Jump to content

In the market for new car, would you buy another C-Max?

HendersonD

By HendersonD,
in General Discussion

 Share

Recommended Posts

Laurel

Laurel

Posted
Posted

Yes if you have a good Ford dealership who has experience with hybrids.  No if not. Nice fun car, but it all depends what you will use it for too.  Negatives are no heated steering wheel, no illumination on the gear shift console to see what gear you are in by glancing at the console, and the car sits a bit too low to the ground if you happen to go onto dirt roads with big ruts.  Super fun with the technology--maybe a little too fun as you can get too much into all the technology instead of watching the road. I am a fan of the Subaru and the Rav4 as both are nice reliable vehicles.  Let us know how your decision making goes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
C-MaxSea

C-MaxSea

Posted
Posted (edited)

Yes, absolutely yes!  It all depends on your needs / likes of course .................., but we love our C-Max as our touring / road trip / fun vehicle, other cars for grungy work.  It is tops for hybrids in our view;  having much more desirable features, ride, handling, acceleration, audio, instrumentation, materials ...................... a very rewarding drive experience and great gas efficiency.  We really love the quietness, and knowing that more than half the time we are floating along without the drone of an internal combustion engine and it's exhaust.

 

Drive everything you want to look at more than once, keep a C-Max overnight driving it on all kinds of roads, understand your needs, decide for yourself, don't believe everything you read, look, touch, listen...........

 

I believe the C-Max is a uniquely elegant transportation solution for the urban environment and beyond. (Of course plug-in & pure electric are even better, but how far down the road can they get you?)  

 

Good Luck,

 

Nick

Edited by C-MaxSea
Link to comment
Share on other sites
alexus

alexus

Posted
Posted

Over the next week I will be test driving:

  • Ford C-Max SEL
  • Subaru Forester
  • Toyota Rav4
  • Honda CRV
  • Toyota Prius

I have a 2000 Toyota Camry that has been reliable but is ready to be replaced. We live outside Rochester NY

Would you purchase a C-Max again? If so why? If not why?

 

Currently, I don't have CMax. But I consider to buy one. And my shopping list is actually the same as yours (except CRV: I really don't like the design). These are my findings, based on extensive test drives of Forester, Rav4 and Prius:

1. Prius and Rav4 are nice and reliable but no fun to drive: steering is lousy, cabin is noisy especially during acceleration, acceleration itself is not adequate in many situations

2. Rav4 ride is too firm

3. Visibility in Prius especially rear side is poor

4. Forester is better than Toyota in many aspects. Forester XT does have lots of power, great visibility and driver position, quiet inside and fun to drive. CVT is really smooth. Also it has small turning circle which is good for city parking (smaller than CMax). But it has AWD system and premium fuel is recommended, also some reports show mpg can be in low 20s in the city

So my final choice is between Forester XT and CMax. I think it all depends on driving conditions and where you live. If you drive in the city or heavy freeway traffic most of the time, then CMax is a better choice. Also if you don't have snow and ice on the road, then again CMax is superior. In all other situations, Forester would be the better choice.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
catsailor

catsailor

Posted
Posted

NO DOUBT I would purchase the same car again, after my 600 mile one way trip and back from INDY I was sold on how comfortable the seating and visability in my C Max is. Additionally if I could average 39.7 MPG round trip doing 65-70 MPH and lifetime at 21200 miles at 43.7 is tough to beat real world FE figures all with 188 HP under the hood. At NO time climbing mountains of Western MD did I ever feel under powered.

 

I am glad I bought this car and happy to buy another one because frankly a new car that averages 25 MPG is BORING anymore :)

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HendersonD

HendersonD

Posted
  • Author
Posted

My wife and I test drove several cars today, here are our impressions so far:

  • Rav4 - rode a bit rough, bigger car than we really need
  • Prius - felt underpowered, interior was very utilitarian and a bit stripped down
  • Camry Hybrid - out of the three Toyotas we drove, we thought this was the nicest. Quiet, great ride, much nicer interior than the the prius. The only downside is the seat sits lower than an SUV and my guess is it sits lower than the C-Max
  • Subaru Outback - nice vehicle, a bit noisier than the Camry and of course sacrficing about 15 MPG
  • Subaru Forester - another nice vehicle, also a bit noisier than the Camry and did not ride as nice. Sacrifice about 10 MPG over Camry. Seat height was nice and have read that Subarus are very reliable. AWD is nice but even living in Rochester, NY not sure it is a must have item. A good front wheel drive car with good tires goes a long way even in the snow

We are testing the C-Max this afternoon, I will report back then

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Laurel

Laurel

Posted
Posted (edited)

I will be curious to see what you conclude.  I thought Rochester, NY was snow country??  If so, the Forester might serve you better.  We have snow tires on our SEL and it does fine with the snow tires.  However if you have to negotiate any unplowed streets, the C-Max doesn't have much ground clearance so getting stuck I think would be an issue in those conditions. It all comes down to what YOU like.

Edited by Laurel
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tdefny

Tdefny

Posted
Posted

I own a Prius and it is an amazing car, but it doesn't hold a candle to my C-Max in ride, refinement, performance and a host of other factors. Plus I don't have to deal with the attitude of the local Toyota dealer anymore.

 

Bottom line, you have to test drive the different cars yourself (and maybe more than once) to see what is right for you, but I would buy the C-Max again.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HendersonD

HendersonD

Posted
  • Author
Posted

Rochester NY is snow country, we get about 100 inches a year. For the most part plows keep the streets free of deep snow and my driveway is kept plowed. The AWD of the Subarus is very nice but the number of days that it would be real handy in Rochester probably number less than 20. We did drive the C-Max this afternoon and were impressed. My wife has a Honda Fit so a comparison to that was a natural

  • The C-Max is larger in both length and width. This makes it feel roomier inside and the extra lenght gives me more leg room (I am 6'2"). The extra width makes it easier to go elbow to elbow with my wife as we share the center console
  • The C-Max rides better soaking up the bumps better
  • The C-Max is quieter in not only road noise but also wind noise
  • The intererior of the C-Max is nicer than the Fit

My wife's Fit is a nice around the town commuter car but not so nice on longer trips due to the ride and the noise. It seems that the C-Max would work nice for longer trips. We are going to do a bit more homework and drive the C-Max and Camry Hybrid one more time before making a decision.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
catsailor

catsailor

Posted
Posted

Rochester NY is snow country, we get about 100 inches a year. For the most part plows keep the streets free of deep snow and my driveway is kept plowed. The AWD of the Subarus is very nice but the number of days that it would be real handy in Rochester probably number less than 20. We did drive the C-Max this afternoon and were impressed. My wife has a Honda Fit so a comparison to that was a natural

  • The C-Max is larger in both length and width. This makes it feel roomier inside and the extra lenght gives me more leg room (I am 6'2"). The extra width makes it easier to go elbow to elbow with my wife as we share the center console
  • The C-Max rides better soaking up the bumps better
  • The C-Max is quieter in not only road noise but also wind noise
  • The intererior of the C-Max is nicer than the Fit

My wife's Fit is a nice around the town commuter car but not so nice on longer trips due to the ride and the noise. It seems that the C-Max would work nice for longer trips. We are going to do a bit more homework and drive the C-Max and Camry Hybrid one more time before making a decision.

Bet you end up with the C Max is just that much more refined of a hybrid and over all car.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Tdefny

Tdefny

Posted
Posted

My experience with the C-Max in the little snow we get on Long Island has been excellent compared to the Prius, but my prius is an older model with smaller tires than the current model. The traction control and yaw control plus the large tires make the C-Max very sure footed - a feeling I never had in the snow with the Prius. The only catch is the low ground clearance that you will get with any high MPG car, but that hasn't been an issue for me in the C-Max. I am guessing that the Max would probably do better in snot than the Fit however.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HendersonD

HendersonD

Posted
  • Author
Posted

I test drove the C-Max a second time today and will be purchasing one. Thanks for all the feedback!!

I have started another thread asking about the differences between the 2013 and 2014 model years if you have any input

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3357-differences-between-2013-and-2014/

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Jus-A-CMax

Jus-A-CMax

Posted
Posted

I test drove the C-Max a second time today and will be purchasing one. Thanks for all the feedback!!

I have started another thread asking about the differences between the 2013 and 2014 model years if you have any input

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3357-differences-between-2013-and-2014/

 

Well :congrats: . I can't convince you to buy a Prii now, can I ;)

 

Someone has to supprt the underdogs :drop:

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alexus

alexus

Posted
Posted

I test drove the C-Max a second time today and will be purchasing one. Thanks for all the feedback!!

I have started another thread asking about the differences between the 2013 and 2014 model years if you have any input

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/3357-differences-between-2013-and-2014/

Congradulations! I believe this is a right decision. I have a couple of questions though:

1. Why CMax is better than Forester, on your opinion?

2. Are you comfortable with the brake pedal in CMax? I did test drive it a couple of times and feel it is too high. But I'm 6 ft tall. Didn't find a comfortable position to access both gas and brakes.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
HendersonD

HendersonD

Posted
  • Author
Posted

The Forester was a very nice car and if you need the AWD, there is no better vehicle to get it on. I purchased the C-Max over the Forester for a few reasons:

  • Gas Mileage - this is a big one for me. My current 2000 Toyota Camry V6 gets about 25 MPG around town. This is close to what the Forester gets which gave a big advantage to the C-Max. I always thought it was odd that a lot of new vehicles get the same gas mileage as my 13 year old car
  • A bit quieter and a bit of a better ride

 

I must be comofortable with the brake pedal in the C-Max since I never gave it a second thought during the test drive

The only hesitation I have about purchasing the C-Max is reliability. I have owned a lot of Honda's and Toyotas over the past 25 year and they have all been very reliable. The last time I owned a Ford it was an early 80s Mustang. Ford has come a long way since then, the Mustang was one of the worst cars I ever owned

Link to comment
Share on other sites
alexus

alexus

Posted
Posted

HendersonD, thanks these are very good points. As regarding reliability, Comsumer Reports has a terrible rating for this car and there are CMax owners on this forum complained about multiple failures. But also I do see many owners which did not have any issues. I'd assume the failures are due to the first year if production, since the car has very advanced technology.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
 Share
Go to topic listing
×
×
  • Create New...