I've had me SEL Cmax about a month & 4300 miles. Only averaging 33-35mpg

[Jus-A-CMax]

gultim, sorry to hear about your issues. Laurel is right, please spend sometime and check out this forum, especially the FUEL MILEAGE section and perhaps theres some tips you can pick up. Actually cleanmpg.com recently did a highway comparison of the 2 Prius vs CMax and if you looked around this forum, the link would have been in the NEWS & ARTICLES section.

 

From my prespective and the major lesson I learnt is that hybrids, even the much vaunted Prius, they are very sensitive to the outside COLD temperatures and there are others in the north east seeing low mileage right now because of the low temps. There is a solution offered by one of the members here that seems to help cold temp CMax drivers get back 2-5MPG (approx) and he seems to be right on the money but you should read and investigate it and make up your own mind about it. There are also Prius driving posters here as well that will back up that temps do effect any hybrids including the Prius.

 

Right now my MPG is at 45.9 with 363 miles on the tank and I still have just a tad under 1/2 a tank to go and my odo is similar to yours, at 4100. I am seeing improvements in my MPGs except when I do the snow trips to Mammoth and it looks like I am averaging 39MPGs on the 590 mile roundtrip - FULLY LOADED with gear and a front passenger who happens to be my wife. Being an appraiser, I drive a quad ton of miles each week and I am seeing above 40MPGs. So I do spend quality time in Max and understand how she behaves and drives.

 

Frankly, I have no interest in joining any suit against Ford. Max is an outstanding car but like every car, it has limitations. There is no way I would trade Max in for a Prius because I like the drive of Max so much better along with other benefits such as a better cockpit and view and Max can corner and speed....jus' sayin.

 

PS I also encourage you to read the threads on this forum and many other forums as the EPA testing is very limited and imo, deceptive and not real world (ala 60 mile limit and 100% pure gas, no ethanol) and Ford just happens to built Max to have an EV up to 63mph, the fastest EV of any other hybrids afaik.

Edited January 20, 2013 by Jus-A-CMax

[roninsd]

Gultim, I'm really sorry that you are having disappointing results with your mileage.  But I agree with Laurel and Jus-A-Cmax about being patient with the mileage (and the weather).  One thing I noticed in your posting that is very similar to other posters with poor mileage (mostly in cold areas) was your last line:  "besides this, I do love everything else about the C-Max and have been WOWed by it many times."  For whatever reasons, almost everybody on this forum loves this car, even if they are getting poorer mileage than expected.  Hang onto that feeling and give it a chance to live up to your expectations when it gets warmer.  It may not get to the magic 47 number, but I'll bet that you'll be doing much better than your current 37.

[Adair]

HI Gultim, 

I have to agree with Ron, Laurel, and Jus-A-CMax here. No, it's not a conspiracy, and we're not ganging up on you :)  But I'm going to chime in as someone who  lives in Michigan and has driven my C-Max thru some cold days here. My lifetime average according to Fuelly.com is 36.6. Our temps have been in anywhere from 9* to mid 30s most of the time. But our January thaw last weekend saw me with a new tank of gas and averaging 44 MPG. Temps were in the 50s, so I fully expect to see higher when the temps moderate even more. This week we're dropping again, and so will my MPG,  but I'm not worried. I know my temps can't compare with yours.....I used to live in Duluth. But maybe my experience is a little closer to yours than some of our friends who enjoy warmer climates.

 

I honestly don't think Ford fudged the EPA test. I think it was conducted under the EPA guidelines, which, sadly, don't mirror real life driving in any way, shape, or form. The good news is, ordinary folks are meeting and exceeding the EPA estimates, and I fully expect to come pretty close myself.....just not in Michigan winters.

 

Adair

[C-MaxJaxon]

Doing the math will show that the annual cost between 37 and 47 MPG is actually pretty small (see calculator link below). Only $173/year extra when driving 10K miles with $3/gal gas. When the weather warms up and the engine is fully broken in, there should be almost no one averaging way down in the 30s. Ford isn't the bad guy here anyway. They are just following the flawed testing procedure that is required by the EPA.

 

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.shtml

[ptjones]

 I purchased my C-Max on 10-17-12...about 4,204 miles later, using the cruise whenever possible for acceleration (as I'm sure the computer is programmed for best mpg accelerating), and averaging 37.36 mpg (chart attached) while accelerating slower than everyone else and never going over the speed limit...I'm very disappointed.  I see the Prius's achieve much higher MPGs (50 to 53).  I would like to have a C-Max follow a Prius on a 500 mile minimum trip and have the two cars then compare their MPGs. This way you remove the human variability element and have the cars driven under identical conditions. My bet is that the Prius will be 22.6% better in MPGs.   The C-Max MPG rating looks to be 10 mpg too high.  I do know how to squeeze MPG's out of gallons as my 2003 Jetta Diesel is averaging 48.8 mpg here in Minnesota (chart attached).  Where do I join a class action lawsuit for being deceived on my C-Max with the claimed 47 MPGs?  Or is there a better way to resolve this by having Ford buy it back so I can buy a Prius.  I bought this car strictly to buy American, the 47 mpg claim, and to help our country but I should not have to be misled by false MPG claims.  I would more than welcome any trained Ford Rep to come by right now and drive my car on a 200+ mile trip with a balance of city and highway driving and show me that my car will get 47 mpg...better yet I will borrow a Prius and follow them so we can then compare MPGs to each other and to their respective EPA published MPGs.  My guess is the Prius will be very close to its published MPG and the C-Max will fall far short of its'.  As you can see, I am upset over the false MPG ratings...besides this, I do love everything else about the C-Max and have been WOWed by it many times.

Someone  posted a graph for Prius average MPG and there was a variance of 10mpg from summer to winter similar to CMAX .  I made a trip out and back yesterday of 72.6mi and averaged 48.5mpg average temp 46deg.F.  I did have my grill covers on. From 70deg.F you lose approx. 2MPG for each 10deg.F. drop in temp. Check out mileage topic 3MPG gained with Grill Covers thead, lot of info in there. Also complain to your dealer about poor MPG's, 90% of FORD dealers act  unaware of the problem.  Apparently most people aren't complaining to there dealers. I have 8600mi on my CMAX. 

[bkawaii7]

Below freezing temps the last week or so. Dropped my mpg close to 30. I also had my clock way of this morning after not using it all weekend? Got in this morning & started it. My clock was ahead by a good 3 & a half hours. I had this happen once before too???

Same here, clock is off random amounts of time, has happened about 4 times now.

[Wingrider01]

Doing the math will show that the annual cost between 37 and 47 MPG is actually pretty small (see calculator link below). Only $173/year extra when driving 10K miles with $3/gal gas. When the weather warms up and the engine is fully broken in, there should be almost no one averaging way down in the 30s. Ford isn't the bad guy here anyway. They are just following the flawed testing procedure that is required by the EPA.

 

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/savemoney.shtml

 

the "flawed testing proceeds" are not that flawed

 

http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/PowerSearch.do?action=noform&path=1&year1=2010&year2=2010&make=Ford&model=Escape%20FWD&srchtyp=ymm

 

traded a 2010 Ford Escape in on the c-max, the link shows 21 City 23 Combined 28 Highway

 

My tracking spread sheet for 2011 - the last full year that I owned the car shows this

 

Avg price per gal 3.397

Miles driven - 13,904.3

Gallons used - 554.893

MPG - 25.058

cost - $1,885.23

 

 

If you notice the car was exceeding the EPA total average MPG of 23 MPG, while I have documented of 25.058 for 2011

 

Now for 2010

 

 

Avg price per gal 3.207

Miles driven - 13,601.3

Gallons used - 525.749

MPG - 25.870

cost - $1,686.05

 

Now for a month to month comparison

 

November 2011 Ford escape

 

 

Avg price per gal 3.034

Miles driven - 1,043.7

Gallons used - 42.182

MPG - 24.743

cost - $128.00

 

November 2012 - C-Max

 

 

Avg price per gal 3.046

Miles driven - 1,232.6

Gallons used - 35.034

MPG - 35.173

cost - $106.00

 

As you can see by the comparison, the Escape is still within the parameters posted by the EPA, while the c-max is below it, seems not to be "faulty testing procedures" to me. when I plug the actual numbers for costs any my mileage drive into your link, it is closer to 400.00. I don;t do 10,000 closer to 15,000 miles and I just paid 3.58 a galleon for gas, that was down 6 cents from last fill up.

 

[StoBro2]

The EPA's testing procedures are pretty accurate when you're looking at traditional gasoline powered vehicles. I've always managed an average of somewhere between the EPA combined and highway numbers for the last 5 gas vehicles I've owned. The EPA's tests aren't as accurate for diesels, where my lifetime average was close to the highway number despite rarely taking the car on the highway. In this case, the EPA's numbers are slightly pessimistic. The EPA tests also aren't as accurate for hybrids, especially newer, higher battery capacity hybrids. The EPA's numbers are a lot more optimistic for hybrids than what is consistently achievable in the real world.

[C-MaxJaxon]

Ford and the EPA seem to think EPA tests of hybrid fuel economy isn't always accurate:

 

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1081169_ford-stands-firm-on-fusion-c-max-fuel-economy-claims

 

"Ford is talking to the EPA about updating fuel economy tests for all hybrids to make them more accurate: '[W]e agree with EPA that hybrids are far more variable in testing than conventional vehicles compared to real world driving so we’re addressing the industry issue.'"

 

Other hybrids also have problems:

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121215/AUTO0102/212150324

 

"Consumer Reports said Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius falls short of mileage expectations by 6 mpg and the Prius c Two falls short of mileage expectations by 7 mpg."

 

Not everyone has as severe a discrepancy as you do. My average is 42.5 MPG over the last three months of cold weather driving. I expect it to increase significantly in the spring and bring up my annual average. And gas is under $3/gallon where I live and I drive 11K miles/year or less, so any extra annual cost for me is of little concern.

 

I think the lawsuit against Ford is going nowhere and that they should be suing the EPA instead. And the EPA is covered by the "Actual results will vary for many reasons..." disclaimer on the window sticker, so they are also likely safe, even if they probably deserve to be sued.

[Wingrider01]

Ford and the EPA seem to think EPA tests of hybrid fuel economy isn't always accurate:

 

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1081169_ford-stands-firm-on-fusion-c-max-fuel-economy-claims

 

"Ford is talking to the EPA about updating fuel economy tests for all hybrids to make them more accurate: '[W]e agree with EPA that hybrids are far more variable in testing than conventional vehicles compared to real world driving so we’re addressing the industry issue.'"

 

Other hybrids also have problems:

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121215/AUTO0102/212150324

 

"Consumer Reports said Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius falls short of mileage expectations by 6 mpg and the Prius c Two falls short of mileage expectations by 7 mpg."

 

Not everyone has as severe a discrepancy as you do. My average is 42.5 MPG over the last three months of cold weather driving. I expect it to increase significantly in the spring and bring up my annual average. And gas is under $3/gallon where I live and I drive 11K miles/year or less, so any extra annual cost for me is of little concern.

 

I think the lawsuit against Ford is going nowhere and that they should be suing the EPA instead. And the EPA is covered by the "Actual results will vary for many reasons..." disclaimer on the window sticker, so they are also likely safe, even if they probably deserve to be sued.

 

Ford and the EPA seem to think EPA tests of hybrid fuel economy isn't always accurate:

 

http://www.thecarconnection.com/news/1081169_ford-stands-firm-on-fusion-c-max-fuel-economy-claims

 

"Ford is talking to the EPA about updating fuel economy tests for all hybrids to make them more accurate: '[W]e agree with EPA that hybrids are far more variable in testing than conventional vehicles compared to real world driving so we’re addressing the industry issue.'"

 

Other hybrids also have problems:

 

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121215/AUTO0102/212150324

 

"Consumer Reports said Toyota Motor Corp.'s Prius falls short of mileage expectations by 6 mpg and the Prius c Two falls short of mileage expectations by 7 mpg."

 

Not everyone has as severe a discrepancy as you do. My average is 42.5 MPG over the last three months of cold weather driving. I expect it to increase significantly in the spring and bring up my annual average. And gas is under $3/gallon where I live and I drive 11K miles/year or less, so any extra annual cost for me is of little concern.

 

I think the lawsuit against Ford is going nowhere and that they should be suing the EPA instead. And the EPA is covered by the "Actual results will vary for many reasons..." disclaimer on the window sticker, so they are also likely safe, even if they probably deserve to be sued.

 

Given the number of posts on this forum and other forums related to abysmal gas mileage I suspect that the ones that are getting +40 are the ones in the minority. As far as Consumer Reports go would not even use that rag to line the birds cage, I have a problem with a "consumer organization" that actual posts ways to bypass contractural requirements on smartphones with carriers, seems a little hinky for a "respected" organization. There reputation for accuracy has always been in question, epsecially on some of the major screwups that then printed and later where shown to have used inaacurate and total incorrect testing proceedures.

 

Given that I and many others that I have seen posting i the various forums would love to be off by a measly 6 or 7 mpg, not 15 - 18. If I can get the combine average on a Ford Escape with no problem, I should be able to get a lot better mpg then what I am actually documenting. You may not be concerned but a lot more driving then you, gas prices are higher here and I am not seeing any ROI with the C-Max as it stands. What is little concern for you is a larger concern for those that do not have your situation.

 

If the EPA's testing proceedures are that far off with Hybrids then the sticker should have been marked "Not Available" and not some pie in the sky number. Right now if I could go back in time I would have taken the deal on the Focus Titanium over the C-Max, would have saved me money on the cost of the car and would have on the monthly lease payment and my auto insurance while paying just about the same amount for gas.

 

Crass Action suits never "go nowhere", the lawyers are always paid no matter what the ruling is, the injured consumers are the only one that lose in that situation.

[C-MaxJaxon]

Given the number of posts on this forum and other forums related to abysmal gas mileage I suspect that the ones that are getting +40 are the ones in the minority. As far as Consumer Reports go would not even use that rag to line the birds cage, I have a problem with a "consumer organization" that actual posts ways to bypass contractural requirements on smartphones with carriers, seems a little hinky for a "respected" organization. There reputation for accuracy has always been in question, epsecially on some of the major screwups that then printed and later where shown to have used inaacurate and total incorrect testing proceedures.

 

Given that I and many others that I have seen posting i the various forums would love to be off by a measly 6 or 7 mpg, not 15 - 18. If I can get the combine average on a Ford Escape with no problem, I should be able to get a lot better mpg then what I am actually documenting. You may not be concerned but a lot more driving then you, gas prices are higher here and I am not seeing any ROI with the C-Max as it stands. What is little concern for you is a larger concern for those that do not have your situation.

 

If the EPA's testing proceedures are that far off with Hybrids then the sticker should have been marked "Not Available" and not some pie in the sky number. Right now if I could go back in time I would have taken the deal on the Focus Titanium over the C-Max, would have saved me money on the cost of the car and would have on the monthly lease payment and my auto insurance while paying just about the same amount for gas.

 

Crass Action suits never "go nowhere", the lawyers are always paid no matter what the ruling is, the injured consumers are the only one that lose in that situation.

 

You doubt the credibility of CR (as do I), yet you accept some random posts from anonymous users posting on the Internet. This is completely anecdotal evidence and has little credibility. There is a possibility of it being partly driven by people hired by competing auto companies to try to damage Ford's reputation with false or exaggerated claims. Ford claims they had no negative feedback about low mileage until after the CR report publicized it.

 

I tried unsuccessfully to find a chart someone posted that showed even the Prius mileage on fuelly.com dipped significantly in the cold winter months. I believe this is a normal problem with cold weather and winter blend gas that will disappear in the spring.

 

You can choose to approach your problem in a negative or destructive way and reinforce our image as whiners and lazy people. Go file your own lawsuit or join the existing one, or try to get the dealer to buy your car back. Or you can make a small effort and try some of the driving strategies in the fuel saving tips thread and try to reduce your extra costs. I agree that it's unfair, but life's not always fair.

 

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index.php?/topic/861-fuel-saving-tips-and-tricks-part-1/

[LizM]

On my 2nd week with my new C-Max SEL, and am averaging 38 mpg.  Live in Ohio, and it's been seasonable, with frigid air coming in tonight.  I used to drive a 2008 Honda Civic, which averaged 30 mpg on my normal driving weeks.  And since I went into the dealer looking at the Ford Escape knowing I would lose gas mileage with that vs. my Honda...I am happy with what I'm getting.  I know as the weather gets milder the mpg's will most likely go up.

 

I love the height advantage vs. sitting so low in my Honda.  I don't hit the parking curbs in the C-max or bottom out in the dips in the roads.  It drives like a dream.

[CNCGeek]

You doubt the credibility of CR (as do I), yet you accept some random posts from anonymous users posting on the Internet. This is completely anecdotal evidence and has little credibility. There is a possibility of it being partly driven by people hired by competing auto companies to try to damage Ford's reputation with false or exaggerated claims. Ford claims they had no negative feedback about low mileage until after the CR report publicized it.

 

I tried unsuccessfully to find a chart someone posted that showed even the Prius mileage on fuelly.com dipped significantly in the cold winter months. I believe this is a normal problem with cold weather and winter blend gas that will disappear in the spring.

 

You can choose to approach your problem in a negative or destructive way and reinforce our image as whiners and lazy people. Go file your own lawsuit or join the existing one, or try to get the dealer to buy your car back. Or you can make a small effort and try some of the driving strategies in the fuel saving tips thread and try to reduce your extra costs. I agree that it's unfair, but life's not always fair.

 

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index.php?/topic/861-fuel-saving-tips-and-tricks-part-1/

That's pretty harsh ;) - consumers have a god given right to complain  :rockon:  A couple counter points though:

- the anecdotal evidence is all there is for real world data.  CR tried to do a "real world" test, and nobody few here agree with it (though I believe that CR's testing continues).  If you discard the CR data and the anecdotal evidence (from Fuelly, reviews, and what users say on the Internet), how do you reach any conclusion on real world fuel economy?  I also doubt that any car manufacturer would risk putting false data out for competitor vehicles on Fuelly or forums like this one - that would lead to some very bad PR and probably a big lawsuit.

- I agree 100% on the cold weather - that is likely the biggest factor to poor fuel economy right now (based on the excellent posts here and especially PTJones's research).

- Given the 2nd point, it may take more than a small effort to overcome poor fuel economy in the winter months, and may not be possible to gain much at all if trips are short (point is that it may have nothing to do with being lazy) :rant2:.

 

I like the tips in the link, but I personally don't buy into the idea that hypermiling should be necessary to get the rated economy - you can increase the FE of any car using those techniques and often get much better than EPA numbers.  OTOH, I also don't buy the EPA test number to begin with - but it is what they advertise and the "industry standard" so it is the only benchmark out there.  The controversy, and even the lawsuit (which I think is premature at best) could help change the EPA testing if there is enough pressure from the industry - that could be the silver lining.

Edited January 21, 2013 by CNCGeek

[C-MaxJaxon]

I'd like to see how much of a difference a block heater or oil pan heater would make in winter mileage. It still won't overcome reduced efficiency winter blend fuel. Anyone in the great frozen north want to bug their dealer and see if Ford has or recommends a way of plugging in some kind of engine heater? Then you will be obligated to be our guinea pig to test how much improvement it makes. :)

[CNCGeek]

I'd like to see how much of a difference a block heater or oil pan heater would make in winter mileage. It still won't overcome reduced efficiency winter blend fuel. Anyone in the great frozen north want to bug their dealer and see if Ford has or recommends a way of plugging in some kind of engine heater? Then you will be obligated to be our guinea pig to test how much improvement it makes. :)

PTJones had discussed installing a heater and recommended a smaller wolverine pan heater, the larger one he installed actually increased the operating temps of the engine even without having it on prior to starting so I believe he removed it.  I am not sure if he has posted anything about the smaller wolverine heater performance or not.  You should check out his threads on the grill vent blocks - though personally I am waiting for more info on how they impact the temps of the inverter - doh!  I suspect you have already seen those posts and are aware of the grill blocks.

Edited January 21, 2013 by CNCGeek

[C-MaxJaxon]

I see references to a fleet block heater as a Ford optional accessory on a few pages when I searched. I would prefer something approved by the manufacturer over a third party product.

 

I've been testing with clear tape covering the grille opening, but I'm not sure it makes much difference. I was still getting trips over 40 MPG before I tried the tape and continue to do so with it.

[Ryan McEachern]

I ordered mine with the factory block heater ($100) but haven't received it, so can't help with the testing. Amazingly enough, when I was pricing out the Prius, their block heater option was $349. I was floored. Maybe it is a much larger element?

[Wingrider01]

You doubt the credibility of CR (as do I), yet you accept some random posts from anonymous users posting on the Internet. This is completely anecdotal evidence and has little credibility. There is a possibility of it being partly driven by people hired by competing auto companies to try to damage Ford's reputation with false or exaggerated claims. Ford claims they had no negative feedback about low mileage until after the CR report publicized it.

 

I tried unsuccessfully to find a chart someone posted that showed even the Prius mileage on fuelly.com dipped significantly in the cold winter months. I believe this is a normal problem with cold weather and winter blend gas that will disappear in the spring.

 

You can choose to approach your problem in a negative or destructive way and reinforce our image as whiners and lazy people. Go file your own lawsuit or join the existing one, or try to get the dealer to buy your car back. Or you can make a small effort and try some of the driving strategies in the fuel saving tips thread and try to reduce your extra costs. I agree that it's unfair, but life's not always fair.

 

http://fordcmaxhybridforum.com/index.php?/topic/861-fuel-saving-tips-and-tricks-part-1/

 

where exactly did I say that I always accept "anonymous users posting on the internet"? CR is supposed to be a upstanding, accurate organization - as they so well toot their own horn, but given the track record and the simple fact they have posted information on how to bypass contractual agreements recently, I would trust a post from a random user before I would trust anything that they state.

 

Sometimes you just have to go with it, if 3 or 4 people post then it is questionable, but there are to many reports of the same issues that tends to lend a portion of credibility to the chain.as far as your comments about lawsuits and filing / joining one don;t make unfounded jumps to inaccurate conclusions / assumptions, have no desire to join or file one, no way would I do anything to put a penny in a lawyers pocket - my attitude toward lawyers is best summed up in Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi when they are discussing lawyers - rent a copy and find out what it is.

 

Probably know better then you that life is unfair, don;t really care though, I have had people come up to me and ask me about the car - I am brutally honest, the car in itself is great, but if you are basing a purchase on fuel economy - don;t  Sorry but do not see the valid complaint of poor miles as "choose to approach your problem in a negative or destructive way and reinforce our image as whiners and lazy people." see it more as the brutal truth and you should know truth hurts, how exactly is the whining, it is not unless you have your own definition of whining.

[ptjones]

PTJones had discussed installing a heater and recommended a smaller wolverine pan heater, the larger one he installed actually increased the operating temps of the engine even without having it on prior to starting so I believe he removed it.  I am not sure if he has posted anything about the smaller wolverine heater performance or not.  You should check out his threads on the grill vent blocks - though personally I am waiting for more info on how they impact the temps of the inverter - doh!  I suspect you have already seen those posts and are aware of the grill blocks.

CNCGeek you are right the Wolverine Model 9 you can get on Amazon for $56.  It's only a 125Watt unit 3" in diameter, the one I had was 4"x5" restricted air flow around oil pan and raised WT by 10deg.F. I didn't want to take grill covers off to compensate for it. The Wolverine wouldn't have that problem and I was hoping someone in Colder area would  install it on their car and let us know how much improvement they saw shorten heat up time. If you knew what you are doing you could have it on in 15 min.  I could give some pointers if anyone wants to try.

Concerning Inverter  coolant temps appears to be a non issue, I made a trip when I got back I put my hands on the coolant lines and they were cold, with grill covers on.

[ldm]

Actually the truth is many owners are getting very good mpg and there are a good number that do not.  To say that the car does not get the advertised mpg is ignoring those owners that say they do.  My thinking is that because there are so many variables in getting the 47 mpg there are some owners that can manage the process and some that can't or won't.  Given the time of year it is and understanding the negative effect low temps have on all hybrids I expect to see lower mpg.  In my state WA every vehicle gets lower mpg hybrid or not because they reformulate the fuel in the winter.  My Tacoma gets 2-3 less mpg in the winter.  I will withhold judgement until the summer driving season.

[C-MaxJaxon]

So I'm not sure what people are trying to accomplish by posting complaints here on the forum about poor mileage. What do you want the other forum members to do to fix the problem with your car? We can't to anything directly. We can offer suggestions for driving techniques. We can tell you to wait until the engine is broken in and the weather warms up. We can suggest that you complain to your dealer or to Ford. Not sure what else we can do.

[ptjones]

where exactly did I say that I always accept "anonymous users posting on the internet"? CR is supposed to be a upstanding, accurate organization - as they so well toot their own horn, but given the track record and the simple fact they have posted information on how to bypass contractual agreements recently, I would trust a post from a random user before I would trust anything that they state.

 

Sometimes you just have to go with it, if 3 or 4 people post then it is questionable, but there are to many reports of the same issues that tends to lend a portion of credibility to the chain.as far as your comments about lawsuits and filing / joining one don;t make unfounded jumps to inaccurate conclusions / assumptions, have no desire to join or file one, no way would I do anything to put a penny in a lawyers pocket - my attitude toward lawyers is best summed up in Red Heat with Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Belushi when they are discussing lawyers - rent a copy and find out what it is.

 

Probably know better then you that life is unfair, don;t really care though, I have had people come up to me and ask me about the car - I am brutally honest, the car in itself is great, but if you are basing a purchase on fuel economy - don;t  Sorry but do not see the valid complaint of poor miles as "choose to approach your problem in a negative or destructive way and reinforce our image as whiners and lazy people." see it more as the brutal truth and you should know truth hurts, how exactly is the whining, it is not unless you have your own definition of whining.

BTW I saw my first CMAX on the road couple of days ago.

CR lost a lot of credibility when they said CMAX city MPG was 35mpg, If you drive it like a Hybrid your easily in the 40's I do 50's all the time. 

It sure would be interesting if I could try out one of these poor MPG CMAX's. Wingrider01 have you taken your CMAX to the Dealer and complained about your low MPG's? People are talking about fouled plug problems.

I did another 71.3mi round trip today. Outside temp average 50deg.F, 44.3EV (62%), 5.5mi Regen, 50.95MPG, 1.3gal. 97.5% BK. S. and average speed 50-55mph.

 

I'm working on getting a CMAX Meeting together soon. Trying to get it at a FORD Electric Dealer.

Edited January 21, 2013 by ptjones

[HotPotato]

Actually the truth is many owners are getting very good mpg and there are a good number that do not.  To say that the car does not get the advertised mpg is ignoring those owners that say they do.  My thinking is that because there are so many variables in getting the 47 mpg there are some owners that can manage the process and some that can't or won't.  Given the time of year it is and understanding the negative effect low temps have on all hybrids I expect to see lower mpg.  In my state WA every vehicle gets lower mpg hybrid or not because they reformulate the fuel in the winter.  My Tacoma gets 2-3 less mpg in the winter.  I will withhold judgement until the summer driving season.

 

Judging by dozens of road tests, Fuelly results, owner-submitted fueleconomy.gov trackings, etc., typical Prius users get the MPG they expect and typical C-Max users do not. Blaming the driver and the weather is dubious. I live in sunny Southern California, and recently decided to drive like Mr. Hybrid Guy: I watch the Empower meter to stay in EV, I have EV+ turned on, I accelerate gently and use cruise to keep my speed at or below the speed limit, my braking score is near perfect, and I still can't crack 35.4 mpg average. For me it's not the end of the world...I bought this car for a lot of other reasons besides MPG, and I wouldn't buy a Prius anyway. But to someone who bought a C-Max over a Prius for MPG, this would be cause to grab the torch and pitchfork.

 

You raise a good point about variability in results...it is pretty crazy to me that there are people on here getting 43 mpg and others getting 32... and that some road tests get the car to 60 mph in 7 seconds while others need 9.5. It kind of makes me wonder if quality is inconsistent--my car has a couple of minor interior quality hiccups (seat cable missing, headliner not tucked in properly) which I hope aren't indicative of mechanical build quality. I'd mention that in my new-owner survey online, but speaking of quality -- I when I filled it in and pressed Submit, Ford's system crashed. No joke. 

 

Would running a vehicle health report unearth a trouble code for fouled plugs? Maybe I'll try that.

[C-MaxJaxon]

There typically is a range of horsepower output if you put a bunch of the same model of car on a dyno. Some engines come from the factory with higher or lower output. It could be inconsistencies in manufacturing tolerances. Or maybe it could be based on whether the engine went through the gentle/low speed break-in process or a higher speed/WOT break-in process. I followed the Owner Manual recommendation on page 246: "Avoid hard accelerations and driving too fast for the first 1000 miles."

[Laurel]

I don't understand all the mixed mileage results.  We drove 60 kilometers on the back roads this morning, and it was 0C (32F) and I drove with fuel economy is mind and got 5.2 L per 100 kilometers.  Hubby suggested we take the freeway home and just drive without thinking about mileage and we got 5.6 L per 100 kilometers.  So that is 42 mpg US coming back with 2/3 freeway and 1/3 city without driving conservatively.  We have 1500 kilometers on our car now.  I take off evenly but not slowly as people here said that was the wrong thing to do, and I do not use cruise control. My braking scores are nearly perfect.  Yesterday I got 58 mpg on a short hop to the drug store.