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It's been in the 100s every day in Austin, and my gas mileage is suffering. I'm down to 32mpg average, and on some trips I only get 25mpg! I know part of it is due to the AC having to work so hard, but is it also related to the temperature of the battery? Is available battery capacity reduced when it's hot? The temperature inside the car reaches 140F even with windows cracked, so even after being parked all day the battery is already hot. Maybe these cars would have benefited from automatically running the fan when parked like the solar Prius models do

I currently drive a 2014 Chevy Spark and am getting really irritated by ongoing driveability problems (hesitation, lurching at slow speed, RPM's revving high between 35 - 45 MPH with no change in performance) and a really weak a/c system. Problems on this car appear to relate to outdoor temperature, as driving in the fall/winter was much better. I drive a lot (avg. 2,000/month). Chevy dealerships service in my area are all pretty lousy, though I am trying another one this week to fix ongoing and new problem with possibly suspension. It only has 22,000 miles. So... considering taking the $$$ hit and going with a C-Max hybrid (not Engeri). I live in south Florida where much of the year is hot and humid. I've read that mileage suffers with the C-Max in cold weather. How does it fare in HOT weather (like 90 degrees plus)? How much does using the a/c affect MPG? Any other issues with the car in hot, humid weather? Trying to decide if it's the "right" vehicle for me? I drive a mix of city and suburban roads with some highway (about 3x month on I-75 at about 60 - 73 mph). Car is often kept outside in sun and heat. ALSO... anyone with the panoramic roof... how effective is the shade at keeping out heat during day? I love a convertible, like a sunroof, but think the pan. roof may be a good compromise in allowing views of starry nights and during cloudy, rainy days without getting wet or outrageous wind noise experienced in an open sunroof. Anyone in Florida or similar climate with this type of roof.... comments? Thank you in advance for any feedback!

A new issue has come up. Over the past 4 days, every time we turn the car on / start the car, the automatic climate control comes on. We always turn the air conditioning / climate control off before every shut down so the car will not have to start while powering the air conditioner and associated compressor and fan during the start, but no matter what we do, the air conditioner always comes on MAX AC at our last temperature setting with the Automatic climate control. This happens no matter if it is 60 or 90 degrees out, and 5 seconds to 15 hours between start up/ shut down, so temp or time doesn't seem to affect it, it just does it every time. Any one else had this problem and any way around it? Thank you for the advice!