First Highway Trip with 2016 C-Max

[Telerisk]

Took my 2016 C-Max on its first Highway Drive....total distance 250 Miles....with no City Driving.  Come away impressions, excellent.  This is my first entry into the Hybrid world of driving.  Not having anything to compare this drive to, there were a few things following this drive that gives rise to some concerns but maybe unwarranted as I have nothing to compare...and maybe my concerns are Normal for a Hybrid and or, the C-Max.

 

Concerns;

1) I noted occasionally a very split second vibration as the Elec engine handed off to the Gas engine....I was rather impressed that I even saw the car was being powered by the Elec engine at Highway speeds; even at 65 MPH I saw the Elec Engine takeover for short distances.  It was at the hand off from Elec to Gas....again not all the Hands off...that I felt what I would best describe as a very slight vibration not sure I didn't heard a slight click from the right side of the rear compartment...as if a Switch or Relay that controls the Hands from Elec to Gas didn't make a slight sound.  This would seem a Normal thing as the Gas Engine does require a Startup and this may be that vibration I felt....very minor, but once again noticeable.  It was enough of a feel that I knew I was switching from Elec to Gas Power.  Again, I did not notice it on Gas to Elec only occasionally on Elec to Gas and not on every hand off....so is this Normal?

 

2) After I got home.....about 5 or 10 mins after turning off the Car I heard what sounded like a fan.  Exploring where the noise was coming from, I keyed into the Rear Compartment and concluded it must be a fan cooling the Batteries?    My guess it went on for about 10 to 15 Mins before it shutoff.  This again would seem Normal....and I am thinking on the good side, its good to know this Monitoring process that monitors the battery temperature kicked in as designed (I have nothing blocking the Intake or output of the air circulating for the Battery).  

 

Positives;

1) The C-Max has plenty of acceleration at the higher speeds in Fact it felt very much like the responsiveness I knew from driving past V-6 Gas Engines. 

2) I thought driving at 60 to 70 Speeds, the Gas engine would be exclusive; nice to see the Mix of Elec and Gas

3) Destination I was driving to and back....I was in a Bumper to Bumper stop and go slow....12 to 14 Mile Traffic backup on a Highway with Posted speed limit of 70. The entire time the C-Max was able to go thru this Backup totally on the Elec Engine. While the zillion other cars were using Gas....I was using None.  In fact, gas mileage increased during the Backup.

4) Overall the 250 Mile Highway trip.....when I got home and powered off, the Report card as I call it showed my Gas Mileage at 45.7.  I drove this same trip previously with a 2014 Honda CR-V...and experienced about the same Traffic backup pattern, and got 38MPG.  I therefore was very pleased with the C-Max's Highway Mileage; 2001 Minivan; same trip....23 MPG.

5) It handled great....very comfortably and for the most-part, quiet ride.  I noticed some Gas engine roar at times when I accelerated from slower speeds getting back to 65.  Pretty much the same level of sound I have always heard when driving in town and starting from a stopped position and the Elec engine hands off to the gas engine.  

6) At the higher speeds which topped at 70....I never felt like it was laboring....and it had plenty speed yet to go.  

 

 

Feedback especially to my CONCERNS will put my mind at ease that my Hybrid is acting as the 2016 Hybrid should....  

Edited March 18, 2017 by Telerisk

[AZgman]

You got 38 MPG with a Honda CRV? How?

[Telerisk]

Not sure how to answer your question regarding my 2014 Honda CR-V question......I kept my speed to no greater than 65 MPH other than that I can think of nothing else. Mileage was supported by Car's Display and actual math....filing Tank after trip and dividing Gallons to Fill into actual Mileage Traveled.  

[nsteblay]

Wow.  I have a CR-V and have driven it for the last 10 years.  Lifetime average is about 24 MPG - Fuelly confirms.  Never have even come close to 30 MPG.  I think your 38 MPG is a bonafide miracle! 

 

I just bought a 2016 CMax and have similar experiences to you.  I don't experience any vibration between ICE and EV transitions.  I can only tell because of instrumentation.

[joshg678]

I've experienced the noise you mentioned when the car is off too. I'm thinking it's more of a pump but not sure what for.

38MPG seems unrealistic in a CRV. My coworker has a 2016 CRV and gets 26 and drives highway only daily.

[ptjones]

The highest MPG average Fuelly is 2015 at 26.9 mpg, maybe he meant 28 mpg. :)

 

Paul

[Bill-N]

"... after I got home.....about 5 or 10 mins after turning off the Car I heard what sounded like a fan."

 

This may well have been the evap test pump.  There's discussion of this elsewhere in the forums.

 

 

Cheers.

[stevedebi]

The only thing I can think of on the CR-V was that he was on a slight slope when he refilled at the end of the trip, that would have shown less gas used. I had a 2003 and it got about 26 on the highway.

 

45 is actually very good for highway, I suspect that bumper traffic helped a lot. On my Energi I am lucky to get 40 on most routes. At 80 MPH it gets about 37. But most of my driving has been at 70. Keeping it at 65 will help a lot.

[Telerisk]

Although the Topic of my POST is about my 2016 C-Max....., hopefully it will get back on Topic and away from my CR-V's Mileage; I promise all of you that have commented about my Highway 2014 CR-V Gas Mileage....I will POST a picture of the Mileage Display following my next trip from Home to DisneyWorld....so you can all see it.  I assure you, when I fill my Tank, I am always certain to do so at a Station where my vehicle is sitting Level and in fact, almost 100% of the time, I gas up at the same Station.  The first Time I drove it to Disney I got 38 MPG moving upward to 39 MPG; no Traffic Backups.  The 2nd trip...Backs up both ways.....several in fact.....stop and Go....Mileage was down a bit to 34MPG.  This drive one way totals 107 miles of which all but about 14 miles is highway and I normally drive on the Highway at 65MPH.  

 

We are planning this trip in about 2 weeks....we have Disney Annual passes....and again, I'll POST a picture.

 

Hopefully this POST will get back on Topic as I would like to hear from fellow C-Max owners regarding my original Post on my 1st 2016 C-Max Road trip observations...

 

Thanks to all...... 

[SnowStorm]

Back on topic!

1. There have been a number of times that I feel/hear what it sounds like you are describing.  It seems it only occurs when the battery is almost at full charge and the ICE starts up because I've pressed hard enough on the accelerator to require its power but not hard enough to send it straight to higher RPMs.  Under these conditions it only needs to run at low RPM and there seems to be a bit of delay before the active noise cancellation cuts in.  It is certainly noticeable but only lasts for a split second.  I don't think I've ever noticed any 'click'.
2. I too hear a fan sometimes after shutting down the car.  I think there are several discussions on this forum if you do a search - I think it is battery cooling.

[korax234]

My 2015 i can feel a little vibration when going from ev to gas especially when the gas engine isn't fully warmed up

and when taking off really slow.  But I don't expect it to be perfect.  And when on the freeway I was also  

surprised by how much passing power the car has.  The torque from the electric motor really helps a lot. 

[Telerisk]

This is really a very nice great riding\Driving Hybryd....that in my case, doesn't need to be tethered an AC source.....I would never like a car that requires plugging in to charge a Battery.  What I keep scratching my head over, is why 1) Ford never showcased this Vehicle, at least in my State of Florida 2) Ford is disappointed in its sales and will discontinue\re-brand this Vehicle after the 2017 Run, or maybe the 2018 Run and who knows right now, if it will be the same Vehicle or altogether gone.  When I tell people what I drive they say they have never heard of the car....you won't sell what you fail to advertise to the Public.  

 

I thought the very slightest of vibration going from EV to ICE was normal; after all, the ICE has to start.....and it doesn't always occur at every Hand off and in no way impacts the forward movement or lack of Power.....  I've ridden in a Few Chevy's that shutoff when they come to a Stop at a Traffic light, etc...and re-start when you take your foot off the gas, now there's some vibration.  

[plus 3 golfer]

This is really a very nice great riding\Driving Hybryd....that in my case, doesn't need to be tethered an AC source.....I would never like a car that requires plugging in to charge a Battery.  What I keep scratching my head over, is why 1) Ford never showcased this Vehicle, at least in my State of Florida 2) Ford is disappointed in its sales and will discontinue\re-brand this Vehicle after the 2017 Run, or maybe the 2018 Run and who knows right now, if it will be the same Vehicle or altogether gone.  When I tell people what I drive they say they have never heard of the car....you won't sell what you fail to advertise to the Public.  

 

I thought the very slightest of vibration going from EV to ICE was normal; after all, the ICE has to start.....and it doesn't always occur at every Hand off and in no way impacts the forward movement or lack of Power.....  I've ridden in a Few Chevy's that shutoff when they come to a Stop at a Traffic light, etc...and re-start when you take your foot off the gas, now there's some vibration.  

There's been lots of discussion about this and not worth rehashing.  Ford made blunder after blunder with the C-Max.  It's hard to resurrect a perceived "bad" car especially with low fuel prices now.  Consumer Reports always liked the C-Max but Ford made critical mistakes early on which IMO doomed the C-Max.  

 

I also get the same response on what is a C-Max when I tell them what I'm driving.

[ptjones]

It's hard to sell a car if you don't advertise it.  I'm seeing alot more CMAX's in my area now, I think a lot of CMAX's with low miles are available now coming off leases and trade ins which has put a hurt on new CMAX sales. :sad: Noticed FFH sales were real good last month. :)

 

Paul

[Telerisk]

Just seems to me Ford isn't going to get out of the Hybrid arena, they are just tossing out the small Hybrid (C-max)...and putting the Technology into larger vehicles....F-150, Explorer....and other models.  Their is a market for this smaller Hybrid vehicle but it would appear Ford doesn't have the desire in the US to keep the line going....yet, they will keep the C-Max in production in Europe.  I never understood why Ford released the C-Max with rear sliding doors in Europe and simply reported that model would never be offered in the US.  That one puzzled me because that could be the Feature that would make this vehicle take a serious run at the Prius...the vehicle Ford produced the C-Max to knock Prius off the top. I'd go for a New Max in a Flash as my second car if it were offered with rear sliding Doors.  Apparently Ford isn't listening....like I wrote, in the entire 2016 year...the year I purchased my C-Max, in my TampaBay area (makes up about 5 Ford dealerships)...the Combined Dealership yearly Inventory on the 2016 couldn't have been greater than 8 to 10 C-Max's.  Right now, that inventory for the 2017 model...is 3....and that has been so since early February.  

 

Maybe Ford will change its mind...they seem to be doing a lot of that recently....and keep this size Hybrid Vehicle in their 2019 or 2020 model year.    In the meantime, I think I might get a little more serious on the Kia Niro LX Model....I do like its Warranty and the car looks from the outside almost identical to the C-Max....just would have liked it with the CVT Transmission.     

[ptjones]

You might want to read this first: http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/topic/6492-2017-ford-cmax-kia-niro-and-toyota-prius-v-mpg-test-drives/page-1 

CMAX comes with 8YR/100K mi. Hybrid Parts warranty and you add that to the rest of the CMAX. After driving 4 NIRO's it competes well with the Prius V, but It doesn't compete well against the CMAX. :)

 

Paul

[markd]

Ford's hybrid hatch isn't going away, they're even going to have a Transit connect model.

[SnowStorm]

There's been lots of discussion about this and not worth rehashing.  Ford made blunder after blunder with the C-Max.  It's hard to resurrect a perceived "bad" car especially with low fuel prices now.  Consumer Reports always liked the C-Max but Ford made critical mistakes early on which IMO doomed the C-Max.  

 

I also get the same response on what is a C-Max when I tell them what I'm driving.

On the other hand, all those people out there that never heard of the C-Max (most of the US!) have, also, never heard of the 47/47/47 thing and the 12V battery problem.  Those issues are gone, so would have no effect on a new buyer just being introduced to the car.  I still think the C-Max and Fusion hybrids are, to some extent, test beds for newer hybrid technology and Li-ion batteries.  Ford wouldn't want millions of cars out there if there had been some major problem.  Add the low gas prices that came along and its easy to see that advertising dollars should go elsewhere.  I suspect Ford pretty much knows what they are doing - even if we don't always agree.

[notquitesane]

Because of the early problems I almost didn't buy my 2015 C-MAX, but I'm sure glad I did.  When I looked over the car at an auto show, nobody came near the car, I was free to sit in it and look it over for as long as I wanted.  People were more interested in the newly redesigned F150 that was on display.  When I searched for a C-MAX on a dealers lot, it was hard to find one.  They had to search 1,000 km away to find a model with the colour and package I wanted.  When I picked up my car from the dealership, a mechanic came up to me and asked how I knew about the car as he'd never seen one before.

 

Every once in a while I feel a vibration when switching to electric mode, usually when the weather is cold out.  Most of the time it is silky smooth.  When I have a passenger in the car they usually can't tell if the gas engine is running or not.

 

With regards to how powerful the car is on the highway, I was massively impressed with how my car performed on a drive through the Rocky Mountains.  Driving through the Coquihalla Highway in British Columbia up in Canada, I set the cruise to 120 kph (75 mph) and the car maintained that speed throughout the pass.  Sure it was screaming plenty but the highway gets to an 8% grade at one point during the climb.  I also got fantastic fuel economy through the mountains, much better than driving on a flat highway.

 

 

edited cruise control speed.

Edited March 27, 2017 by notquitesane

[plus 3 golfer]

On the other hand, all those people out there that never heard of the C-Max (most of the US!) have, also, never heard of the 47/47/47 thing and the 12V battery problem.  Those issues are gone, so would have no effect on a new buyer just being introduced to the car.  I still think the C-Max and Fusion hybrids are, to some extent, test beds for newer hybrid technology and Li-ion batteries.  Ford wouldn't want millions of cars out there if there had been some major problem.  Add the low gas prices that came along and its easy to see that advertising dollars should go elsewhere.  I suspect Ford pretty much knows what they are doing - even if we don't always agree.

The point being Ford made the blunders and Ford marketing failed to turn the consumer towards the C-Max in early 2014 with the "Sal and Family" commercial (before the 2nd FE blunder) and late 2014 with the "go further" commercial highlighting the EPA range of 540 miles (after the second FE blunder).  The FE thingy "is" a big issue.  Ford could easily see that with no turn around in C-Max sales after this re-marketing the C-Max and with low gas prices, it made little sense to push the marketing of the C-Max further.  

 

So, it's apparently been about 2 1/2 years since Ford essentially "stopped" marketing of the C-Max (not as long as many likely believe).  Ford isn't going to turn the relatively "high cost" C-Max around with marketing. The model E hopefully will marry the top class performance and comfort of the C-Max with top class FE.  

 

 "Well, after hearing customer complaints and issuing a software update in mid-2013, then discovering a real problem with the numbers last fall and then making a big announcement last week that the fuel economy ratings of six different 2013 and 2014 model year vehicles would need to be lowered, the C-Max Hybrid has ended up at 40 combined, 42 city and 37 highway. In other words, the Prius trumps it, as daily drivers of those two vehicles have known for a long time." -- Jun 17th 2014 at 2:28PM

•  

[Telerisk]

As discussed and promised, I have driven the trip from my Home to Disney/Magic Kingdom miles totaling Approx 210 Miles round trip... driving my 2014 Honda CR-V.....90% Highway averaging 65mph; the other 10% off highway getting to and from my House to the Interstate and, in a 4+ mile Bumper to Bumper, stop & Go traffic backup on Interstate. I got 37.0 mpg.     OK, I wrote I had gotten on this same highway trip in the past 38mpg...when several wrote not possible for a CR-V.  This trip we drove both ways with the Windows down (more air drag...less gpm).  The other trip at 38mpg, as I recall, windows closed AC running.

 

I wanted to Post the Picture I took of my CR-V's Mileage display showing 37.0....but did not see a menu item that allows a Picture to be uploaded from my Phone....or PC where I transferred the Picture to.  If anyone can provide an easy way to upload my MPG Picture off my Android Phone\or Windows PC....please provide and I'll Upload the Pic.

[ptjones]

 

As discussed and promised, I have driven the trip from my Home to Disney/Magic Kingdom miles totaling Approx 210 Miles round trip... driving my 2014 Honda CR-V.....90% Highway averaging 65mph; the other 10% off highway getting to and from my House to the Interstate and, in a 4+ mile Bumper to Bumper, stop & Go traffic backup on Interstate. I got 37.0 mpg.     OK, I wrote I had gotten on this same highway trip in the past 38mpg...when several wrote not possible for a CR-V.  This trip we drove both ways with the Windows down (more air drag...less gpm).  The other trip at 38mpg, as I recall, windows closed AC running.

 

I wanted to Post the Picture I took of my CR-V's Mileage display showing 37.0....but did not see a menu item that allows a Picture to be uploaded from my Phone....or PC where I transferred the Picture to.  If anyone can provide an easy way to upload my MPG Picture off my Android Phone\or Windows PC....please provide and I'll Upload the Pic.

 

I think a more important measure would to be to fill up your tank to see how many gallons you used and divide in to the number of miles to get accurate measure of MPG's like we do for Fuelly.com.  Car MPG gauges exaggerate all the time.   :)

 

Paul

[Telerisk]

I did that ...that is, filled on my way and filled up when I got back,,,,actual Math was 36.7.  I did not add that to my Post because when I wrote in my Prior Post that I did the actual math to come up that my 38mpg, someone wrote that I must have gotten the high Mileage because on my after trip Fill-up I was most likely on a slope and maybe didn't get a good fill-up.

[ptjones]

I did that ...that is, filled on my way and filled up when I got back,,,,actual Math was 36.7.  I did not add that to my Post because when I wrote in my Prior Post that I did the actual math to come up that my 38mpg, someone wrote that I must have gotten the high Mileage because on my after trip Fill-up I was most likely on a slope and maybe didn't get a good fill-up.

You are getting very good MPG's with your CRV, With a little practice you should do very well in the CMAX.  EV to 15mph, accelerate at 2 bars ICE and you will do great! :) 

 

Paul 

[HotPotato]

 Their is a market for this smaller Hybrid vehicle but it would appear Ford doesn't have the desire in the US to keep the line going....yet, they will keep the C-Max in production in Europe.  I never understood why Ford released the C-Max with rear sliding doors in Europe and simply reported that model would never be offered in the US.  That one puzzled me because that could be the Feature that would make this vehicle take a serious run at the Prius...the vehicle Ford produced the C-Max to knock Prius off the top. I'd go for a New Max in a Flash as my second car if it were offered with rear sliding Doors.  Apparently Ford isn't listening....like I wrote, in the entire 2016 year...the year I purchased my C-Max, in my TampaBay area (makes up about 5 Ford dealerships)...the Combined Dealership yearly Inventory on the 2016 couldn't have been greater than 8 to 10 C-Max's.  Right now, that inventory for the 2017 model...is 3....and that has been so since early February.  

 

Maybe Ford will change its mind...they seem to be doing a lot of that recently....and keep this size Hybrid Vehicle in their 2019 or 2020 model year.    In the meantime, I think I might get a little more serious on the Kia Niro LX Model....I do like its Warranty and the car looks from the outside almost identical to the C-Max....just would have liked it with the CVT Transmission.     

 

Just got back from Europe. Pretty fair number of Ford B-Max, C-Max, Grand C-Max, and S-Max vehicles out there (that's the small, medium, large, and extra-large version of our car, respectively). The tall-hatch profile is very popular there because it's roomy without being long, which is important when trying to park in crowded city centers. The tall-hatch shape never really caught on in the US, but in Europe there's a tall-roof version of every Focus-class hatchback...just as the Focus also comes as the C-Max, the VW Golf also comes as the Golf Plus, the Renault Megane also comes as the Scenic (it's probably the most popular example of the breed), etc.

 

Interestingly, it appears the Scenic, now starting its fourth generation, will be shaped like a small CUV going forward. Like the US, Europe has gone crazy for the car-based small-SUV look. The Kia Niro should do great (in the US, anyway; it's probably got a little too much length for Europe).