NRGTi

I had to shut my eyes when using this feature. It looked like the system was cutting too close to the car ahead. But that's an illusion, of course. The C-Max's shape, combined with my preferred low driving position, makes the car look about three feet longer than it actually is. That makes all forms of parking harder, and I'm glad for the assistance.

PT- I know you're primarily focused on fuel economy. You're also probably aware of the difficulty of doing brief economy runs. Wind, road surface, traffic flow, hills, and all the rest will affect your results. I hope most readers will know that the US system of miles per gallon doesn't reflect actual fuel usage; ie, moving from 40 mpg to 50 saves much less gas than going from 20 to 30. My decision whether to trade up to a 2018 would hinge on other factors. Primarily, if you like the C-Max as much as you seem to, and as I do, a 2018 will be the freshest one you'll ever own! I don't have to remind you that '13 was an unlucky number for these cars, with reliability issues that don't show up in later models. I would make the trade for that reason alone, plus one more big one. Like my '17, it would have the "DISP" button on the infotainment system. This blessed button turn off the screen, and that's how I like it when I'm not accessing some setting. Who needs a distracting TV screen on your dash? I'd postponed buying a contemporary car over this alone, and when I first pressed DISP to see what it did, I shouted out loud! Yes, curb clearance is a problem. Probably one main reason high-pants vehicles like SUVs and CUVs are so popular is their tolerance for sloppy driving. I started shopping seriously for my C-Max while waiting for a two truck, as my GTI was run aground on a parking lot curb, leaking oil. Modern designers and architects are finding novel places to stick curbs; how about right in front of a convenience store door, marking handicapped spots? My new Titanium model has the front distance sensors, which would probably have helped me avoid that mishap.

That's a good point. I'm no electrical engineer (and I suspect some of you are), but I do notice that every warning about good battery-saving practice is violated by the uses that support the use of Teslas and other EVs. They expect you to charge fast & to the brim, in every kind of weather, drive it till almost empty, then recharge at 400+ watts. What could go wrong with that?

Great, but here's some problems with that. Trucks, SUVs and CUV's (I just call 'em "Jumbos") are: - Heavier, so less fuel-efficient - Have higher centers of gravity, so are less nimble and more prone to rollover - Ride worse, because the high seat position magnifies lateral head toss on poor roads - Harder to load with heavy items, pets, etc. - Encouraging speeding, since sitting taller makes it feel like you're going slower. (Go-karts feel faster for the opposite reason.) Our household used to have a VW Tiguan and a GTI. Our Tiguan suffered from every one of those flaws. The only tim I was glad to be in it was on a sketchy, steep dirt road, or a snow-covered hill. Outside those situations, the lower car was better. But most cars did get too low in years past. My C-Max is one of the few I've found available where I nether have to plop down or clamber up to the seat.

You could try attaching a piece of flat material, such as 1/4 inch plywood, to the surface of the accelerator pedal. Cut it to fit an inch or so wide on the left side. This should help you maintain pedal control with your foot held an inch to the left, too. But be careful that you don't get too close to the brake pedal, and cause pedal confusion.

This was the first Ford I've bought, and I expect it to be the last. Not that I don't love my NRG Ti, but because I do! I'm just not ready for that all-electric future yet. A pure EV, even one with a huge battery, can't be as versatile as my present car. Given the current coal intensity of my power grid, it wouldn't necessarily be greener. I'd be dependent on slow recharging at a limited number of stations. The car would lose its utility during power outages. On short trips, I'd be hauling around much more battery than I used. What's the point? EVs seem like a bright shiny toy dangled in front of us to distract from the hybrids we ought to be buying now. "The perfect is the enemy of the Good," as they say.

But it's not always about your MPGs on any given trip, even a long one. You want to arrive rested and safe, and the good news is that the C-Max is an excellent road car, with a calm, quiet cabin and a smooth ride. I've taken two highway trips over 200 miles, with around 40 mpg and that wasn't worth bragging about. But my overall figure of 67 mpg is.

Welcome! Isn't it nice to discover an obscure, under-the-radar car like this - a true sleeper! More than meets the eye. Since I came over from an '09 GTI, I had a similar adjustment. The Germans do all the little things oh so well, perfect to the eye and touch, and I do miss that a bit. But it's not nearly as important as the big things, which the C-Max does so well: comfort, economy, practicality, still with real driving pleasure. I'm surprised you thought it was noisy, though. My 2017 Energi is quiet as a vault. The windshield is acoustic sandwich-something, and the side glass must be 50% thicker than my VWs. Off the freeway, I crack the rear window an inch so I can hear sirens.

Most FWD cars wear out their front tires twice as fast as the rears. Is the C-Max that way? All this talk about rear tire wear/cupping makes me wonder. I was planning a strategy that embraces uneven tire wear. My daughter's C-Max Hybrid was bought used with a mismatched set, two Kumho performance tires and two Michelin OEMs. I plan to buy her a matched set of snow/rain tires and dismount hers for my future use (they have lots of tread). So I could replace two of my Michelins when they get worn. Once I wear out those six Michelins -- in 50K miles or so? -- I could use the Kumhos as half of a summer performance set.

I think you just learned the best reason to trade for the newest C-Max you can get, since it's the end of the line. I wouldn't expect any upgrades between 2017 and the '18 Hybrid models, and I'd be wondering how many of them would be available. Others (well, including me) have listed the changes with the '17 mild refresh. I'd add that the new wheels look much better, and the black & silver face is easier to keep clean. I just can't locate the "little plastic pieces around the back window" that are supposedly changed. My '17 and my daughter's '14 look the same to me.

I was a two-thirds hypermiler with my previous car, a VW GTI (yes, seriously). Although I let 'er rip on on-ramps, where I could easily add 25 mph to posted speeds, the rest of my drive was steady cruising and long coast-downs to that red light ahead. Driven gently, the car could give 33 mpg in the highway and 29 mpg for a typical tankfull. Driven the same way -- except for those on-ramps, where the C-Max's high CG and flat seat backs discourage speed-- my NRG Ti is showing 66 mpg for the first 500 miles.

Very interesting! Did you have any clearance issues with bumps or tight turns? You make me wish I'd done this, but I just picked up new wheels and snows today in the standard size.

I have a 2017 Energi Ti and a 2014 Hybrid SEL in my driveway now. I enjoy the new car's parking aids, the remote start and most of all, the "DISP" button on the dash that blacks out the center screen display when you choose. I never wanted bright screens on my dash, especially at night, and this simple button reduces the visual distraction factor greatly. I ought to be a federal safety requirement! I'd expect that the newer model will prove more reliable than the troubled first-year ones. Unless you're often maxing out the cargo space, don't ignore the Energi model. Mine racks up over 15 more MPG than my daughter's Hybrid (and it's more suited to my urban driving than her transcontinental jaunts to college). The tax credits available make this doubly a limited-time bargain.

I love my NRG Ti, but the headlights aren't impressive. Maybe another avenue for improvement would be a pair of old-style rally lights. I'd like to see two round 6-inch Cibies or Hellas flanking the opening of the main grille. Or even bigger globes, for that Bug-Eyed Sprite look. Hey, our cars came with three grilles- so why not have three pairs of headlights, too? If this works, please let us know. I know, nobody mods a C-Max, but maybeI can inspire someone to Photoshop it, anyhow.

Prevention is always a good idea. I simply refuse to pull my C-Max up close to anything. The sight lines always make me feel like the car's two feet longer than it is, so it's easy to remember. The front radar has warned me about a few of the taller curbs I've encountered, five inches or taller. I'm very wary of this hazard. My last car, a GTI, sustained $3500 worth of damage when I hopped a tall curb that was hard to see. A month later, my daughter sheepishly told me she had driven her own C-Max over a parking lot curb she didn't see...amazingly, a full inspection found no damage at all!

On other cars, I'd recommend getting slightly larger diameter tires, but not with the C-Max's tight fender wells and wide turning circle. But if anyone wants to try that, please let us know! The lack of suspension tuning products is my biggest disappointment with this car so far. Wonder what Europe offers?

Greetings and salutations! I'm here to share the joy of owning the best-kept secret in the car market. These cars aren't just rare on the ground, here in Denver, they're poorly documented on the web. I'm coming in from the VW webspace, where there's more fact, fuss and fantasy posted every day than here in a year. Let me add my two cents, er, 2 kw, to these discussions. Full disclosure: I am one and the same as GTIGuy, over in the fordcmaxenergiforum. I joined there first while I was shopping for a C-Max. Then I discovered this forum, with more topics and traffic. The Energi forum hasn't allowed me to rename that account, which ought to be NRGTi, but there it is. Two months and 3000 miles in, I'm happy I found this car. It's the most efficient performance car I can find, as well as the best-performing Green car!