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

[Wingrider01]

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.

 

I drive my c-max as I do any other car that I have owned in 50 years, 95 percent of my mileage is highway, it goes to 60 MPH, cruise control (experimented with both ECO and regular settings) gets turned on and stays on, avg temp has been 40 - 45 degrees. The car was just in the dealer last week for a "examination" due to the poor gas mileage, 4 days later I picked up the car with no problems found. Plugs where fine, the blackbox showed exactly what I said - average of 60 MPH on cruise control for the majority of driving. I have a excellent relationsip with the dealer since I have been leasing from the same exact dealer since 1975 and getting 2 new leases every 24 months on the nose.

[Jrust]

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.

MY point was to see what other people were getting. See if it was just me who was having the problem. It was a frustrating thing for me to begin with getting such poor mileage. Well poor compared to what I was expecting anyway. I have since given up letting it bother me. I have used grill covers & seen a small rise. Not a large amount but like 33-35 so maybe 2mpg in cold weather. With spring coming on I have seen better MPG. I'm closer to the 37 range now. I can see once it is really warm breaking 40.

 

I don't consider a 55mpg trip to the local store much of a tell. That could be a 3 mile trip to the store & doesn't tell me squat. I get brief averages that are great too. What I go by is my average between fillups. Then the complete average for the life of my car. It is slowly climbing & other than my dang clock being off a couple times a week. Everything else is working great

[darrelld]

MY point was to see what other people were getting. See if it was just me who was having the problem. It was a frustrating thing for me to begin with getting such poor mileage. Well poor compared to what I was expecting anyway. I have since given up letting it bother me. I have used grill covers & seen a small rise. Not a large amount but like 33-35 so maybe 2mpg in cold weather. With spring coming on I have seen better MPG. I'm closer to the 37 range now. I can see once it is really warm breaking 40.

 

I don't consider a 55mpg trip to the local store much of a tell. That could be a 3 mile trip to the store & doesn't tell me squat. I get brief averages that are great too. What I go by is my average between fillups. Then the complete average for the life of my car. It is slowly climbing & other than my dang clock being off a couple times a week. Everything else is working great

 

You can check my sig Fuelly stats, most of the driving is my wife. She does not follow any fuel optimizing techniques, drives like she did her previous Jetta TDI that averaged 35 mpg on diesel.

[ptjones]

MY point was to see what other people were getting. See if it was just me who was having the problem. It was a frustrating thing for me to begin with getting such poor mileage. Well poor compared to what I was expecting anyway. I have since given up letting it bother me. I have used grill covers & seen a small rise. Not a large amount but like 33-35 so maybe 2mpg in cold weather. With spring coming on I have seen better MPG. I'm closer to the 37 range now. I can see once it is really warm breaking 40.

 

I don't consider a 55mpg trip to the local store much of a tell. That could be a 3 mile trip to the store & doesn't tell me squat. I get brief averages that are great too. What I go by is my average between fillups. Then the complete average for the life of my car. It is slowly climbing & other than my dang clock being off a couple times a week. Everything else is working great

You aren't using my Grill Covers which should give about 4mpg in that temp range.

[Jus-A-CMax]

MY point was to see what other people were getting. See if it was just me who was having the problem. It was a frustrating thing for me to begin with getting such poor mileage. Well poor compared to what I was expecting anyway. I have since given up letting it bother me. I have used grill covers & seen a small rise. Not a large amount but like 33-35 so maybe 2mpg in cold weather. With spring coming on I have seen better MPG. I'm closer to the 37 range now. I can see once it is really warm breaking 40.

 

I don't consider a 55mpg trip to the local store much of a tell. That could be a 3 mile trip to the store & doesn't tell me squat. I get brief averages that are great too. What I go by is my average between fillups. Then the complete average for the life of my car. It is slowly climbing & other than my dang clock being off a couple times a week. Everything else is working great

...would you consider 51.5 MPG over 290 miles more appropriate? :) 

 

I sympathise, seems like some CMaxs are not even getting past 40MPG but I live in a much warmer side and my engine is still breaking in (8800 miles odo) and improving mileage. No grill covers here. Also in the Fuel Mileage section, do check out the Gen's ICE High MPG and see if that trick works if you have no choice to use ICE all the time.

[C-MaxJaxon]

...would you consider 51.5 MPG over 290 miles more appropriate? :)

What kind of average speed does it take and how much effort and concentration is required with constant pulse and glide and general nuisance to others around you on the highway to get even close to 50 MPG? Nobody is going to get anywhere close to 50 MPG driving 70+ with the cruise on. Not that I care that much since you only save a few dollars worth of gas if you had averaged 41.5.

[Jus-A-CMax]

What kind of average speed does it take and how much effort and concentration is required with constant pulse and glide and general nuisance to others around you on the highway to get even close to 50 MPG? Nobody is going to get anywhere close to 50 MPG driving 70+ with the cruise on. Not that I care that much since you only save a few dollars worth of gas if you had averaged 41.5.

Good for you, I am sure you can get much better MPG biking it  ;) 

 

You have no idea of the road, the terrain, the traffic, the load or anything and my effort and concentration is just me - some call this fun and also, you have no idea that even doing 70+ is an automatic ticket from the CHP...because you have no idea. Such negativity...ssshh.

[mtb9153]

I have done both fwy driving at around 70. To check my mileage I have gone on a hwy too at 60. I have milked it a every chance to try to get it to do better. Even milking it in every way possible the best I have gotten out of a tank was 35.8. I did a 45 minute run at 55 on eco cruise & reset my mpg average. I got 37 but it didn't take long for that to drop back down. During my 45 minute drive home on eco cruise I am staying right at 60. I am lucky to get it into EV mode once during my trip. It doesn't stay for more than a few seconds. 

 

I do see EV mode more in town but not enough to get my mpg's up

Is that figure your average mpg shown on the left screen?  Or is it your overall mpg which is displayed on the trip 1 screen?  Driving at 70 will drastically reduce your average and overall mpg readings.  I always drive on the freeway with my cruise control set to 60-62 and I stay in the slow lane so not to piss anyone off.  But I still seem to do it anyway.  My average with my current tank is reading 40.4 and the overall mpg on trip 1 is 42.4

[C-MaxJaxon]

Good for you, I am sure you can get much better MPG biking it  ;) 

 

You have no idea of the road, the terrain, the traffic, the load or anything and my effort and concentration is just me - some call this fun and also, you have no idea that even doing 70+ is an automatic ticket from the CHP...because you have no idea. Such negativity...ssshh

 

Well almost no one else on the forum has any idea either about the driving conditions because you withhold that information and imply that the average driver on the average highway will be capable of achieving such numbers after the weather gets warmer and the engines get more miles on them. I seriously doubt that is going to happen.

 

If people enjoy wasting time sitting in a vehicle and driving at lower speeds then that is your choice. I choose to drive 68 in 70 zones and 63 in 65 zones (less if it's very windy) as a compromise between time and fuel economy.

 

I have been biking to work every day this week. Just doing my part to try to offset the generous contribution to the big oil companies by all the people who drive thousands of unnecessary miles. Plus it improves my physical fitness and it's actually fun, more enjoyable than sitting in a shiny metal box. I have actually come to dread having to drive to work. I'm also more mentally alert after arriving at work.

 

Maybe I should change my username to Mr. Negative, Mr. Snarky or Obviousman. :)

Edited March 14, 2013 by C-MaxJaxon

[HotPotato]

Update... 3500 mi on the car now. Lifetime avg has jumped to 36.5 mpg. That's a 2 mpg jump, woot!  :) 

 

Lots of people ask about the car. I tell them the same thing that the more recent road tests say: it's a fantastic 37 mpg car and I love it. 

 

There's no shame in that. Few hybrids drive this well, few non-hybrids get this sort of MPG (especially in the city). Ford has nailed the sweet spot, and if the sweet spot gets 37 mpg, they should be honest and say so. 

 

I realize Joe Enthusiast's C-Max gets better MPG when he cruises the slow lane like he's out of gas, overinflates his tires like 4 blimps, tailgates 18-wheelers like a hooker at a truck stop, and risks his warranty by blocking his grill with a cover made of genuine whale foreskin...but a '67 VW bug gets infinity MPG when you put it in neutral and roll it downhill with the engine off, and that's about equally safe and equally relevant to the average C-Max driver's experience.  ;) 

[zhackwyatt]

Update... 3500 mi on the car now. Lifetime avg has jumped to 36.5 mpg. That's a 2 mpg jump, woot!  :) 

 

Lots of people ask about the car. I tell them the same thing that the more recent road tests say: it's a fantastic 37 mpg car and I love it. 

 

There's no shame in that. Few hybrids drive this well, few non-hybrids get this sort of MPG (especially in the city). Ford has nailed the sweet spot, and if the sweet spot gets 37 mpg, they should be honest and say so. 

 

I realize Joe Enthusiast's C-Max gets better MPG when he cruises the slow lane like he's out of gas, overinflates his tires like 4 blimps, tailgates 18-wheelers like a hooker at a truck stop, and risks his warranty by blocking his grill with a cover made of genuine whale foreskin...but a '67 VW bug gets infinity MPG when you put it in neutral and roll it downhill with the engine off, and that's about equally safe and equally relevant to the average C-Max driver's experience.  ;) 

BTW, I don't do any of those things, and my average MPG has been climbing, slowly, but climbing.

[RachelnLa]

I agree. I have 800+ miles. My dad has 300. We are both in the upper 30s average.

 

Av er age. It's not exact.

 

I would rather know what his tank mpgs are.

 

Shoot. My dad has almost half his miles in EV.

[gltram]

Over 39 MPG average on the C-Max's maiden voyage 200 mile plus business trip, including 44.1 MPG on the 11 mile portion between Madison Heights and Sterling Heights, all city streets. Most of the other miles were highway, and with bitter cold headwinds on the last 90 miles. Just bought it last night.  For me, It's not ONLY about getting getting great MPG numbers but it's a seriously cool driving experience.

[gltram]

45.4 MPG on the way today home from a 90 mile client trip, starting with the interstate highway driving 70 -72 mph, then taking mostly state highway and driving about 55 mph. 

It doesn't even have 600 miles on it yet and it was in 35 degree temps. Spectacular! And what a beautiful, comfortable, roomy car!

[Adair]

Congrats gltram, It's nice to have these moderating temps, isn't it?

 

 

I was 51.6 MPG on my drive home today........same route as always, M-F. 41 * @ 5pm. Back roads from the west side of A2 to Milan, 45-55 mph. A few stops signs/lights. Wonderful!!

[RachelnLa]

I popped up to the camp (cabin in the woods) to meet hubby for the weekend. Boy, was I surprised to see 48.1 mpg!

[Adair]

I popped up to the camp (cabin in the woods) to meet hubby for the weekend. Boy, was I surprised to see 48.1 mpg!

NICE!!! Both the weekend trip and the MPG!!!

[JohnnOhio]

I drive 35 miles one way to work mostly freeway 65 mph. Just drove into work and got 36.4 mpg with temp of 27 degrees. On the drive home got 42.1 mpg temp was 41degrees. I have just over 400 miles on her now. I should get the mid to upper 40's when it gets warm outside easily.

[gltram]

Congrats gltram, It's nice to have these moderating temps, isn't it?

 

 

I was 51.6 MPG on my drive home today........same route as always, M-F. 41 * @ 5pm. Back roads from the west side of A2 to Milan, 45-55 mph. A few stops signs/lights. Wonderful!!

Wow, Adair! Very cool.

[sixtyeightmk2]

How many miles have you got on the motor now? What is the area you live in like? Lots of hills? What is your current PSI? I've noticed my cars mpg seems to be improving a little but is still nowhere near the 47MPG as of yet.

 

SO I have had my Cmax for about a month. I've got 4300 miles on it & my MPG isn't great. I'm averaging 33-35mpg & am really disgusted. I bought it with the 47 mpg estimate expecting it to get at least low 40's. Most of my driving is hwy with only maybe 20% in town. IT has been really cold the last 2 weeks. I think warmer weather will help it some. Still I just can't see it ever getting close to that 47mpg. 

 

What mileage are you getting?

[mtb9153]

What happens when the ICE needs air and can't get it due to the covers.  I think the covers are a bad idea.  But in the great frozen middle section and east coast, I guess this wouldn't be a problem much of the time.  But still the idea of cutting out air flow to the engine concerns me when it is needed.  I'm getting 47+ pretty routinely lately since resetting my average mileage at my last fill up.  Right now around town I'm seeing between 46.3 to 47.4 depending on my driving and road conditions.

Edited April 20, 2013 by mtb9153

[RachelnLa]

Mtb, I am so proud of you!!

[Jus-A-CMax]

Mtb, I am so proud of you!!

^ wot she said  :)

[roninsd]

MTB, good on you!  I have a question for you (and other SF drivers): how do the hills affect your mileage?  Do you lose out, or do you find that going down makes up for the mpg you lose going up?

[dalebunker]

I live in Alamda, across the bay from SF. My daily commute takes me over a pass or two or three depending on the route. While not the intense hills of the City, I think it still applies. What I find is what goes up must come down or in our case when mpg goes down going up, always goes up when going down. I've been careful to not base the mpg on a single one way trip, but round trip and the net of it is the mileage always evens out and normalizes. Factors of course is the rate vs duration. Is it short and steep or longer gradual. Short story is my mileage always evens out at 41.5. I don't panic when one way drops to 38.9 because I'f I'm going back it goes back to 41.5. I'm a bit of an insomniac and love going over to the city and driving the hilly streets at 2 and 3 am, and will be taking mad max over to see what happens. I let you know..