New owner taking delivery Thursday

[Kelleytoons]

Hi, kids, my wife and I are two old folks who started off Friday looking for either a small SUV or a hybrid sedan and ended up with a C-Max after the internet salesman at the Ford dealership (a terrific guy named Ryan) called it the "hybrid version of the Ford Escape".   We think that description apt if not complete.  And after driving it we never even got as far as the Toyota dealer (to check out the Prius V, which after reading things makes me glad we didn't bother -- however, I've driven my friend's Prius Sedan and it's a whale that I would *never* buy).

 

I'm actually pretty amazed we got a hybrid (even though it was on the table I was pretty sure we were going to get a small SUV since we came from a Durango and wanted the same sort of layout if not size).  But this is one of those rare cases of anti-buyer remorse (you know, you go out and order a car and then start reading about it and think you made a mistake).  The more reviews and info I read about the C-Max the more right I think we were and the more excited I am about getting it (the one we want is being delivered in the next couple of days and we'll pick it up Thursday).

 

Anyway, I'll stop by here I'm sure to ask questions and look for tips and tricks (and perhaps share any we discover).  It's been a LONG time since I've been as excited about a car as I am about this one (our Durango is 14 years old, bought brand new in 2000, and will now serve as only a backup).

[Ponypower]

Congratulations on your new CMax.  What did you get?  I own a 2014 SEL Ruby Red with every option.  Couldn't be happier!!! I have not had one single problem since I took ownership in January 2014.

 

ENJOY the drive and make SURE you share the Cmax with your wife

 

Thanks

[Kelleytoons]

Thanks for the congrats.

 

We got one with nearly all the bells and whistles (except it has cloth interior, which we really wanted in this hot and muggy climate).  So I'm not sure what trim that ends up being (it has auto liftgate, back sensors and Nav, for example).  Ice Storm which was the best color of any car and make we looked at other than the Honda CR-V (whose light blue color, whatever it's called, is truly stunning).

 

My wife will drive it to work two days a week and for whatever other trips she needs to make when I'm playing tennis (I'm retired and play six days a week most weeks, but the courts are within three miles of our house so I can use our Durango to get there and not wince at the gas :>).  I, of course, will drive it on ALL other occasions <g>.

[Wnuk]

Congrats kelleytoons. I got my 2013 SE new just two weeks ago today and couldn't be happier with mu purchase thus far. I have exceeded the EPA ratings on both tanks so far, averaging 48.5 MPG including highway/AC use.

 

I got a leftover 2013 at a steal and it looks like it's equipped the same as yours, with cloth, MFT and Nav, and power lift gate. Mine also included the moonroof, though I wished it was retractable to a degree.

 

Enjoy your new ride.

[Kelleytoons]

As it turns out we'll be picking it up tomorrow instead (yay!).  It's a 2014 - at one point they were looking at a 2013 for the color we wanted but they ended up giving us thw same great deal on the newer model.

 

I'm not sure in this hot climate whether we'll get great MPH but it's got to be better than the Durango.

Edited July 14, 2014 by Kelleytoons

[Adair]

 

Hi, kids, my wife and I are two old folks who started off Friday looking for either a small SUV or a hybrid sedan and ended up with a C-Max after the internet salesman at the Ford dealership (a terrific guy named Ryan) called it the "hybrid version of the Ford Escape".   We think that description apt if not complete.  And after driving it we never even got as far as the Toyota dealer (to check out the Prius V, which after reading things makes me glad we didn't bother -- however, I've driven my friend's Prius Sedan and it's a whale that I would *never* buy).

 

I'm actually pretty amazed we got a hybrid (even though it was on the table I was pretty sure we were going to get a small SUV since we came from a Durango and wanted the same sort of layout if not size).  But this is one of those rare cases of anti-buyer remorse (you know, you go out and order a car and then start reading about it and think you made a mistake).  The more reviews and info I read about the C-Max the more right I think we were and the more excited I am about getting it (the one we want is being delivered in the next couple of days and we'll pick it up Thursday).

 

Anyway, I'll stop by here I'm sure to ask questions and look for tips and tricks (and perhaps share any we discover).  It's been a LONG time since I've been as excited about a car as I am about this one (our Durango is 14 years old, bought brand new in 2000, and will now serve as only a backup).

 

Welcome Kelleytoons! You are our 2,301 member! Unless you retired at 50, we are probably of the same generation. I predict you will LOVE your C-MAX! I have a 2013 SEL that i special ordered and couldn't be happier with it. I got all the bells and whistles, and some I haven't even used yet, like Park Assist. Can't wait to hear your thoughts after you've driven for a few days. There are some amazing, intelligent, creative, and resourceful folks on this forum. You'll have some fun reading, and then figuring things out as you go along. Please don't hesitate to throw a question out there if you don't see an answer you need. With folks on both coasts, there's almost always someone on here.

 

Again, welcome!

[Ponypower]

Congratulations on your new cMax,  The best hybrid made, and still a blast to drive!!

[salsaguy]

You will actually get worse gas mileage if you are using a bad mpg car/SUV on a very short trip since its not even getting warmed up fully within 3 miles probably.

 

BTW, congrats on your new ride. Enjoy it

You will love this forum and the cool/kind folks here who are very helpful

 

Thanks for the congrats.

 

We got one with nearly all the bells and whistles (except it has cloth interior, which we really wanted in this hot and muggy climate).  So I'm not sure what trim that ends up being (it has auto liftgate, back sensors and Nav, for example).  Ice Storm which was the best color of any car and make we looked at other than the Honda CR-V (whose light blue color, whatever it's called, is truly stunning).

 

My wife will drive it to work two days a week and for whatever other trips she needs to make when I'm playing tennis (I'm retired and play six days a week most weeks, but the courts are within three miles of our house so I can use our Durango to get there and not wince at the gas :>).  I, of course, will drive it on ALL other occasions <g>.

[salsaguy]

be sure to sign up and create an account at fuelly.com so you can track your mpg/mileage and share your results with the rest of us and other CMax owners

 

As it turns out we'll be picking it up tomorrow instead (yay!).  It's a 2014 - at one point they were looking at a 2013 for the color we wanted but they ended up giving us thw same great deal on the newer model.

 

I'm not sure in this hot climate whether we'll get great MPH but it's got to be better than the Durango.

[Kelleytoons]

Thanks for all the welcomes.

 

Yeah, I know the Durango won't get great mileage for short trips, I just mean we won't be using much gas for the two-three mile trips I'll make (so even at 10MPH a tank will last a LONG time -- I may only fill it up two or three times in a year).

 

I've been borrowing a friend's Prius for a week while they are away (we drove them to the airport and they said we could use it while they were gone) and it's amazing what a slug/whale it is.  Last night I tried to accelerate to merge into the highway and nearly got run over.  Going from 0-40 is about the same as me on a bicycle <g>.  During our test drive of the C-Max the acceleration was one of the things I was impressed about.  Plus the Prius is very noisy and makes odd noises as it changes from gas to electric and vice versa.  I'm so glad it wasn't even something we tested (actually, the other car we had considered was the Prius V but I understand it's even slower).

 

(And I retired at 54 so squarely in the "boomer" generation.  I'm currently in my 60's but don't feel it -- can beat many folks 30 years my junior on the courts <bg>)

[FordService]

 

Hi, kids, my wife and I are two old folks who started off Friday looking for either a small SUV or a hybrid sedan and ended up with a C-Max after the internet salesman at the Ford dealership (a terrific guy named Ryan) called it the "hybrid version of the Ford Escape".   We think that description apt if not complete. ...

 

Kelleytoons,

 

Congrats on the new car! Can't wait to see the photos. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns!

 

Ashley

[salsaguy]

Kelly so glad to hear your negative views of the prius-uck

I agree it's a tin can that can't get out of its own way.

If real consumers did a side by side back to back drive test it would be a no brainer and the cmax would outsell all the time. I don't know why Ford doesn't do more of those test to the public. Or show cmax commercials that really showed how they differ where it really matters.

Your personal experience is worth millions.

[Kelleytoons]

Yeah, it was an interesting experience last night.  We drove into Orlando (about 40 miles or so) in our friend's Prius, and then I drove back on our new C-Max.  So a pretty good direct comparison.

 

It was the first time I had the Prius out on the highway for a long stretch and it just confirmed to me how badly it handles.  But the real eye opener (quite literally) was when I drove back in the C-Max I could really see both the road and the gauges so much better.  Admittedly this wasn't the newest model Prius, but it did have a center screen (like our MFT).  But the layout of the main controls and that center screen is *really* bad (so bad, in fact, that the MFT looks absolutely amazing compared to it).  I could hardly see the speedometer (the main gauges are located far away -- hard to explain unless you've seen them) whereas the C-Max just looks "right".

 

And the room.  In our friend's Prius Sedan I felt like I was in a sardine can (and this is not the smallest Prius, but the largest one).  By contrast the C-Max feels almost as roomy as our Durango (which is saying something).  So really good marks all around.

 

A few negatives: I still don't like the lack of a full arm rest on the right hand side.  Because I sit pretty far forward my elbow hovers over the cup holders and I need to do something about that.  I'm going to investigate the Trillium arm cushions and, failing that, may try and fabricate my own solution.  And there are some controls I either can't figure out (most likely) or just don't work properly (which I kind of doubt).  I'm off to post about those, though.

[salsaguy]

Hope you can figure out the controls and yes there are plenty of folks here to help you out with that.

Armrests add pretty important so hope you get that squared away. I haven't had enough time in a cmax to comment on that. I know I liked the armrest on my older Passat that got totaled more than the armrest on my current Passat, so up can relate.

Good luck and enjoy being differnet from the masses of Prii owners out there. Dare to be different.

[nsteblay]

 

 

 

Some mileage you can expect ... 50+MPG over my last 250 miles, 60+MPG on my commute home from work today (21 miles).

 

Enjoy!

[Kelleytoons]

I was actually pleasantly surprised yesterday when I got about 40.2mpg just driving to tennis (and back).  It's a real short commute (only three or four miles), with the air on (hot here in Florida) and with less than 300 miles total on the car I don't think we're close to break in period.   I'm going to guess that my particular style of driving will regularly average over 40mpg, which is absolutely terrific for me not having to alter anything I've been doing for the last 20 years (I was taught how to drive "correctly" back in the 80's by my employer, when we were driving cars provided by them.  Back then gas was both "expensive" (at least compared to what it had been -- nowadays it would be a steal) as well as scarce (coming off the great "gas rationing" of the late 70's)).

[roninsd]

Congratulations on your new acquisition, Kelleytoons.  Glad you're enjoying the car, as most of us on this forum do.  Feel free to ask whatever questions you have.  there are a lot of knowledgeable people on this forum, all of whom have been where you are!