C-MAX Fuel Mileage. What are you getting?

[salsaguy]

David

just curious why you chose the Hybrid instead of the plug-in Energi electric version of the CMax if your commuteeveryday to work is so short? Was it the extra cost (even though its reduced once govt discounts), or the severe hit on cargo space when buying the Energi over the hybrid?

Plugins are perfect for short (<12 mile commutes). They use electric the entire time around town. You would never use gas hardly.

Yes hybrids need to be warmed up and always use gas early on. usually it takes 10-15 mins for a car to warm up completely to temp and you probably arrive to work before the car is even warm which hurts your MPG #s big time.

Hybrids are best for mixed driving of short and long trips. Diesels best for long distance drivers.

Maybe get a block heater to warm it up sooner? or put a heating blanket over the engine in the morning before you go to work?

Hope you can find a way to boost your mpgs

 

I have put on just over 1000 miles on my new C-Max.  The first couple of weeks I got around 37 MPG average.  As the weeks have gone on I have seen this go more from 39 to 43 MPG average.  I reset the average every time I fill which is usually when I get down to about half a tank.  Though it really depends on where I am going and how cold it is and how long a trip.  I have a very short commute to work(6 minutes) and if it is cold it will tend to run on gas almost the whole way, yet if it is warm or if the car was recently used I get into the 40s 50s and even 60s on the MPG. 

Edited May 24, 2014 by salsaguy

[ptjones]

Is this while drafting behind a semi? I can totally see getting 45MPG if you stick to semi-speeds. 

Unfortunately drafting only works if the wind is coming at you or from the behind at speeds less than 20mph. Most of the time winds were cross winds so there is very little benefit in drafting.  To give an example when I was coming back I gassed up in El Paso and the winds were gusting to 30mph from the west. Within an hour I was up to 49.8mpg and it made very little difference if I was drafting or not going between 70 and 80mph. Within two hours the winds had shifted to strong winds from the south and drafting was useless and I was getting high 30's so that tank ended up getting 43.1mpg. The best results for drafting occur when winds are slight or coming from the front. :) 

 

Paul

[Noah Harbinger]

Unfortunately drafting only works if the wind is coming at you or from the behind at speeds less than 20mph. Most of the time winds were cross winds so there is very little benefit in drafting.  To give an example when I was coming back I gassed up in El Paso and the winds were gusting to 30mph from the west. Within an hour I was up to 49.8mpg and it made very little difference if I was drafting or not going between 70 and 80mph. Within two hours the winds had shifted to strong winds from the south and drafting was useless and I was getting high 30's so that tank ended up getting 43.1mpg. The best results for drafting occur when winds are slight or coming from the front. :)

 

Paul

 

Well heck, I'm astounded. I haven't done a lot of long trips but the ones I have, have had bad mileage. 

[ptjones]

Well heck, I'm astounded. I haven't done a lot of long trips but the ones I have, have had bad mileage. 

I do have Grill Covers,Wheel Covers,Gas Pods, 49PSI tire pressure and Scan Gauge which all together is worth about 4-5mpg. I have some more aero improvements that should be worth 1-2mpg's. :)

 

Paul

[Tom]

Is your Ford C-MAX delivering the kind of fuel mileage that you expected?

I'm getting mid to high 40s MPG in warmer weather.  Have 8,000+ miles on my car.  I am very happy!

[fbov]

Dave,

Thanks for the correction.  I meant to say one car length for every 10 MPH.  ...

Which you should have recognized immediately as exactly the same as the 1 second following distance you're labeling as unsafe. But you didn't, and that's where things turn ugly.

 

I guess it all comes down to how much hassle and unsafe driving practices you are willing to endure just for that extra one MPG.  If you are close enough to the car ahead of you for it's slip stream to make a difference in your mileage, you are way too close, period!   As Paul points out above, it's not just the car in front of you that you have to worry about.  What about the guy in the rear who's reaction time and breaks are not quite as good as yours? To drive safely and defensively, you have to be "driving" not just your car, but all of the cars around you assuming that the other guy will do the unexpected at any moment.  Safe driving is a skill that must be practiced each and every time you are behind the wheel.  Driving a two ton metal object at freeway speeds is inherently unsafe and practicing hyper-mileage techniques in any driving scenario increases the risk of an accident.  It only takes a fraction of a second for your whole life to change and one has to be immature, crazy or both to risk it all for the sake of some illusive mileage goal.  One MPG, really, REALLY!    I'm sorry for the soap box guys, but this is a real pet peeve for me. :rant2:  I'm frustrated hearing about the benefits of hyper-miling while it's inherent danger is down played or disregarded all together.  Everyone is free to drive as they see fit, so long as the Highway Patrol and the "laws of nature" don't catch up with you!  Just don't do it near me or someone I love while we are out on the road!    :superhero:

A holier-than-thou attitude from someone that can't see their own mistakes seems horribly misplaced. Your best reply would have been Nevermind.; you're agueing against your own position.

 

If you want to make a point, try starting with actual facts. Research your topic so you don't confuse a technique (drafting) with a very useful driving style (hypermiling) that you currently use on a regular basis (pulse & glide, engine off coasting, etc. are standard hybrid operational features). I think you're smarter than you appear; if you'd just try to discuss reality, rather than prove yourself right, you might have a valid point to make.

 

You haven't made one here that I can see...

 

HAve fun,

Frank, who agrees that drafting only works with unsafe following distances - more like 1 car length! - but continues to happily and safely hypermile without drafting.

[plus 3 golfer]

I posted the myth buster test results on drafting before.  I've tried drafting in my Jetta TDI behind big rigs and do see an immediate jump in instantaneous FE by about 20% at about 50 feet (about 3 car lengths) but as the warning says below, the big rig driver can't see you at that distance.  When I would back down so that I could see the side mirror on the rig, there was no distinguishable difference in the instantaneous FE.  Looks like myth busters rule is a little shy of the 2 second rule. :)  

 

Besides the big rigs generally drive the speed limit.  That would add an second night stay on my trips back East and even with a very optimistic fuel savings of 10 gallons of fuel at $3.50 / gallon (38 gallons instead of 48 gallon in my TDI) isn't even 1/3 of the cost of lodging (with pet) and meals.

 

 

"Warning: Don't try this! The safest distance to drive behind a big rig at 55 miles per hour is 150 feet. Driving any closer is insane because it puts you in the driver's blind spot and also does not give you enough time to respond if the big rig's driver changes speed. This post is for informational purposes only."

 

 

 

[SnowStorm]

I suspect the car would do much better in the mid west where things are flat.

Maybe and maybe not.  Hills can provide potential based P&G that is more efficient than kinetic based - and you can set cruise control and forget it.  I'm talking moderate hills, not 10% grades!  The ICE should provide all the power to go up (plus charge the battery) and then be off going down (without battery regen).  Some people don't agree - you can pick up the arguments in my post on "Can Hills Save Gas?".  Figured it's time to :stirpot: !

 

Hybrids are best for mixed driving of short and long trips. Diesels best for long distance drivers.

Technically speaking, I think diesels are great and we should have had far more of them in the US over the years past.  But I'm not yet convinced they are really "best" for long distances given today's vehicle choices.  First you pay more (like 10 to 20% over RUG), then - for the diesels typically compared to the C-Max - you add another 45 cents per gallon to cover periodic timing belt replacements and last, a bit of extra fuel running around looking for a "diesel station" (remember you're on a long trip - not familiar territory) and I doubt you come out ahead.  Plus, few folks can keep a car just for long trips so you must consider an "average" after all.

 

Unfortunately drafting only works if the wind is coming at you or from the behind at speeds less than 20mph. Most of the time winds were cross winds so there is very little benefit in drafting.

Interesting.  Reminds me of years past in the aircraft industry working with fuel efficiency in biz jets.  Flying into a head wind you must speed up to get peak fuel efficiency (slow down for a tail wind).  Don't know if it carries over to cars but since we are almost always going way above the speed for peak efficiency (wish I knew what it is), speeding up lowers MPG.

[salsaguy]

Sorry for any confusion about my statement about diesels. I was strictly speaking about the mpg numbers across the 3 types of cars.

Hybrids - highest mpg in town under 45 mph

Plug in/electrics - highest MPGe in town under 35 mph

Diesels - highest mpg on long trips with constant speed above 65/70 mph

 

Technically speaking, I think diesels are great and we should have had far more of them in the US over the years past.  But I'm not yet convinced they are really "best" for long distances given today's vehicle choices.  First you pay more (like 10 to 20% over RUG), then - for the diesels typically compared to the C-Max - you add another 45 cents per gallon to cover periodic timing belt replacements and last, a bit of extra fuel running around looking for a "diesel station" (remember you're on a long trip - not familiar territory) and I doubt you come out ahead.  Plus, few folks can keep a car just for long trips so you must consider an "average" after all.

Edited May 28, 2014 by salsaguy

[ptjones]

"Warning: Don't try this! The safest distance to drive behind a big rig at 55 miles per hour is 150 feet. Driving any closer is insane because it puts you in the driver's blind spot and also does not give you enough time to respond if the big rig's driver changes speed. This post is for informational purposes only."

 

Why does it matter if you are behind a Semi if he sees you or not? A Semi Truck takes 600ft to stop from 55mph and a CMAX takes 128ft from 60mph and it's the difference in speed between you and the Semi that's important, the first second the Semi hasn't slowed more than 10mph if that much, so how long does it take to go a hundred ft. about 6 seconds. Given these numbers it would take at least 3 seconds before you would hit the Semi from a hundred ft. back if you did nothing. As I said before you need to be very aware what is going on in front of you if you are going to be drafting. Don't do it if you are not going to put the effort in it. :)

 

Paul

[nsteblay]

Took my first long trip.  3800 miles Minnesota to Florida to South Carolina back to Minnesota.  Averaged 41.1 MPG.  Car loaded with luggage and family of 4.  Drove at posted freeway speeds 65 - 70 MPH.  Used cruise control extensively.  Ignored any driving technique.  Very happy with the results.

[salsaguy]

What was the outside temps like?

 

Took my first long trip.  3800 miles Minnesota to Florida to South Carolina back to Minnesota.  Averaged 41.1 MPG.  Car loaded with luggage and family of 4.  Drove at posted freeway speeds 65 - 70 MPH.  Used cruise control extensively.  Ignored any driving technique.  Very happy with the results.

[weebee]

About 250 miles on the car and I'm seeing around 45mpg. Far better then I would have expected on a car not even broken it yet. It makes my Subaru's 37mpg seem like highway robbery!

[Adrian_L]

Keep a log of your consumption and you'll be amazed.  We just hit 3,000 miles and we've gone from 39 mpg per tank to 47 on the last fill.  I use the ECO cruise every day, even for city driving.  44 psi in the tires.       

[Marc Smith]

first fill..not bad for a first tank...

 

548 miles  234 EV

12.31 gallons (indicated)

44.9 mpg (indicated)

12.84 gallons (pumped)

42.8 mpg (calculated)

Tires 40psi

this included 200 highway miles @ 65mpg the remainder being a 40 mile round trip daily commute

[shinytop]

I have had Maximus for one week.  About 420 miles.  Today on my commute to work and back I got 51 MPG with A/C on since it was 85 and high humidity.  I use eco cruise when I can.  When not I will let off on gas to get EV  to kick in.  I have always tried to accelerate and brake moderately.  My drive home from buying my car was 240 miles, about 170 interstate and I kept at around 70 and got 40 MPG.  I think I am really going to love this car.  I came from a mid sized SUV and do not feel like I am in a small car except for the lack of nooks in the cabin to stash small things like cell phones, etc.  Loving Sync and glad I got SEL in gray. 

[C-MaxSea]

Weebee, Adrian, Marc, Shinytop - hope you all have a chance to check out Fuelly for your fuel-ups; you guys 'get it' !!!  :rockon: :rockon: :rockon:

[Marc Smith]

my previous was a 2010 prius with the flying bridge.  I do miss the area under the bridge for storage.  but the door pockets in the cmax are absolutely cavernous... and the center console is a bit too deep...  next week I'm heading to madison OH, from vienna VA    about 380 miles each way.... should be some good high way miles..might have to try  eco cruise one way and normal cruise the other...

 

neeed to figure out if I can use google maps on my phone to link to MFT/mysync

[SnowStorm]

This car is insane!

 

Just completed a "round trip" (return to same point) as shown below getting 61 MPG!  This was virtually all country road "highway" driving at 50 mph (or less where required).  Included elevation changes from sea level to 2200 feet, a coastdown test and, of course, plenty of stops, but otherwise near perfect conditions.  75 to 85F, no AC, no rain, little wind, E0 gas and a rather light load.  A leisurely trip for sure but still amazed you can go "cross country" and get over 60 mpg (indicated).  Its also amazing how many beautiful non-interstate roads there are that are 55 to 70 mph, well maintained, have gorgeous scenery and little traffic.

 

Leave early and try one sometime!  The gas you save could be your own!

 

[Marc Smith]

snow.  great job.  where in VA are you...

 

I leave for ohio on thursday.  looking at interstate most of the way to cleveland...

[robfixit]

My new CMax is not broken in yet, but after 1500 miles, I am very happy. The first Tank I got 42, on the second I got 44, and on my first long trip (over 400 miles) from the SF Bay Area to Southern California, running the AC most of the time, navigating 2 steep grades, and often driving 70mph, I was surprised and thrilled to get 47.4 mpg. I drove it conservatively, trying to avoid fast acceleration, and I tried to keep it under 75mph, though a couple of times I found myself hitting 80mph. I thought for sure with the higher speed limits and the heavy use of A/C that my mileage would go down.

[C-MaxSea]

This car is insane!

 

Just completed a "round trip" (return to same point) as shown below getting 61 MPG!  This was virtually all country road "highway" driving at 50 mph (or less where required).  Included elevation changes from sea level to 2200 feet, a coastdown test and, of course, plenty of stops, but otherwise near perfect conditions.  75 to 85F, no AC, no rain, little wind, E0 gas and a rather light load.  A leisurely trip for sure but still amazed you can go "cross country" and get over 60 mpg (indicated).  Its also amazing how many beautiful non-interstate roads there are that are 55 to 70 mph, well maintained, have gorgeous scenery and little traffic.

 

Leave early and try one sometime!  The gas you save could be your own!

 

 

That is insanely good SnowStorm !!!    :hat_tip: :hat_tip: :hat_tip:

 

Cheers to 'off the beaten path Freeway/Interstate' driving, when we get the chance !

 

Nick

Edited July 3, 2014 by C-MaxSea

[Jus-A-CMax]

This car is insane!

 

Just completed a "round trip" (return to same point) as shown below getting 61 MPG!  This was virtually all country road "highway" driving at 50 mph (or less where required).  Included elevation changes from sea level to 2200 feet, a coastdown test and, of course, plenty of stops, but otherwise near perfect conditions.  75 to 85F, no AC, no rain, little wind, E0 gas and a rather light load.  A leisurely trip for sure but still amazed you can go "cross country" and get over 60 mpg (indicated).  Its also amazing how many beautiful non-interstate roads there are that are 55 to 70 mph, well maintained, have gorgeous scenery and little traffic.

 

Leave early and try one sometime!  The gas you save could be your own!

 

 

Well done! So you better hide Mr.Snow Storm. Consumer Report will be after you for making LIES out of their report that the CMax is a 38MPG car. :airquote: Your stat are not beliveable, is their response ;)

 

 

Ah..to hell with CR, this CMax gets better and better - especially in the under 50mph roads. Or City :)

[shinytop]

Ok, guys and gals, could I have some reassurance. Second tank, I am at 570 miles.  Range is listed at 50 miles.  My tank gauge is well below 1/8th tank but still white.  Am I safe to go the last 30 miles? 

[ptjones]

Ok, guys and gals, could I have some reassurance. Second tank, I am at 570 miles.  Range is listed at 50 miles.  My tank gauge is well below 1/8th tank but still white.  Am I safe to go the last 30 miles? 

Yes, you should be able to go 40miles past 0miles to empty! :)  Just got my second 700mile tank this year and it could have been third if I hadn't had to fullup to go on trip. :happy feet: :)

 

Paul