cancel the appointment as I was not going to sit at the dealership for a full day waiting for the work to be done. Looks like that dealer is not interested in any future service work from me.

Too many people believe the myth that car companies are free to advertise whatever mileage values they want for their cars.

The engineer in me is scratching my head over this. There is no such thing as a "free" mileage gain. There has to be something that is given up. It might be something (or a bunch of things) that is minor and not noticed but I wonder what that is.

Those number seem kind of odd. I would expect that, for 87.8MPG, you would be in EV for far longer than only 40% of the trip.

As others have said, the timer keeps running even if I am sitting at a stop light or waiting to pick someone up. It really isn't a good indicator of.....anything. As another time reference, that tank represented driving 660 miles from June 20 to July 15. There really was no average speed. The miles were mostly commuting and around town driving (40-45MPH) with some (15% maybe) highway miles (50+MPH). That tank had far less interstate miles than my previous ones. My commute is only 7 miles so the engine is still cold for a greater percentage of that. If I had a longer drive to work I would be getting over 55MPG rather than the 48-55MPG that I am getting now. Early on I thought I had a shot at a 700 mile tank but as some have already noticed, fuel usage seems to be greater for the second half of the tank than the first half. 700 miles is certainly doable but requires paying attention as well as keeping to slower roads. 800 miles is just crazy. That was the 3rd tank that I purchased since getting the car, my data so far is: Tank 1 Miles: 509.6 Fuel used, car display: 11.50 Fuel used, pump display: 11.62 MPG, car display: 44.2 MPG, actual: 43.9 Tank 2 Miles: 600.9 Fuel used, car display:12.47 Fuel used, pump display: 12.52 MPG, car display: 48.1 MPG, actual: 48.0 Tank 3 Miles: 660.0 Fuel used, car display: 12.37 Fuel used, pump display: 12.81 MPG, car display: 53.3 MPG, actual: 51.5 Milage may be up and down but it sure beats the 17MPG I was getting with my last vehicle.

I'm already a member of the 600 mile club but I had only squeeked by before. This is a better representation of what the car can do with my driving style. Just FYI, this was done on 87 octane fuel.

Common????? As in your brake score is in the 50's most of the time? Are you not able to anticipate stops? Do drive in an area where people pull out in front of you a lot? Can your provide more detail as to why these low brake scores are common for you?

2000 miles, 98%. Most stops are 100% but when the light turns yellow up ahead then it is easy to be at 86%.

I tried this but when I hold the >> button down the channels just fly by too fast. A lot of times I just want to advance to the next numbered channel (eg. CH 8 to CH 9). I don't know how to do this reliably from the steering wheel.