C-MaxSea

Thank you kostby for providing these numbers and charts.  Its been interesting to follow the numbers over the years - sad to see them going to zero.  I hope we soon hear more about what Ford will have in the future.  They (and others) have a way to go to catch Tesla at this point who are selling over half of all "electrified" cars in the US.  And Tesla is BEV only while most of the others are hybrid or plug-in hybrid.  For me, there's still not a BEV I really want - starting to think I just need to hold out for the VW I.D. Buzz in 2022!

Ditto here (Thanks Kostby!), especially, "still not a BEV I really want" out there. Hoping for ten more years with our low miles C-Max!!!  :shift:

Hello C-Max lovers,

Old journey, but not forgotten.  Our enjoyable trip down to LaLa land, SoCal, last fall.

What a great travel car - especially considering we can travel with the bikes inside.

Nick

Excellent Kyle !!!

Way to go - easy peasy, Eh !

Now time to brace for winter.

Congratz,

Nick

Frank,

Thanks for jumping in here and bringing in the key point that 'it's all about the tires'  - not the C-Max !

Thanks also for the heads up on the new Michelins coming out.  We have had many sets of M's over the years, from "Decibels" to 'M & S' to light truck tires - always with great performance and longevity.

Nick

Grouper likes hills.  :play: :skateboard: :play:
 
"The Force is With You !"

Nick

"Just make it already.”  That is what we have been saying for years - especially a camper (have loved all the concept videos over the years).

Can't stand ICE vehicles anymore, especially diesel.  And to imagine that I once pondered a conversion to diesel for our VW MV - Eeeeek !

Agreed Frank, Snowstorm ………. & sad.

Love the maniacal driving standard they (CR) apply. Let’s all promulgate the practice of wasteful conformity. Ya sure ya betcha.

We all know the effects of weather and driving habits. Sorry all, but CR’s 37 (35/38) mpgs was bogus and continues to be bogus for most – including the EPA, Fuelly and here. Bogus & destructive. CU/CR is not god, not the ‘end all & be all’ of automotive assessment, nor remotely infallible. Sadly they are taken too seriously and that's destructive.

I agree with Paul that many/most folks who buy hybrids do expect a different driving experience / have a slightly different take on driving – and yes, sadly, some don’t have a clue.

My wife and I have taken no lessons and have not changed our diving habits but slightly, if at all; and launched off the new car lot at 42+ mpgs from our start (January 2013), and can easily achieve 42 + on average driving 'normally' - just us I guess.

Pass the poupon,

Nick

CR continues to post bogus MPG #s and presumably bogus EV info - 'EV to 40 mph'.  Sad, and very destructive to the model.

Great article, and yes another great car bites the dust, sad indeed.  Sadder still for us will be the demise of our C-Max.  Hope the Model E strikes a new favorable chord.

Congrats agilix !!!  Great tanks !!! 

and to still see CR publishing their bogus MPG #s - ARGH.

With 20 more to go on the block (so it says), it will be interesting to watch the show.

A nice testimonial on their hybrid history:
 
"We have Toyota, Hyundais, and Cmaxx Hybrids in our inventory. The Ford Cmaxx are the most reliable of the 3."

That sure beats all of the negative feedback we had here a couple years back.  The C-Max has always been a great practical, innovative, well appointed and fun car !

Nick

Welcome Mad C max. Trust you are enjoying the ride.

Nick

I rev the engine at all stop lights and then punch it, like all 'normal' drivers, when I'm testing cars for C&D !  :zombi: :zombi: :twister: :zombi: :zombi:

Zooooooooom !

Very strange ?????

Congratz 16redsel, great buy, always been a great car !!!
 
We've always had a sunroof.  It was a big transition to not having one - I 'combed' my hair for many years just by opening the sunroof; now I've had to buy a comb ;).  Anyway, we have adjusted and love the pano roof with shade opened all year except in the summer sun. 
 
Enjoy, it's a great car for whatever you choose; sport driving, thrifty driving, two person, four person, gear hauling, bike in the back  ...... :play:
 
Did you see the 'what's in your C-Max' thread?

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/2800-whats-in-your-c-max-today/page-4#entry64566 
 
Nick :skateboard:

Paul, that was almost mean - but must have been ohhhh so fun & rewarding squishing the V ! 

Gaming CR ?  Certo, as they say in the old country, that's all that has ever mattered to Toyota.  I think the whole premise behind the Priiuuus has been to be dull, boring, no fun, weird, ugly, go slow, no go slower, hope you don't get hit in an emergency situation ........................ how many years did it take for them to get beyond velour; eeeeeeeeeek, get me out of this bad dream !  (Nevertheless always & forever indebted to them for just that, and there long tenure reducing air pollution - thank you Toyota :hat_tip: - and thank you Ford for ending the bad dream :hat_tip: :hat_tip: :hat_tip:) 

Having fun,

Nick 

Oops, 'here comes the judge' ............... perhaps not a 'good' sighting, but fun to see the flashing lights; and is that a camera mounted to the top ?

Like I said, Paul good job - a huge plus to you for making those vids for everyone looking for help.

I was having a little fun with the note on hills. The point I wanted to make was how radically different our driving terrain is to yours, in general.  Looking at the first vid, you were essentially driving in 45 mph speed zones the entire time with seemingly minimal change in elevation, what I would describe as absolutely optimal conditions.  We rarely see anything like it, almost no 45 mph zones. Perhaps 90% of our driving is significantly different.  With respect to speed, most of our trips are either short runs around town in 25-35 mph zones with cold starts, or on freeways at 58-65 +- mph.  With respect to hills, we have some 'weeee' factor hills thrown in for coasting on every trip from the house - and subsequent hill climbs which quickly push the ICE acceleration past "2 bars" in order to keep pace with traffic. 

The net result with respect to speed & terrain in MPGs (your location to ours) is perhaps not great, but I do think more gentle terrain (which is a function of grade and not elevation difference - yours?) is more favorable (& certainly different) to the combination of "weeeee' down hill coasting and higher rev up hill climbs. Your 'hills' seemed perfectly suited to the C-Max, never having to push the ICE above the "2 bars".

Summing up, I think this highlights (at least for me) the notion that there are three fundamental elements playing here, with regard to gas mileage: weather condition differences, driving pattern differences, and terrain differences.  I would be so bold as to rate them with an arbitrary 55/30/15 significance; with weather differences being the preeminent 55% significance over our range of latitudes from Hudson Bay in Canada to Texas, driving patterns being secondary at say 30%, and terrain differences being as much as 15% of the difference 'equation'.

Just thoughts, 'weeeeeeeeeeeeeing' down our drumlins in Seattle - and 'grinding up' at "2-3 bars" if in the opposite direction,

Nick

(((Difference+-+- say: 50-32 = 18; 55% = 10+-, added to 32 equals 42+-; 30% = 5+-, added to 42 equals 47+-; 15% = 3+-, added to 47 equals 50+-;  then with aero/heat retention mods add 3-5 and you can get 53-55 MPG, .............voila )))

Hills?  Paul, were those hills or inclines ?  Hmmmm, what constitutes a hill ?  We have much steeper inclines here in Seattle, perhaps even 'hills'.  I think perhaps grades and inclines are more appropriate descriptors, certainly for our freeways around here.  ;)  Just pondering words.

Not to negate the importance of elevation.  On the contrary, I second your note that elevation is outrageously important.  I can predict my MPGs very closely just based on elevation differences between locations.  50, 100, 150 foot differences in elevation will radically effect any MPG result - thus the looping reqs for 'real' results.

Speaking of 'modus operandi' - ours emphasizes 'low stress'.  In other words, 'low stress' trumps 'time' and MPG's in our driving philosophy - thus like Snowstorm ECO Cruising with tapping (tapping in/out/up/down).  'To each there own'.

There is nothing more stressful for us than to 'drive to the clock' (trying to save time).  Hurried driving ('to the clock') is almost always harried driving, and almost always more hazardous - no thanks, 'been there, done that'.  We will leave for our destination with appropriate times, or 'get there when we get there', and leave the stress behind.  (Not to mention the loss in MPGs associated with speedier driving)

Although 'playing the MPG game' and hypermiling and modding looks to be great fun (and we do now have the grill covers working for us), I/we have limited patience for that level of effort..  Great to see many going after it though.

Good job Paul, glad you broke it down into multiple vids.  The first vid was a little confusing about the 'two bar' because your pointer/ruler has two points on it -  ;)  (actually four points - two at each end).

EV off the line, ICE to speed ...................... Ommmmmmmmming our way to MPGs

Nick 

(sidebar;  I would 'argue' the importance of burning up EV (HV battery) before cresting 'real hills' in order to save gas if the downhill side ahead is a big regen - perhaps meaningless, but it feels good  ;)   Science rules ?)

Best wishes Salprint.  Thanks for checking out with the positive message.

Nick

.......... and we just drive judiciously in a mild climate .............. :play: :play: :play: .........

our dashboard 'Lifetime' MPG has tanked this winter down to 48.0 (46 at the pump). - now to be saved by spring weather !

Forever driving cautiously &/or spritely as the case dictates,

Nick

(making the case for attitude, as opposed to just aptitude - Ommmmmmmm  ;))

............... driveline ..................... Our CMax is so smooth it spoils us.

 

Says a ton.  The C-Max driveline/drivetrain suits us perfectly - could not 'buy down', now that we are spoiled. 

I live in Minnesota and have a 2013 SEL.  I have about 100K on the car.  My lifetime average is 42 MPG but my average for the last 3 years is almost 44 MPG.  In the dead of winter I get low to mid thirties.  Once it warms up I get mid to upper 40's.  Not unusual to have days where I'm over 50.  

 

You can customize the left gauge so that you can see engine temperature.  Do that in conjunction with Empower.  You can then see why the engine is running.

 

I just bought my second CMax, a 2016 SE.  I tried out the competing hybrids but none had the combination of power, comfort and MPG that I get in the CMax.  It has been the perfect commute car for me.  I've saved 1000's on gas with no compromises in performance.  

 

I use an OBD II adapter (Automatic) that records all my trips.  I'll pull my records from last year and correlate with average temperature.  I can produce a regression to show the correlation between temperature and mileage.  I did this once before a year or two ago and posted it.

 

The other big factor is average MPH for a trip.  If your trips are predominantly high speed freeway your MPG average will be lower.

Great testament to the prowess of the C-Max 'design' & 'build' - still nothing 'better' all around.

Ironically, we get better gas mileage on the 'freeway' than the city.  Simple reason is that our city driving is mostly 5 mile 'cold start' trips - and our 'freeway' runs mostly 50 miles round trip with 'warm' ICE in 60 MPH speed zones.   ;)