C-MAX Fuel Mileage. What are you getting?

[darrelld]

The Prius V looks pretty scary.  The Camry received a Poor rating also.   Even the Suzuki did better than the Prius V.

 

I think Toyota cut some corners in the structure of the Prius and Camry to save weight.  The C-Max weighs 300# more than the Prius V.

 

 

 

When you sit in a Camry or Prius the door with supporting structure feels cheap. I was surprised at how solid and heavy the doors were in my C-Max during my first test drive. My Passat also earned the new TSP+ rating from IIHS and the doors have a solid feel similar to the C-Max.

[Aptos Driver]

The Prius V looks pretty scary.  The Camry received a Poor rating also.   Even the Suzuki did better than the Prius V.

 

I think Toyota cut some corners in the structure of the Prius and Camry to save weight.  The C-Max weighs 300# more than the Prius V.

 

 

Yeah, I watched the videos. They're pretty scary. I wish they'd run this test before we bought our Camry.

[Jus-A-CMax]

Broken legs in the Prius V, nice. Not. Also, looks like the side airbag popped the wrong way by the looks of things. Scary indeed.

[Generalbeluga]

"Or you could buy a Grill Cover set and gain 3-4mpg and be getting 47mpg alot of the time.  :)"

 

I didn't like taking the mask (bra) off of my roadster all of the time either, so I can just see myself forgetting to do it with my C Max grill cover on a hot August day!  Some things are worth the effort and some are not.  I guess I am a little bit lazy.   ;)   The Ford engineers are pretty smart folks and have put a lot of technology into this car.  Consider the variable louvers in front of the radiator to manage air flow dynamics and cold starts, which many on this forum probably don't even know exist!  My point is that most of us got way more technology than we ever expected at this price point, so if Ford would have thought that a $2.00 piece of vinyl on the grill would safely and efficiently increase overall MPG by 3-4 MPG, I think they would have done it.  JMO

Edited January 7, 2013 by Generalbeluga

[Jus-A-CMax]

Thats a $25 dollar piece of Lexan. Now the foam tubes, I have no idea  :drool:

 

ptjones is onto something here and seems to be a few people able to verify his results independently. My fear is what happens over the long term and when the weather gets hot. It looks like ptjones is using velcro to fasten the lexan and so it should be easy on or off. Also how does his lexan hold up against the flying rocks and stuff considering he drafts off the trucks et el?

 

However, the software solution would be the cleanest as it then controls the shutters but thats beyond anyone here in this forum to haxor it. My 2c,

[ptjones]

Thats a $25 dollar piece of Lexan. Now the foam tubes, I have no idea  :drool:

 

ptjones is onto something here and seems to be a few people able to verify his results independently. My fear is what happens over the long term and when the weather gets hot. It looks like ptjones is using velcro to fasten the lexan and so it should be easy on or off. Also how does his lexan hold up against the flying rocks and stuff considering he drafts off the trucks et el?

 

However, the software solution would be the cleanest as it then controls the shutters but thats beyond anyone here in this forum to haxor it. My 2c,

We shipped our first set today, hopefully two tomorrow and more soon. Very soon we will start getting independent results, can't wait. I have 5k on my grill covers and there doing fine,Lexan is a very durable plastic I understand the head light covers are made of it. If anything happens to the grill covers the car is going to fair badly.

 

IMO this is a hardware problem the car aren't getting to 202deg.F the minimum operating temp for ICE. As I have said before the shutters don't start to open until 180deg.F. Our cars are never getting that hot when it's below 60deg.F outside temp. Software just can't fix a machnical problem, But Grill Covers can.

[PWBarrett]

First commute to the office today.

For the 11 mile each-way trip, morning was at 31 degrees - averaged 34 MPG in in-town light traffic under 45 MPH.

Return trip was at about 50 degrees, and (I had never paid attention before,) more downhill - averaged 46.3 MPG.

We still have under 500 miles on the car.  I'm sure as it finishes breaking in, and as it warms up, the MPG will go up from here.

I'm quite happy with that compared to 18 in the old car.

 

I think it's interesting that even if the engine isn't warm enough for EV mode out on the road, it'll often let you maneuver out of the driveway in EV if you have the AC off.

Makes it much easier to show off "stealth mode".

 

Update: This morning I got 41.7 on the drive in rather than the 34 I got yesterday, but it was 46 degrees, so I got EV mode much more of the way.

Edited January 8, 2013 by PWBarrett

[jpettit]

Thought I would share my real world experience so far. 

 

We are almost done with the 2nd full tank, and about 600+ miles. My life time average is on the car is 36 MPG.

 

I live about 200 feet above town which is 3.5 miles away and so far the average temperature has been in the 40's.

I look at the results at the end of every leg of a trip. I get 28-32 MPG on an average on the 3.5 miles in to town (some down hill) and around 32-36 MPG on the way home ( some up hill) . Total round trip ~7 miles. I do this everyday.

 

If I take the car on longer drives for example to 40- 50 miles each way I can inch it up to the highest I have ever seen which is 37.2

 

I know how to drive a hybrid car. I use to own a Prius. I accelerate and decelerate as slow as possible without people running into the back of me.  I am at or below the speed limit.

I keep my eyes glued to the EV gauge but have not been able to get it to grow beyond 36 MPG for the life of the car so far.

 

I like the car and all the new bells and whistles but expected to see higher mileage. Hope it get better in the future...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[StoBro2]

During the week I drive from work to home for my lunch break. It's six miles and about 15 minutes of driving each way (I'm lucky, I get a full hour for lunch!). The temperature lately has been in the upper 20s to lower 30s. On my way home for lunch after the car has been sitting outside for 4 hours I get MPGs in the mid-30s. When I head back to work after lunch the car has only been sitting for about 20 or 25 minutes, so it's pre-warmed. I always get MPGs in the mid-40s. This is with the HVAC set at 69 degrees and running the entire time.

 

I would imagine if my commute was only 3.5 miles and the engine was cold for all trips that I'd probably get MPG in the low to mid 30s too.

[PWBarrett]

Yep, short trips when it's cold are not this car's forte.  I'm looking forward to warmer weather.

Accelerating very slowly may not get you as many MPG as doing the pulse-and-glide method of just going ahead and using moderate acceleration for a shorter time, then letting off entirely.

But on short trips, the engine's too cold to allow EV anyway.

 

I'm also looking forward to the new MFT 3.5.1 screen that will show why the car isn't in EV mode, like engine too cold, AC on, etc.

[ptjones]

You need to go to MyView and set up WT gauge on right side. For the ICE to be effient the gauge needs to read in the middle. I know it is probably at the bottom of gauge, not good. Running the heater is a MPG killer. Use heated seats instead. My grill covers heatup ICE alot faster saving MPG's and are more aerodynamic at 70mph for a total gain of around 4mpg.  paul@star-instruments.com

Edited January 10, 2013 by ptjones

[jmckinley]

Got an interesting communication from my salesperson today.  It's entitled "Abridged Q&A intended for Discussions with Consumers".

 

It's two pages long and starts off referencing the Consumer Reports report highlighting fuel economy of the C-Max and Fusion.

 

It talks about EPA testing and other stuff.  It also says if you drive 70 mph, at 40 degrees, before 6,000 miles you could drop 17mpg.

 

Busy now, but I'll scan it later and post it.

[Adair]

Will look forward to reading that John! Will you post it here or under a new heading?

[ptjones]

Got an interesting communication from my salesperson today.  It's entitled "Abridged Q&A intended for Discussions with Consumers".

 

It's two pages long and starts off referencing the Consumer Reports report highlighting fuel economy of the C-Max and Fusion.

 

It talks about EPA testing and other stuff.  It also says if you drive 70 mph, at 40 degrees, before 6,000 miles you could drop 17mpg.

 

Busy now, but I'll scan it later and post it.

I'll be interested in seeing this also. My dealer was unaware of this when I spoke with him today.

[jmckinley]

Attached is the letter forwarded to me by my salesperson. It is apparently intended to be a guideline for salespeople to address some of the bad press and rumors regarding C-Max gas mileage. 

 

I guess I have to post this as two replies.  Here is Page One

 

C-Max Letter pg1 pdf.pdf

[jmckinley]

I must have violated some rule.  Website won't let me upload page two.  Apparently you're only allowed 500K per day or per visit or per something.  Will try again tomorrow.

 

[From Speed6ing 2 C-Maxing]

500kb TOTAL...

[jmckinley]

OK, tried a workaround.  Both pages are posted in the Gallery - Album titled "Dealer Q&A Letter"

[ptjones]

OK, tried a workaround.  Both pages are posted in the Gallery - Album titled "Dealer Q&A Letter"

I don't  see anything really new other than they might think 65mph is considered their hwy speed. Atleast to me it seems my Grill Covers are the only significant improvement in MPG without a big change in driving style. It appears most people didn't sign up for that. 

 

Temps in Atlanta area are suppose to be in middle 70's this weekend so I will be able to do more testing. According to my graph projections I should be to get 46mpg at 75deg.F with Grill Covers. We will see. Also be able to check ICE temps and compare CMAX WT gauge to ScanGauge at higher temps.

[Brittanyman]

Tried a highway drive today to see how the cruise affects the mileage.  First, let me give you the specifics: weather was in the 40's, little to no wind, a full tank of E10 gas, and as I've mentioned before, there's no place around here that doesn't have some hills, so this was on the outer belt highway (virtually no traffic until I hit close to the exit I wanted) but was definitely not a flat drive by any means.  I put the cruise on (NOT the eco cruise, which I don't think I'll use much if at all, considering it would tick off the drivers behind me) on the drive out.  Mileage was 38.7 miles, and I got 39.4 mpg.  On the drive back I turned off the cruise to see if I could do any better just working it myself.  The answer was no!  36.4 miles back, and I got 37.6 mpg. My car is still a little south of having 1,000 miles on it.

 

From what I've been seeing with mine -- and granted, it's not broken in yet -- if you do most of your driving in the city you're going to love the mileage you get with this car (I expect to get mid-40's or better on my normal commute to work if I'm at all paying attention to how I'm driving).  But if you do a lot of highway driving, unless it's as flat as western Kansas where you are, it will probably be less than the 47 Ford is touting (which also means the combined is off as well).  But that's true of a lot of cars.  With this one, the 188 horsepower it has was a draw for me, as when I go up into the mountains west of me I wasn't sure my Honda Civic Hybrid was even going to make it, it really strained the engine.  I won't have that worry with the C-Max.  Not to mention the ability to merge into highway traffic is more of a sure thing.

 

So it's still getting better than the doggy Civic Hybrid I had was getting, and it's a much bigger, heavier, more powerful vehicle.  Overall, I'm pretty happy with the mpg, especially since the bulk of my everyday driving is 55 mph and under.

 

I've had my C-Max for about a month now.  I only had driven it locally and my gas mileage was 35 to 37 mpg.  We just recently took it on some longer trips.  We started with about 660 miles on the vehicle.  From Wytheville, Va to Western PA over a five day period we put on 411.3 miles and the calculated gas mileage was 34.014 mpg.  It was very cold in Western Pa.  From PA back to Wytheville, VA we added another 282.2 miles  and the calculated gas mileage was 37.61.  The next  part of the trip was from Wyrheville, Va to Winston-Salem, NC.  We stopped there for for 2 days and made some short trips.  Then on to Columbia, and back to NC with a stop in Rock Hill, SC.  We added 346.2 miles with a calculated gas mileage of 42.66.  Then back to Winston-Salem covering 108.5 miles and the car's instrument display mpg was 46.9 mpg for this leg of the trip. 

 

I now have 1808.7 miles on my C-Max.  The display mpg the last two fill ups has been pretty accurate when I calculate the mileage vs the gallons used.  I hope this trend continues.

[ptjones]

I've had my C-Max for about a month now.  I only had driven it locally and my gas mileage was 35 to 37 mpg.  We just recently took it on some longer trips.  We started with about 660 miles on the vehicle.  From Wytheville, Va to Western PA over a five day period we put on 411.3 miles and the calculated gas mileage was 34.014 mpg.  It was very cold in Western Pa.  From PA back to Wytheville, VA we added another 282.2 miles  and the calculated gas mileage was 37.61.  The next  part of the trip was from Wyrheville, Va to Winston-Salem, NC.  We stopped there for for 2 days and made some short trips.  Then on to Columbia, and back to NC with a stop in Rock Hill, SC.  We added 346.2 miles with a calculated gas mileage of 42.66.  Then back to Winston-Salem covering 108.5 miles and the car's instrument display mpg was 46.9 mpg for this leg of the trip. 

 

I now have 1808.7 miles on my C-Max.  The display mpg the last two fill ups has been pretty accurate when I calculate the mileage vs the gallons used.  I hope this trend continues.

Check out 3MPG gained with grill covers thread in mileage forum

[Nascar36]

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.

 

Paul,

 

I tried to contact you about your grill covers via e-mail, but have not heard back from you. Do you have any left? If so, I am interested in a set. I can't contact you via instant message, but can't because I guess I don't have enough posts. If you do, could you please contact me at kmarugg@me.com.

 

Thank you,

 

Kevin

[cgul]

The weather has not been cold and my mileage is doing very well. I am pleased with it.

 

This is the mileage on the present tank:

 

One trip on the same tank:

 

My lifetime mileage which was reset at 600 miles:

 

The CMax will get the EPA mileage. This is NOT holding up traffic either. I try to run with traffic but use EV as much as I can. The HVB charges a lot faster than my Fusion hybrid did. By the way, I use my heater every cold morning just as I would with any other car. We have had some mild weather but it has changed today. I bought my CMax Nov. 9. It was one the dealer had ordered for stock and he called the morning it came in. Its build date was Sept. 17.

 

 

 

Edited January 17, 2013 by cgul

[jhritz]

There's not much detail in the dealer letter on what is accomplished over the 6000 mile break-in.  I assume that what is being broken in is the battery.  Engines don't take that long to break-in these days.

[F8L]

There's not much detail in the dealer letter on what is accomplished over the 6000 mile break-in.  I assume that what is being broken in is the battery.  Engines don't take that long to break-in these days.

 

Tires are generally considered broken in after a couple thousand miles. The hybrid drivetrain could take that long to break in as well.

 

Along those lines, I would urge CMAX owners to have their CVT fluid changed early on and have an analysis performed. Toyota claims the Prius transaxle fluid is lifetime but many of us have determined this to be false or at least misleading. My fluid looked pretty bad at 34k miles. That tells me there is a lot of break in material in the fluid and a good enough reason to change it early.