Waiting In The Shenandoah

[VirginiaRick]

Yay, SnowStorm!  Maybe I'll pass you bopping down the roads here in the Old Dominion!  :shift:

 

VR

[JohnnOhio]

OH!!!! YEA!!!!!!!! I know your excited. Enjoy your baby. I'll be heading for Harrisonburg this summer. I'll keep an eye out for a snowstorm. :rockon:

[RachelnLa]

Yeah. I was just checking the board for an update. Enjoy your baby!!!!

[SnowStorm]

Thanks all!  Baby is home and we love her!  First trip 28 miles and 41.9 mpg.  Pics later.

[ScubaDadMiami]

So, this means you took delivery just over seven weeks from date of order.  Is that the kind of time frame I should expect?  I have a VIN, and I was told--about two weeks ago--to expect delivery by about mid-May.  I ordered an SEL with glass on March 28.

 

Looking for any encouraging signs of optimistic delivery dates!  :waiting:

[SnowStorm]

So, this means you took delivery just over seven weeks from date of order.  Is that the kind of time frame I should expect?  I have a VIN, and I was told--about two weeks ago--to expect delivery by about mid-May.  I ordered an SEL with glass on March 28.

 

Looking for any encouraging signs of optimistic delivery dates!  :waiting:

Yes, 7 weeks and 3 days - and that included some train problem ("Conveyance Mechanical Failure") which caused some unknown amount of delay.  Our dealer had said 6 to 8 weeks.

[SnowStorm]

So folks, time goes on - things change.  I guess Waiting In The Shenandoah no longer means "waiting for the car", but rather, "waiting for the next time I can drive her"! :waiting:

Don't quite know where to start but I'm understanding more why there are so many "nut case" posters on here!  :stirpot:

My wife had the car out when I got home from work and, horror of horrors, I start in with "separation anxiety" - it wasn't there! :runaway:  It was sad, maybe even SAD (separation anxiety disorder)!  Anybody else have this problem?  OK, maybe I'm exaggerating a bit (just a bit!).   Please understand, we had done some 500+ miles over the weekend.  Then she got home and I felt better.  My wife had a funny story - stopped at a light and for a split second thought, "oh no, what's wrong with our new car - the engine just stopped"!  And, since getting the car, she had already driven it for several hours.

 

A bit more in order now.  Picked up our baby on Thursday, reset lifetime summary,

 

and brought her home.

 

First "trip" was 28.0 miles, 13.2 EV, 0.8 regen, 41.9 mpg! and 95% brake score.

 

Topped off the tank next day and left on a weekend trip - 3 adults and maybe 150 lbs of "stuff".  First half was Interstate at (mostly) 65 mph but with an overall elevation drop of about 1400 feet.  MPG average was about 43 when starting second half at (mostly) 55 mph and nearly flat.  I thought mpg would climb but it continued to hover around 43.  Maybe the elevation drop offset the higher speed.  Temperatures, whole trip, were above 50F and mostly 60 to 70F.

 

Almost completed the whole trip on one tank but "chickened out" at 8 MTE with 522 miles on the tank.  Gage was having a fit changing colors.  Stopped and got 1 gallon of junk gas (10% corn), made another stop to pick up the Fit and continued on to our favorite station with "real" gas and filled up.  That last segment was on a back road after dark, no traffic, by myself so I turned on Empower and tried to hold EV mode as long as possible.  Boy is that hard!  Also tried to synch hill climbs with battery charging but couldn't really do it.  When the battery is gone the engine has to run!   Anyway, that segment came out at 8.8 miles, 6.1 EV, 0.6 Regen, 99% brake and 52.4 mpg!  And I think it was an elevation gain.  Full Trip 1 distance (including the extra gallon) was 533 miles and 41.4 mpg using pump gallons.

 

Lifetime is now 42.1 with total 673 miles and 188 EV. :)

 

We love the car, the color (wife really loves it) and the roof!  More on early impressions later.

[Adair]

WOW and WOW!! Congratulations Snow!! Amazing first trip! :salute:  Over 500 on your first tank! See, you really haven't been wasting your time here  :hysterical: Look at all the tips and tricks you're finally able to put into action! 

 

Have fun in the coming weeks getting to know your car! We look forward to hearing all about it!

 

Signed,

 

*One of the other Nutcases* :woohoo:

[RachelnLa]

Nutcase? Okay, I'll take that hahahaha

[Jus-A-CMax]

WOW and WOW!! Congratulations Snow!! Amazing first trip! :salute:  Over 500 on your first tank! See, you really haven't been wasting your time here  :hysterical: Look at all the tips and tricks you're finally able to put into action! 

 

Have fun in the coming weeks getting to know your car! We look forward to hearing all about it!

 

Signed,

 

*One of the other Nutcases* :woohoo:

 

*cough*..*cough*...to be a nutcase, u have to have a "Nutz" thread, a towel of sweat as you drove beyond the red zero....or be a mod. Oh, the latter :hi5:

 

 

PS Congratulations Snow...now did u get the Nav or not? Doesn't matter, it would have been 3.5.1 and u would have been fine. Nice car....great drivers always pick white :happy feet:

Edited May 1, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[Adair]

So folks, time goes on - things change.  I guess Waiting In The Shenandoah no longer means "waiting for the car", but rather, "waiting for the next time I can drive her"! :waiting:

Don't quite know where to start but I'm understanding more why there are so many "nut case" posters on here!  :stirpot:

 

 

 

>

Nutcase? Okay, I'll take that hahahaha

 

 

 

*cough*..*cough*...to be a nutcase, u have to have a "Nutz" thread, a towel of sweat as you drove beyond the red zero....or be a mod. Oh, the latter :hi5:

 

Hey you guyzzzz!! *Nutcase was Snow's word, not mine!!

[SnowStorm]

A few more details.  No Nav - brought our "old" one over from the Fit.  The weekend trip was almost all on ECO cruise - set and go.  No real hypermiling except some care in getting off the gas early for upcoming stops and gentle braking.  No AC and almost no heat.  Kept forgetting to complete an odometer check - either against mile posts or GPS.

 

A few quick thoughts on things we like:

 

- Great mileage of course - and it's not yet broken in.

- No "down-shifting" on hills.  We hated the way an automatic / small engine combo would kick out of lock-up or down-shift on hills.  This may be the first car that will stop me wishing for a manual again!

- ECO cruise that returns gently to set speed without "stomping" on it.

- Flawless way the car transitions in and out of EV mode.  My hat is off to the engineers that designed and programmed that system!  There is just no way to tell from driving feel that the engine starts or stops.  You might hear it at low car speed but there is just no surge or lag or need to adjust throttle position.  Amazing!  I hope there is an engineering article some day about the design.

- Love the way you can move the car around a parking lot or in/out of the garage without starting the engine - and of course sit at lights.  The eerie quiet at low speed in EV is just too cool.  (Side note - filled up the Lexus this week, reset the Avg MPG meter, drove a few miles, stopped at a light and watched the meter loose about 3 mpg just sitting there!)

- All those display options.  (But as someone noted, there could be more "data" options for the right screen.)

- Wipers are very nice - both swing "out" together so you don't have the right wiper stopping and reversing in front of the driver.

- Drivers seat that adjusts really high - and there is still lots of headroom.

- Great headroom in both front and back seats.

- Built-in "blind spot" mirrors.
- Inside mirror that has a double pivot so you can adjust vertical position - needed when you jack up the seat.
- Panoramic roof - oh the roof!  We really like the "dorky" roof (as someone called it!).  Great view from back seats, great when "street shopping" houses, lets in light - check it out when there are overhead lights, like the gas station.

- Room to haul stuff.  Picked up a dryer at ReStore and the guy helping load asked, with some incredulity, if I was going to "put it in that white car over there?"  It went right in, even on its side.  You have a 27+" high by 34" wide rectangle through the hatch.  Yes, I had plenty of cardboard to keep it off the white platinum!

- Ventilation buttons that allow any combination of floor-vent-defrost, plus the OFF button.

- The wheels - I like lots of spokes.

- The tires - genuine Michelin.

- White Platinum paint - wife is crazy about it.

- I forget what all else!

 

On the negative side (any prospective buyers should know that these items would have no bearing on buying the car again!):

- I think I've noticed the "twitchy" steering

- Ventilation buttons are too low and a bit hard to "feel"

- A fairly loud "clicking" sound heard occasionally when opening the door (also once when my wife pulled in).  Lasts for maybe 5 or 10 seconds.  Sounds like it comes from under the hood.  I think I've only heard it in our garage.

- No trip odometer beside the total - there is plenty of room.

- No spare tire - intend to get one, at least for certain routes.

 

Still have tons to learn and set up.

Really cool car - and still haven't "drunk the kool-aid" (haven't found it yet!).

[JAZ]

There are two trip odometers resettable at will.

[VirginiaRick]

SnowStorm:

 

From the picture, it looks like you also got yours from Myers in Elkton.  That's where I got mine last November (I'm just down the road in Waynesboro).  I've had it for 5 months now, and I'm still learning all the 'ins & outs'.

 

VR

[roninsd]

Clicking sound is normal for a few seconds.

 

And BTW: Rachel isn't all THAT nutz! :)

Edited May 5, 2013 by roninsd

[SnowStorm]

Have been away for a week on vacation (unfortunately without the car!) so here's some catch-up.

 

Rachel, Jus, Adair, ron, et al:  My definition of "nut case" on this forum is:  "A  C-Max owner with extreme driving skill, superior knowledge and unbounded enthusiasm for their cars which leaves the rest of us green with envy!  (There are many inaccurate definitions out there on-line!)

 

VR:  Myers it is!

 

JAZ:  But I would like to see the total and trip together at the bottom of any of the screens.

 

ron:  But what makes the clicking sound?  I'm curious.

[roninsd]

I THINK this is what causes the clicking (even though it sounds to me as if it's coming from the front):

 

 

[pg 187 in manual:]

 

What are the series of clicks from the cargo area when I first turn the key in the ignition?

 

The high voltage battery is electrically isolated from the rest of the vehicle when the key is off.

When the key is turned to on, high voltage contactors inside the battery are closed to make the

electricity available to the motor/generator and enable the vehicle to drive. The clicks are the

sound of these contactors as they close and open during start up and shut down.

[JohnnOhio]

That's what I suspected all along. The 12 volt battery closing the contacts to the high voltage battery. click click click

[Jus-A-CMax]

:)  Welcome back Snowstorm, trust u had a great vacation :rockon:

[SnowStorm]

Thanks Jus, had a really great time in Puerto Rico (big island and Vieques).  Kept an eye out for C-Maxs but never saw any down there (at least not that I could be certain of) but there were lots of Fords.  However, we did see a C-Max ad for the first time while waiting for a take-out order (generally never watch TV).

[JohnnOhio]

Can't wait to go back to visit in Puerto Rico. I have family on the island of Culebra. Nice quiet place. Most of the island is a national wildlife presurve. When I go  I always rent me a Jeep Wrangler and run around toppless ha ha ha.... :hysterical:

[SnowStorm]

Completed another 500 mile trip this past weekend with the following results (2 people and non-ethanol gas).

 - Trip "out":    46.7 mpg - about half at 65 mph, the rest at 55 with a bunch of stops, ECO CC, 1400 feet overall drop, light A/C most of the way.

 - Trip "back": 42.1 mpg - same speeds, ECO CC, 1400 feet overall rise, little A/C, a bunch of rain.

First hour of return trip at 55 mph (mostly) with a bunch of stops, little A/C and no rain gave 47.7 mpg!  (So what are all the "reporters" whining about?)

Overall trip was 500.1 miles, 101.3 EV, 43.9 mpg, 11.37 gal.

Really love doing this whole trip on one tank!!! :wub2:

 

Lifetime now at 43.5 mpg with 1408 miles and 417 EV.

Very impressed with the A/C and the small amount of power (once cooled down) that is indicated on the climate graph.

Checked the odometer with mile posts for 3 ten mile sections and all indicated about 2% slow.  So I guess I can jack up the numbers by 2%.

[wab]

Completed another 500 mile trip this past weekend with the following results (2 people and non-ethanol gas).

 - Trip "out":    46.7 mpg - about half at 65 mph, the rest at 55 with a bunch of stops, ECO CC, 1400 feet overall drop, light A/C most of the way.

 - Trip "back": 42.1 mpg - same speeds, ECO CC, 1400 feet overall rise, little A/C, a bunch of rain.

First hour of return trip at 55 mph (mostly) with a bunch of stops, little A/C and no rain gave 47.7 mpg!  (So what are all the "reporters" whining about?)

Overall trip was 500.1 miles, 101.3 EV, 43.9 mpg, 11.37 gal.

Really love doing this whole trip on one tank!!! :wub2:

 

Lifetime now at 43.5 mpg with 1408 miles and 417 EV.

Very impressed with the A/C and the small amount of power (once cooled down) that is indicated on the climate graph.

Checked the odometer with mile posts for 3 ten mile sections and all indicated about 2% slow.  So I guess I can jack up the numbers by 2%.

 

"Checked the odometer with mile posts for 3 ten mile sections and all indicated about 2% slow."

slow or low, speedometer or odometer?

 

Your speedometer should be fast your odometer should be RIGHT.

Cruise control (not eco cruise) set at 60 will not = 10 miles traveled in 10 minutes.

Your odometer reading divided by gallons pumped ='s your actual MPG which will not be what the car says.

[SnowStorm]

The Enterprise (car's nickname) has arrived!  Now at 47.0 mpg lifetime average!  So who said its not a "47 MPG Car"?

 

 

Now at over 4100 miles and still at 47.0.  We really love the car - even if I am "obsessed"!

 

Sounds like my wife has just about sold a couple of friends on one.

[SnowStorm]

More evidence that the C-Max can indeed be a "47 mpg car"!  Just completed a trip to New England and got - guess what...

That's for the whole trip, Interstates and all.  "Highway" would have been at least 90%, Interstates at least 75% I guess.  No, I didn't hold it at the speed limit all the time, mostly just stayed with the slower traffic.  (Then over the limit often in those 55 zones where no one slows down.)  Used AC most of the time set at 74 or 75F.  All 87 octane fuel.  My wife's summary was that it is such an easy car to drive (ditto from SS) - and that was after driving through that sanity challenging section around Scranton!  The power is sure nice when you "need" it.  The acceleration seems deceptive since the engine is so quiet and doesn't "rev" up and drop back with every gear change.  Just a constant purr and then you're over the speed limit before you realize it.

 

I sure didn't expect to end up at 47 - shucks, with E0 gas it might have been 49!