dtorres

How are you guys getting in the mid 40's! Consumers Report says it's bottom possible ;-)

How are you guys getting in the mid 40's! Consumers Report says it's bottom possible ;-)

I think it's more related to an issue with the latch mechanism than with whether one or two kicks are required. I have an SE model without the foot activated open/close option but with the power lift gate. I open and close my liftgate using the button on the key and I've the same problem. Sometimes after activating the button from the remote (it requires two presses) the liftgate unlocks and opens normally. Other times is unlocks and pushes out just a little but does not lift up. I then have to press the button on the key again (two times) and it opens. Never a problem with closing only with opening. So I assume the latch is some how binding up.

I'm in So. Cal and have tinted the front windows (35% or lighter) for every car I've owned. Only been stopped and given a fix it ticket once in 20 years. So I'll continue to take my chances :)

In my old Escape I'd run 8' boards all the time along the center of the vehicle with the fronts on the dash. But on the C-max the center dash bulges outward and is made of speaker grill looking plastic. I'm afraid to put the weight of lumber on the center dash thinking it may crack the plastic piece.

With the rear seats folded flat pieces of Hardi-Backer (at 3'x5') fit perfectly so it's 5 feet to the back of the front seats.

Prior to my C-Max I would do jack rabbit starts off the line and freeway cruise at 75 to 80. I've slowed to 65 on freeways and gradually accelerate now. My wife jokes that the car has completely changed my driving habits.

Lol :-)

I took my car to the dealer to have a warped door seal fixed and I mentioned the chain saw like buzzing noise at start up if the A/C is on. After comparing it to another C-Max on the lot they determined that it was "significantly louder" then the one on the lot when the A/C was switched on. They said they're contacting Ford to determine if Ford considers this acceptable or if they need to replace the electric A/C compressor/clutch. Fingers crossed for replacement of the part.

That was me and that's what I call my C-Max :-)

That avatar is awesome! I may have to borrow that one :-)

Mtberman Sounds like you came out O.K. with your final deal. A word of caution though for others using Costco to buy their C-Max like I did. If my experience if you ask a salesman they'll say yes were a Costco dealer to try and work a sale with you. They'll present you a price and say it's the Costco price when it's not. The way the program works is you send Costco a request first for your specific car. You then get a callback from the specific dealership Costco refers you too. You deal with the Fleet or Internet Sales Manager at that dealership not a salesman and schedule an appointment with them. When you go in they are required to show you the Costco cost sheet for your vehicle which shows the invoice and Costco price for that model and/or options on that model. It's straight forward and easy with no haggling.

Funny I was pleased to see I could get the leather wrapped steering wheel without having to upgrade to the SEL model. I like the feel of the leather over a rubberized steering wheel. I guess to each their own :-)

I've been driving (and buying) Fords since I got my license. The advertising fee is b.s. in my opinion but unfortunately has become common place with several manufacturers. I first saw it when I bought my '06 Escape and it was about $325. On my C-Max it was $389. They vary by region and model. Ford also charges for the first tank of gas now but at least you'll get it filled up. If you're a Costco member check their Auto program. My C-Max was $300 over invoice + advertising fee + fuel charge - $1000 rebate.

Not sure why they went with that name in the US but it has European origins. It Europe they use letters for certain car sizes. A Fiesta sized car is a B size (there is a B max in Europe). Next size up is a C size car. Ford took a C sized car and made it as big as they could while still on a C platform and called it the C-Max (maximum sized C car). Name makes sense in Europe but odd for the US. They should have called it the Energi and the Energi Plug-In.

Sadly there isn't a way. My solution has been to create a playlist with the same title as each folder and then add the songs from the associated folder to the playlist with the same name. You can browse and request specific playlists.

Because of the large front grills my family calls my C-Max "The Screaming Potato".

They have it that way because it's illegal in some states to have a video player that's visible to the driver due to the distraction factor. I did plug an external DVD player into the RCA plugs and it did play on the screen while in park. However it required that you unplug anything plugged into the USB ports first.

Page 184 in the manual describes the noise from the rear of the vehicle : "The fan noise comes from a fan located inside the high voltage battery. This fan turns on when the battery requires cooling air. The fan speed, and associated noise level, will change according to the amount of cooling required to maintain good performance. Maintaining the battery temperature at optimal conditions also prolongs the useful life of the battery and helps to achieve better fuel economy. "

Same thing happened to me yesterday. I seem to recall from the owners manual that it's the fans for the hybrid battery. They can stay on after the car is turned off to cool the high voltage battery. I noticed it after pulling into my garage. Five minutes after turning the car off I could still hear them. Concerned about battery run down I did the same thing cycled the ignition on and off and the noise stopped.

Every once in awhile it happens to me. I just switch to a different source (FM to AM) and then switch back and the presets reappear. It's a known MyFord Touch issue that has not yet been resolved.

I've had to do the master reset once after two weeks of ownership. It's annoying but the master reset fixed several small issues I had and things have been good since going on 6 weeks since reset.

When you hit the auto button A/C will automatically switch to On even if the system isn't using it so that it's available if needed. You can manually turn A/C off by hitting the A/C button while still in Auto mode but then if the system needs to cool (because you've adjusted the temp downwards) it won't be able to. It's giving you the option to run in Auto mode without A/C if for some reason you wanted to.

On the up side those same Escape owners said that the engine compartment was staying much cleaner over time as a result of the underbody shield.

It's the same on the new Focus and Escape. Several guys on the Escape forums said that after you find the right torx bit it only adds an extra 10 minutes or so to remove and then replace the cover.