C-MAX Fuel Mileage. What are you getting?

[nsteblay]

Live in Minnesota and it has been cold lately. Getting about 40 in my last few trips. It appears that I should put the car in a mode that gets better mileage. I'll need to read my manual more carefully.

[darrelld]

I don't think it is a matter of comparing the C-MAX to smaller cars, it is a matter of comparing the C-MAX to what Ford claims for this car. They advertise heavily that it gets better mileage to the Prius V when in real life the opposite appears to be the case. They advertise 47 mpg highway and so far it's not even close based on my own results, every review I have read and the cars listed on fuelly.com and the epa mileage site. Yes, over 47 in the city isn't a problem and I agree it is a great car, but it is a great 40-42 mpg car not 47 mpg like they advertise. By the way, I don't know if you are just using the computer for the mileage but checked against actual gas used vs miles driven the computer is usually 1-2 mpg too high.

 

Oh, and I have seen some fairly wide variances in indicated mileage when driving the driving the same route. I thought it was due to temperature but yesterday it was fairly cold and it was showing above 50 mpg in a stretch that normally shows about 40. No idea why, the battery level was about the same as always.

 

I noticed the same thing and thought it was an anomoly but when I topped off the tank fuelly reported 48mpg.

[CNCGeek]

 

I believe the C-Max horsepower tends to cause less than EPA rated economy. When you drive a car without power even under full throttle the engine doesn't waste much fuel. FE is porportional to mass x linear acceleration = kinetic energy.

A vehicle such as the Prius is incapable of generating much linear acceleration so fuel economy is more reproducable and achievable.

 

http://www.physicsfo...ad.php?t=306809

 

Please send that to Ford (and cc the EPA) ;)

 

I'm really not unsatisfied with the C-max FE, but I think that the EPA numbers are a much bigger reach for the C-max vs the other hybrids I mentioned. Slapping a hybrid label on a car will automatically lead to a comparison with the Prius, and thats because the Prius has filled that roll pretty darn well, and delivered more than advertised for many owners*. The C-max (IMO) won't get that same reputation where it counts for a hybrid (mpg), but that's not being fair to the C-max because it is not the Prius (or the V).

 

*Yeah, CR is not the final word on real world mpg, but it is interesting that nearly all the cars tested did provide more than the advertised hwy mpg. I also didn't see where or if they have tested the c-max yet.

[darrelld]

 

Please send that to Ford (and cc the EPA) ;)

 

I'm really not unsatisfied with the C-max FE, but I think that the EPA numbers are a much bigger reach for the C-max vs the other hybrids I mentioned. Slapping a hybrid label on a car will automatically lead to a comparison with the Prius, and thats because the Prius has filled that roll pretty darn well, and delivered more than advertised for many owners*. The C-max (IMO) won't get that same reputation where it counts for a hybrid (mpg), but that's not being fair to the C-max because it is not the Prius (or the V).

 

*Yeah, CR is not the final word on real world mpg, but it is interesting that nearly all the cars tested did provide more than the advertised hwy mpg. I also didn't see where or if they have tested the c-max yet.

 

Most of this could be resolved by Ford adding an Eco button to dial back horsepower and throttle response. I used to get Lexus hybrid loaners during my many visits to their service department and none could achieve EPA ratings without engaging the ECO button most had equipped. The exception to this was the CT200h but at 0-60 in over 10 seconds it is based on the Prius.

Edited November 15, 2012 by darrelld

[cgul]

I have no complaints. I think it is in learning to drive a hybrid, I had a Toyota Camry hybrid for three years and a Fusion hybrid for the last three and a half years. I just traded the Fusion for a C-Max last Friday (Nov. 9) and filled up with gas yesterday although I was only a little under half a tank. 377 miles and 8.055 gal. to fill which is 46.8 mpg and should improve with more miles on the car.. The average mpg is now at 47.3. I am not a hypermiler but drive with a soft foot on the gas.

 

cgul

[StoBro2]

My first full tank calculates to 40.6 mpg.

 

Many of my trips are around 6-10 miles. With the below normal temperatures we've had around here for the past couple of weeks, the gas engine stays on longer to provide cabin heat. I've also been trying to run the engine through a range of revs and loads to help it break in. The miles per gallon I'm getting is nearly double what I would be getting with my previous car, and about 5-7 mpg better than what I got with my Jetta TDI Sportwagen under the same conditions.

 

So far, the only thing I have to complain about is the clock needing to be reset 3 times so far.

[erwhitham]

I could have been reading the Toyota Prius forum board here. After owning 2 Priuses and being very satisfied , I was ready for a change with the new C Max-very stylish with great options. With the Prius I experienced that with very short drives-less than 2 miles- my mileage was terrible. Especially in cold weather with the heater on. With hot weather and air on, a bit better. Driving 70 or above with fast accelerations to pass made my mileage average under 40. So far with the C Max my average is low 30's under these same conditions. No stress, though, as my driving needs aren't typical. My daughter bought my first Prius and hit high 40's nearing 50 consistently with her longer drives at 50mph. I used to worry about mpg. On the Prius board members had a club on who could show the highest mpg and go the farthest on a tank. (Several wrote of running out of gas to achieve the highest mileage before a refill. Some even requiring help to add a gallon while stranded).

[RaPieR]

I just travelled 1400+ miles from Michigan to Texas, almost all interstate travelled at the posted 65MPH or 70MPH using the ECO cruise the entire time. In hilly and 30s temperature the C-Max managed 35MPG. It fared better on flatter terrain with the temperate at the 50s it fared better at 37MPG.

 

Unless the battery was near full charge, it would not cruise above 35-38mpg on the freeway.

[C-MaxJaxon]

On my first long distance drive on the interstate at 65-70 mph, I averaged 39 going out and 41 coming back. My overall average is down to 45 now.

[Recumpence]

What I am confused about is why the mileage differs so much from one trip to another. I mean, I understand the cold weather does it. In fact, this car is extremely sensitive to cold weather (temp affecting MPG). But, there are times I drive the car for 15 miles and see low 40s (without being hard on the pedal), and other trips of similar distance and speed, seeing well into the 50s.

 

That being said, this is the finest car I have ever owned, period........

 

When I bought it, I did my gas cost savings based on 42mpg. So, anything above that makes me happy.

 

Oh, I completely agree that most Prius owners are able to exceed the EPA rating fairly easily, while it is not as easy on the C-Max.

 

Matt

[Laurel]

Not to start controversy, but I wonder if all the differing mileage stats relate to driver habits? Last year when we took a driving holiday to Palm Springs, we took my husband's Lexus SUV. When he drove the mileage was something like 14.8 L per 100 kilometers. When I drove, it got down to 12.4 L per 100 kilometers consistently. He always uses cruise control and I never do. He never speeds and I always speed. I am not sure what he does differently other than quicker starts and stops than I make. Just wondering??

[RachelnLa]

Maybe some could do a test that's pretty close? Like no climate, specific miles, flat terrian, same speed? Just a thought. That may narrow down that it's based more on the driver if everything else is roughly the same.

[RaPieR]

I've been using the ECO cruise control on every highway trip so far and haven't been able to get much better than 40MPG. This is on varying roads with mixed flat and hill (overpass) sections.

 

Just today I decided to change that completely. The conditions are a little different because it's been warmer but still driving on Texas highways. I stopped using cruise control and instead applied a steady pressure on the gas pedal to hold a constant load to run at 55-65MPH depending on the highway elevation.

 

After the battery charged up near full, I was able to "cruise" consistently with the instant MPG meter reading high 40s. I ran 3 trips today that consisted mostly highway miles all around 15-20 miles and I average 51, 63, and 49mpg. This has changed my outlook for the C-Max on the highway very positively but I think it shows that the C-Max is very dependent on driving style.

[CrystalSC]

Great update Rapier!

[Laurel]

Interesting report RaPieR. I think we all know how important consistent good driving habits are to good mileage in any type of vehicle. But we as a society so easily just follow the crowd in how we drive (me included). Gas here is nearly $6 a gallon, but you would never know it with the heavy footed, speeding, tail gaiting fools on our roads. And it's not just Canadian drivers--when we did our Palm Springs junket holy smokes was it scary on the freeways around LA. I found myself doing 90 MPH once to keep up with the flow of traffic! The only time I have seen drivers slow it down around here was once several years ago when there were real threats of gas shortages. I can hardly wait to get our C-Max to have some fun with trying to drive conservatively.

[RachelnLa]

So good to hear!

[roundtrip]

I'm new to the forum and want to share my experience. I bought a new C-Max SE and having been driving it since early October. The car is my daily driver and my commute to work (Troy to Ann Arbor, MI) is about 51m by freeway but can as short as 46-47m if I take more surface streets. I have about 3000m on the car and have achieved about 43.1 mpg avg. This is down from a high of 44.5 avg which I think is due to the recent drop in air temperature. I have been doing careful driving; keeping speeds around 60 – 65 mph (right lane) on the freeway and revs under 3000 rpm and typically 2000 rpms. I have had runs as low as 33 mpg (70mph middle lane on fwy) and as high as 51 mpg (55 mph right lane), it just depends on how fast you go. I think the break –in period for the car is over and it looks like with careful driving I will get about 43-44 mpg avg. I have attached a pic of my dash with typical trip home. I do like the car and the smooth automatic transmission.

[skwcrj]

RT,

 

Based on your screen shot, it looks like you averaged 26 mpg (46.6 mi/44.4 mpg = 1.05 gal. 46.6 mi - 19.2 EV mi = 27.4 miles with the ICE. 27.4mi/1.05g=26 mpg) when not EV driving.

 

Maybe more folks can post screen shots of their trips or (even better) whole tank stats right before filling up.

 

Some owners have been posting notes on the Fuelly.com fillups that include a summary of miles driven on that tank (mi/ev miles). It would be nice to see more people do it.

Edited November 18, 2012 by skwcrj

[ptjones]

skwcrj I see you are on this forum too. I currently have 1463mi with 720EVmi. with about 50% 55mph 50% city. Trips less than 4mi hurts mpg, My drive to work is only 2.5mi so this hurts over all mpg. My average so far is 44.4mpg. It's looking like my TOCGO mod (tape off center grill opening modifacation) is helping mpg, probably about 1mpg so far. It takes awhile to train yourself to get the most MPG out of the C-MAX. You drive this car quite differently than Escape Hybrid and Prius. As you can see other members are getting MPG all over place, is all about driving technique,the cars are the same. One suggestion to all C-MAX owners to check odometer with GPS to comfirm accuracy. Mine is off by about 1.5% or upto a mpg to the better.

[seattlerain]

I'm over 2K now and if anything my MPG is going down (about 35.5 MPG). I'm sure outside temp is affecting, overall drag due to rain (standing water), etc. but I'm still not getting anywhere near 47.

I have attempted my long drives (over 70mi each way 60-70MPH zones) with no climate (turned completely off), electric heated seats @ 1, and it made little to no difference on either trip. Our standard daily trip to / from work (about 10 miles each way to/from work of which 8 miles are freeway), we get 36 pretty consistently.

I have setup our car on Fuelly.com... http://www.fuelly.com/driver/seattlerain/cmax

[nsteblay]

I only have 500 miles on my SEL and am averaging now about 40 mpg.

 

A couple of comments regarding getting good mileage.

• As I understand it the advertised 47 mpg is a administered and simulated driving test done by a government agency. It appears that Ford has perfected the algorithm to maximize results using this test.
  
• Achieved mileage is totally dependent on how one drives. Other factors will be outside temperature, type of gasoline, and road conditions. Those in northern climates will take a hit because of cold, ethanol in the tank, and snowy roads.
  
• Using typical driving techniques in typical environments will probably only get you mid to upper 30s.
  
• Using good mileage driving techniques will probably get you upper 30s to lower 40s.
  
• Using supreme mileage driving techniques will get you lower 40s to stated EPA estimates.
  
• You'll need to be a right lane driver with patient people in your rear view mirror to achieve the highest mileage.
  

Having said all that I still prefer the C-Max over the Prius due to styling, features, and power. I am fine with low 40s.

 

It is crazy that diesel in EU gets 50 to 70 miles per gallon. I have an acquaintance in Ireland with an Audi Diesel that gets 51 miles per gallon. This is also a high performance car. I guess these aren't allowed in US because of strict emission standards.

[darrelld]

I only have 500 miles on my SEL and am averaging now about 40 mpg.

 

A couple of comments regarding getting good mileage.

• As I understand it the advertised 47 mpg is a administered and simulated driving test done by a government agency. It appears that Ford has perfected the algorithm to maximize results using this test.
  
• Achieved mileage is totally dependent on how one drives. Other factors will be outside temperature, type of gasoline, and road conditions. Those in northern climates will take a hit because of cold, ethanol in the tank, and snowy roads.
  
• Using typical driving techniques in typical environments will probably only get you mid to upper 30s.
  
• Using good mileage driving techniques will probably get you upper 30s to lower 40s.
  
• Using supreme mileage driving techniques will get you lower 40s to stated EPA estimates.
  
• You'll need to be a right lane driver with patient people in your rear view mirror to achieve the highest mileage.
  

Having said all that I still prefer the C-Max over the Prius due to styling, features, and power. I am fine with low 40s.

 

 

 

It is crazy that diesel in EU gets 50 to 70 miles per gallon. I have an acquaintance in Ireland with an Audi Diesel that gets 51 miles per gallon. This is also a high performance car. I guess these aren't allowed in US because of strict emission standards.

 

Those emission standards in the EU will be equal the US soon. The biggest downsides to diesel in the US is fuel quality and price. Diesel right now is .80+ per gallon more than RUG and you have to get higher mpgs just to break even on the addition expense. On the same driving cycle my C-Max is beating my Passat TDI by 4mpg.

Edited November 19, 2012 by darrelld

[nsteblay]

I did some gas engine only running today (65+mph highway driving) and averaged 43mpg with the engine running the entire time. As mentioned earlier, once the battery charge gets near the top of the charge, the mpg with engine running really climbs.

 

As the weather have changed, my mpg has dropped a touch (about 2mpg).

 

I completely agree that you must calculate mpg based on real world useage and full tank calculations. On my last fillup, my math showed 46.4mpg for that entire tank. The previous two fillups were lower than that. Every fillup improves about 2mpg.

 

I can say this for certain, my C-Max loves 35 to 40mph. That is where the highest mpg is found. It is not hard to exceed 55mpg at that speed range and 60mpg is not impossible. Highway mileage is where the mileage suffers.

 

Oh, today I had to floor it twice. It is really nice having so much power on tap when needed. That being said, it is also easy to dip into that and ruin your hopes of beating your previous high mpg. :D

 

Matt

 

I've been driving trying to utilize battery when ever possible. I never get to a fully charged battery. Maybe this is the wrong approach. I really don't see anyway of getting close to 47 mpg using this approach.

 

I'll try maximizing battery charge and see what happens. Maybe this is needed for the two engines to work in tandem in the most efficient way possible. It sounds like this is what you have done with good results.

 

Nick

[rkk]

"I only have 500 miles on my SEL and am averaging now about 40 mpg.

 

A couple of comments regarding getting good mileage.

• As I understand it the advertised 47 mpg is a administered and simulated driving test done by a government agency. It appears that Ford has perfected the algorithm to maximize results using this test."
  

Actually the test is designed by the EPA but the actual testing is done by Ford(or someone Ford has hired). The EPA double checks about 15% of the ratings sent in by the manufacturers. I agree that Ford has found a way to get the best possible results from the test even if real world results don't match up very well. At some point either the test will be changed, or Ford will be forced to restate the mileage on the sticker similar to what Hyundai has.

Edited November 20, 2012 by rkk

[catejust]

I have about 1500 miles so far on my SE that I've had since the middle of October. I've been hypermiling for the last six years. A couple of quick things I've noticed (not specifically relating to hypermiling)

• The manual indicates that the car's break-in period is technically "2000 miles–3000 miles (3200 kilometers–4800 kilometers)", so I think most of us experiencing lower-than-advertised fuel economy are still in this bracket
  
• With regard to highway driving, the engine will turn on and off at speeds up to 62 MPH (as reported by my ScanGuage, 65 MPH as reported by speedometer) as long as I keep the heat either off or around 65° - 69° F.
  
• Above 62 MPH, if you keep your Info Display on Engage (showing split power output), you can see that the EV motor turns on (at least when using cruise control) to assist when climbing hills and then recharges the battery going downhill
  
  • This behavior with motor assisting on uphill and charging on downhill sees higher, consistent MPG (versus the drop to around 18 or so MPG at 62 MPH when climbing a hill and recharging the battery)
    
  • I've noticed if I stay at 63 MPH (66 per the speedometer), it is just fast enough to keep the engine running the whole time and letting the EV motor still assist when climbing hills
    
  • The EV motor seems to be able to provide the most assistance when climbing hills at 63 MPH (since this is just above the speed-threshold where the EV motor would stay on anyway) than at 70 MPH (where the motor hardly provides any assistance)
    

  [*]When the weather was warmer (65°F) a little while back, I was driving 60 MPH on the highway and averaged 52 MPG to Lansing and back (130 miles roundtrip).

I've only had to fill up 3 times since I've had the car (the first time I didn't record the fuel economy) but I'm averaging 46.1 MPG so far (according to data I've input to Fuelly). I work from home four day per week and then have to commute to Southfield, MI (36.6 miles highway) once per week. My driving is about 30% city, 70% highway.

Edited November 20, 2012 by catejust