A/C and mileage in hot climates (Florida)

[ScubaDadMiami]

There's still a sunglass compartment.  I gave up trying to put my sunglasses in there without scratching them up.  I find it pretty much useless for it's intended purpose and haven't figured out what to use it for yet.

I've been using the sunglass compartment (I have the Pano Roof) from day one. Never a scratch. My only issue is that my glasses always get dirty, and it's not like I ever put something in there with dirt on it. Could just be that I am fanatical about cleaning my glasses.

[tishpit]

UPDATE:  Got the C-Max SE with pano roof.  With a/c running, averaging 43.4 MPG with a bit over 2,000 miles on her... wonderful!  Although this is in south FL, so no hills and this is also driving pretty conservatively with mostly suburban driving.  In the city... getting over 50 MPG!  The pano roof has a flimsy cloth cover that slides to block the sun, but it does let in some heat.  Not a big problem since the a/c works well.  But it doesn't really allow the front seat passengers to enjoy an overhead view as the roof opens too far back; only nice for backseat occupants.  And it doesn't replace having a sunroof, although most sunroofs can be very loud when open.  

[stephengoldberger]

Unlike your "Spark" the CMax AC is driven by an electric motor, not by an engine driven belt.  And with the big lithium battery running it, you can't even tell that the a/c is on by the way the car drives.  

 

Yes it sucks up some fuel, but less that a regular car.  Because the a/c runs at full speed independent of the engine speed, the compressor can be much smaller.  A regular car's compressor has to be big enough to cool the cabin while idling in a Miami traffic jam.  Then when running at highway speed, the capacity is way more than you need, which presents an unnecessarily large load on the engine.