Smiling Jack

If is is true that this mod hurts mpg (and I am inclined to believe that it is true), why on earth do so many of us spend so much money to do it?

No need thanks. I just thought that it would be a useful data point on the ACTUAL size a single big box that actually did fit, as opposed to the standards and estimates that we often cite.

The European C-Max has a conventional ICE powerplant. A possible explanation for our larger turning radius is that the whole hybrid drive (ICE, electric motor, power split device, etc.) takes up so much more space than does the Euro stuff that it encroaches on the room for wheel, tire and steering gear movement. Now, having said something sensible, I must divert myself by confessing that I actually get some perverse enjoyment from the large turning radius. Having spent a lifetime driving large to huge cars, I am uncomfortable driving small cars. I am, however, entirely comfortable in the C-Max. The unforgivingly large turning radius merely adds to the immense passenger space, expansive glass area, and overly generous headroom to give me the felling that I am driving a huge vehicle again.

If you still have that box, please report its actual dimensions. Thanks in advance.

Getting back to the point of the OP's post, It looks to me like the sub-woofer install is a GREAT use of that little space. (I keep a few tool boxes there.)

I think that so far there actually is not a Plug-in Prius V. So, the comparison would be to a Plug-in Prius. The best info I can find is: Cubic feet behind rear seats: Plug-in Prius = 15.6 C-Max Energi = 19.2 Cubic feet with seats folded: Plug-in Prius = 21.5 C-Max Energi = 42.8* * Note: this figure does not include the space where the OP installed his sub-woofer. Neither does it include the 5 or 6 cubic feet above the folded rear seats and below the level of the rear load floor. Including those brings the total up to more like 48 cu ft or so.

Point taken, but that wasn't a deal killer for some of us, was it? & IIRC, the C-Max Energi came first and the Fusion Energi followed, using the pack from the C-max Energi..

Guys: We're talking about only 4 or 5 cubic feet here (roughly 10 % of the total with all seats down). And if you want a plug-in hybrid there simply is not anything available that has more cargo capacity than the C-max Energi anyway. So, if you need a plug-in hybrid with max cargo space, there's really no other choice than the C-max Energi. And if you don't need a plug-in capability, there's no choice to be made at all. What's the big deal?

I would say that this is comparing apples to oranges, but it's really more like crab apples to grapefruits. Well............., would you believe ............. blueberries to watermelons? (Sorry about that, Chief!)

There is a release tab. It's hard to find, but once you find it the removal is easy. I'll need to have a new look to refresh my memory. If that works, I'll post a tip. The black tape was not really glossy, but it was not "flat;" so, it is not a 100% solution. It was effective enough that I never notice the reflection unless I'm looking for it. I think that the best solution would be to buy the 2015 vent as a replacement. I understand that it has no chrome, but is all black.

That looks like a European license plate on the 2016.

I removed the vent unit (with the chrome bezels) from the dash just as practice in preparation for doing a Plastidip job. The removal was easy. (I never did do the Plastidip job. I covered the chrome with a strip of black pin striping tape instead.)

Clear, thanks.

Thanks to Bro for this And thanks to Kotsby for the Euro spec and explanation. I note that the Euro spec number of 1723 liters (= 60.8 cu ft) for 2 seat mode (with the tire mobility kit) is greater than the US listed number of 52.8 cu ft. As I recall from other posts here, the US spec that Ford follows relates to the volume of a single rectangular box that could be loaded through the rear hatch. I think that the actual space being measured may be the same in both cases, but details of the shape of the cargo space and the sizes and shapes of the Euro Spec objects could cause the results between the two methods being different in general. In the case of the C-max this could result in the space behind the third row being accounted as less by Euro spec and at the same time, the space behind the second row being accounted as greater by Euro spec. That being said, i note that the shot provided by Bro includes numbers for a 7-seat mode. Could this be for the Grand C-max?

At the moment 33-1/3 % of my cars are plug-in hybrid - counting my '79 Eldorado "hobby car" which has not run in quite a while. I do find that after driving EV, I have become less interested in fixing the old Eldo. The Eldo was a class ride in its day, but the C-max has more cargo space and better acceleration at street speeds. If I ever come to grips with reality and get rid of the Eldo, I will be at 50% - possibly even before 2017. So, I seem to be right on track with this reported trend. Of course, several of our friends on this forum are already at 100% for their family fleets. The move from 50% to 100% for us would require my wife wanting to replace her Cadillac STS with something less conventional. Her first take on the C-max Energi was that when she stepped on the gas she expected to hear the engine "roar," not go "woosh," but she's starting to get used to the quiet of electric driving; so, maybe we'll see her in an ELR one day. She has less than 30,000 miles on the STS, and she tends to keep her cars for decades; so, - who knows? - maybe in another 10 or 12 years a used 2013 ELR will actually be cheap enough to fit the budget.

That IS curious. Do they give the space with the rear seats folded?

Does the Euro version have a spare tire?

Looks sharp. Did you use your original tires with the new wheels?

I certainly regret not being able to buy then (Nearly 2 years ago) at the prices available now.

I suggest raising both the fan speed and the set temperature. That helps for me.

Now that you mention it, I agree on both counts.

Or if neither cargo space nor price is a bIg deal, look at the Fusion Energi. Now that is a really SHARP LOOKING RIDE !!!

Re. the Energi: You would do your round trip commute completely in EV mode. I do that and only use only 1 to 2 tanks of gas a year. With tax rebate(s) and discounts you can probably buy the (SEL) Energi for same price as SEL Hybrid - or even less. (I did, and may others have posted the same.) Energi owners post far fewer reliability problems. Energi delivers more power to the electric motor than the Hybrid does (about 30 HP more, as I recall). With the Energi, you do have to sacrifice about 4 or 5 cubic feet of cargo space for the larger batteries. (Several have posted here that this is an absolute deal killer. For others of us it is not a problem.)

Where on the dash?

I read this and laughed .......and then cried. The vehicles are inainmate. To say that they can experience concern is a hoot. On the other hand, the owners who have had the recurring dead battery events experience - I am sure - something far, far worse than "concern." Did the people who wrote and edited this stuff give any serious thought to the choice of words? My first thoughts were that they obviously did not and that they should have. My next thoughts were much worse.