Fuel type

[Swamp45755]

I just purchased a 2018 Ford CMax. The manual states that while you can use regular fuel, Ford recommends premium fuel. And yes it does make a big difference in fuel economy and hp.

[jestevens]

Ford recommends premium fuel??  That must be new for 2018.  I have only ever used 87 octane in mine, I don't drive it gingerly and I still average 40MPG.  I would think tires probably make a bigger difference than fuel.  My friends who drive Mercedes and Acura have a sticker on their gas tank door that says "Premium Fuel Only" 

 

I know they never really wanted to promote it in the first place but if Ford is doing that now then they must really actively be trying to kill off the C-MAX.

Edited February 13, 2018 by jestevens

[obob]

Whoa !  Interesting.  Performance sells cars.  Also a boost to the people who have been using premium.  For me, my c-max has plenty of performance.  But I may be more inclined to try a tankful out in the summer.  So when the engine is cold and inefficient, you might as well burn the cheap stuff.

 

"Your vehicle is designed to operate on regular unleaded gasoline with a minimum pump (R+M)/2 octane rating of 87. 136 ,... Some fuel stations, particularly those in high altitude areas, offer fuels posted as regular unleaded gasoline with an octane rating below 87. We do not recommend these fuels. For best overall vehicle and engine performance, premium fuel with an octane rating of 91 or higher is recommended. The performance gained by using premium fuel is most noticeable in hot weather."

 

from the 2018 manual  http://www.fordservicecontent.com/Ford_Content/Catalog/owner_information/2018-Ford-C-MAX-Hybrid-Owners-Manual-version-1_om_EN-US_08_2017.pdf

Edited February 13, 2018 by obob

[raadsel]

Obob beat me. Though it seems typically those who have tried premium fuel have found that while it does provide better mpgs, it isn't enough of a difference to justify the higher price (my recollection is typically it is no more than 2 mpg better).  

Edited February 13, 2018 by raadsel

[ptjones]

Obob beat me. Though it seems typically those who have tried premium fuel have found that while it does provide better mpgs, it isn't enough of a difference to justify the higher price (my recollection is typically it is no more than 2 mpg better).  

This is true and I only use Premium, the few time I've used Regular it just kills the mpg's. :sad:

 

Ford recommends premium fuel??  That must be new for 2018.  I have only ever used 87 octane in mine, I don't drive it gingerly and I still average 40MPG.  I would think tires probably make a bigger difference than fuel.  My friends who drive Mercedes and Acura have a sticker on their gas tank door that says "Premium Fuel Only" 

 

I know they never really wanted to promote it in the first place but if Ford is doing that now then they must really actively be trying to kill off the C-MAX.

I don't get the " if Ford is doing that now then they must really actively be trying to kill off the C-MAX."  Please explain.

 

Paul

[jestevens]

I stand corrected, it's been a while since I've read the manual.  I didn't know it made that much difference for an Atkinson engine.

 

Paul, I don't know about you but I've never seen a C-MAX ad on TV or in print, it's always Focus, Escape or Explorer (oh, who can forget the venerable F-150?).  I've never seen them promote the C-MAX, It seems like the main reason they built the C-MAX was to get R&D grants, as a fleet vehicle for the government and maybe to compete with the Prius V but it is their lowest selling car by volume. 

 

It's a shame because I love my C-MAX but I'll probably shop around for my next car to see what all of the vendors are offering since at that point another 10 years would have gone by and technology improves.  I have done literally nothing to this car except for oil changes, an air filter and now a 12V battery, it's that reliable and it has all of the interior features I like, a panoramic roof on a $21K car (used price) seems rare.

 

One reason I drive a hybrid is because I am sensitive to the price at the pump - here in PA we have 58 cent gas tax/gal, 87 octane is getting close to almost $3/gal now.  If I -had- to buy premium gas to drive this car (as in Ford requires it) I wouldn't have bought it.

Edited February 14, 2018 by jestevens

[Swamp45755]

The CMax uses such little fuel, purchasing premium fuel is no big deal. And living here in South Florida, where it is unbearably hot all year round, you can notice the difference in performance and gas mileage using an Octane of 91 or higher.

[Swamp45755]

The CMax uses such little fuel, purchasing premium fuel is no big deal. And living here in South Florida, where it is unbearably hot all year round, you can notice the difference in performance and gas mileage using an Octane of 91 or higher.

[raadsel]

I stand corrected, it's been a while since I've read the manual.  I didn't know it made that much difference for an Atkinson engine.

 

Paul, I don't know about you but I've never seen a C-MAX ad on TV or in print, it's always Focus, Escape or Explorer (oh, who can forget the venerable F-150?).  I've never seen them promote the C-MAX, It seems like the main reason they built the C-MAX was to get R&D grants, as a fleet vehicle for the government and maybe to compete with the Prius V but it is their lowest selling car by volume. 

 

It's a shame because I love my C-MAX but I'll probably shop around for my next car to see what all of the vendors are offering since at that point another 10 years would have gone by and technology improves.  I have done literally nothing to this car except for oil changes, an air filter and now a 12V battery, it's that reliable and it has all of the interior features I like, a panoramic roof on a $21K car (used price) seems rare.

 

One reason I drive a hybrid is because I am sensitive to the price at the pump - here in PA we have 58 cent gas tax/gal, 87 octane is getting close to almost $3/gal now.  If I -had- to buy premium gas to drive this car (as in Ford requires it) I wouldn't have bought it.

 

When the C-Max was new they were actually advertising it. There were two main issues, that I can see, that caused Ford to "give up" on the C-Max. 

 

The first was Ford's fault, and that was the EPA ratings. They initially used the same EPA rating as the Ford Fusion Hybrid received, which while legal, the C-Max was never going to have the same gas mileage because of the aerodynamics of the C-Max vs. the Fusion. Worse, they miscalculated the EPA rating, giving the Fusion a higher rating than it should have had. This led to a lot of bad press -- particularly as the lowered the EPA rating on the C-Max twice -- once (as I recall) to give it its own rating, rather than using the Fusion's rating, and a second time when they corrected the "mistake" they made on the rating. 

 

While it can be argued they over-corrected, that the C-Max should have a higher EPA rating, the damage was done -- Ford was publicly embarrassed by the lowering of the rating. It also made it so the C-Max no longer directly competed with the Prius on fuel economy ratings.

 

This probably wouldn't have killed the advertising for the C-Max, except that it was just about this time period that gas prices dropped. With gas prices dropping to $2/gallon, most people quit caring about fuel efficiency and started buying larger and less fuel efficient cars. 

 

The C-Max, as originally designed, was meant to be a "Prius-killer." I suspect the fuel economy issues made Ford feel the car had failed, and they never figured out how to market the car after, particularly with the various flaws they found with the 2013 (MFT, battery discharging while parked, etc.). I think Ford based on these factors just "gave up" on the car and decided to start over. It will be interesting to see what new hybrids/EVs Ford will be releasing. Unfortunately, I think what Ford considers a replacement will be closer to a "Prius killer," complete with less power and less utility, than the C-Max we know. I think the hope is that Ford decides to make a hybrid version of the EcoSport or Escape.

[jestevens]

Well it's hard to have less power than the Prius V - I test drove one and it was as if they took the regular Prius drivetrain and just added 1500 more pounds.  Even the salesperson could see I wasn't impressed.  They had a cute little ECO/PWR switch on the dash that someone left unwired from the factory.  Luckily I had used C-MAX in the fleet we had at work so I knew there was an alternative. 

 

I loved my Prius sedan but I wanted a crossover and the C-MAX was best in my opinion.  On all but the coldest days I can easily get 40MPG without even trying which is still roughly double what most competing crossovers can do. 

 

It's more than just the gas mileage though, it's the trim level and also the drivetrain, I had to drive a Nissan Versa with a CVT as a rental car recently and the thing sounded like a prop plane taking off..it was cute but a little annoying how they made this car with a CVT automatic transmission sound as though it had to shift gears..  I guess the bottom line is after 10 years of quiet, smooth and relatively powerful operation driving hybrids and getting twice the gas mileage I'm spoiled.

 

Sort of sad to see the C-MAX go but I'm also curious to see after 10 years what Ford and other vendors will come out with as their next gen technology.

Edited February 14, 2018 by jestevens

[obob]

Where I buy gas, regular is 2.65 and premium is 3.15, like 19% higher.   So it makes the choice of regular easy.  Maybe in some other areas the difference is less.

Edited February 15, 2018 by obob

[ptjones]

BJ's Premium is $2.77 Reg $2.37 I'll stick with Premium. :)

 

Paul

[jestevens]

Average price for 87 octane here in Central PA is $2.85, Premium $3.40, Diesel $3.40 - they either have a lot of roads or they love using the "gas tax" to pay for other things in the budget..maybe a little bit of both?

Edited February 15, 2018 by jestevens

[ptjones]

Average price for 87 octane here in Central PA is $2.85, Premium $3.40, Diesel $3.40 - they either have a lot of roads or they love using the "gas tax" to pay for other things in the budget..maybe a little bit of both?

They differently have problems keeping them repaired. :sad: 

 

Paul 

[SnowStorm]

At 150k miles The Enterprise has burned a bit over 3000 gallons.  It may well end up at 300k miles and 6000 gallons.  Paying 50 cents extra per gallon will be $3000.   That's enough money to run an electric car (my next car, I hope) for, like, 75,000 miles!  Now, I do spend extra for no ethanol because I don't want to take a chance on ethanol induced repairs down the road.  There has to be some reason we can't use more than 10 percent!  At least with the ability to use 87 and up, we have a lot of options and can pick the one we like.

[ptjones]

Here no ethanol is 20 - 30 cents more expensive than Premium, racing gas is like $8 per gallon. :)  I wonder how much mpg improvement I would get with that. :headscratch:

 

Paul