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104K views 33 replies 12 participants last post by  jehnzshuley5066 
#1 ·
I just traded my focus on the C-Max Hybrid. It is a really nice car and my girlfriend loves it. It is very roomy and sits a bit higher so very good visibility. The MFT is pretty cool and the heated seats are HOT. You need to keep them on the low setting. The leaves on the dash are causing my girlfriend to drive just to get leaves and when she sees them fall off she starts to try to get them back! Pretty funny actually. it will be a while before we learn all the stuff on it and how it does.


 
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#9 ·
It is a Hybrid. It runs on electric and motor. Current MPG is 39.5. That is mostly due to cold weather, winter gas formula and running the heater. The heater is operated by the heater core like a conventional motor so the engine comes on more often to keep the antifreeze hot. When it was slightly warmer out, we saw 40+ even with the heat on. I expect when it warms up it will get far better mpg's because the engine won't have to keep the heater working.
 
#15 ·
I know it's been a while since someone posted in this chat, but I'm looking at possibly getting one of these for the wife. I just read a whole lot of reviews on Edmunds most of which were raves, and the rest were typical car hate stuff.

Personally, I'd be fine with 36 mpg, the lowest I saw, compared to the 18 she's getting in the Windstar.
 
#16 ·
I know it's been a while since someone posted in this chat, but I'm looking at possibly getting one of these for the wife. I just read a whole lot of reviews on Edmunds most of which were raves, and the rest were typical car hate stuff.

Personally, I'd be fine with 36 mpg, the lowest I saw, compared to the 18 she's getting in the Windstar.
I traded the focus 2012, for the C-Max for my girlfriend. She LOVES it! She does mostly suburban/city driving and is now at 48.8 mpg. It has been nearly flawless, only a few times with the MFT system reboot but very short and not a real problem. No way will I get that car away from her. She will be keeping it for a very long time. She really likes the rome inside and the more upright seating it offers. Also, the ease of entering and exiting with the slightly higher stance. It is quiet and smooth riding even at highway speeds, but is at it's best in stop and go traffic.
 
#17 ·
Thanks for answering!

Hopefully I'll be joining you soon with a C-max in the family. We'll see how it goes. I'm still finding it hard to avoid getting used one since there are a few on the market with less than 20k miles for a $10k reduction in price. I'm going to ask around and see if I can get an X-plan pin number too. That would be really helpful in making the decision to get new or used. I'm slightly afraid of the used C-Max because so many little things could go wrong to reduce its fuel economy, and there's really no good reason (except loan default) that a person would return a car with 10-20k miles on it.
 
#18 ·
I just got mine! (actually my wife's)! It's a Black SEL with the moonroof and 303 package. We bought it slightly used with 7k miles on it. It's like a hybrid race car! The acceleration on the highway is just freaking insane. I couldn't imagine what this engine and trans combo would be like in a Focus.

The only thing I don't like about it is that the sun seems to shine in my eyes from EVERY corner. I can't hide from the sun, that's the most annoying part. I think window tint is going to be a blessing, but I'm going to have to do some weird stuff. I'd like dark tint on the rear sails, and the rear window, but the sides I think I might go with 3M's crystalline tint that reflects 94% IR and 100% UV without being dark. That way she's legal. The rear sails are so small that they probably won't care.

I'm going to miss driving that car after tomorrow [bigcry]

Honestly, if I could afford one for myself, I would get one tomorrow!
 
#19 ·
Congrats on your purchase! I had tint added before I even took delivery! Can't remember what level tint, but I did include the windshield tint as well. It has been very worth it. Still a great car. It has done well in this cold winter. Mileage has dipped to 45mpg due to below 0 temps. I can live with that!
 
#20 ·
Mine is not getting as good at the fuel economy as yours. Not far off, but not as well. If I didn't have the foam stuffed in the grille- I wouldn't be getting much over 40 mpg. The wife's driving circuit only gets her 35 mpg, but she's only going a total of like 5 miles per day. We should've gotten a plug-in.

When I took a road trip during sub zero temps, we installed 5/8 foam pipe insulation between the slats on the middle grille. This stuff is available for $5 for like 8'. It took 3 lengths. I also put it on the lower grille, but not in the same way. On the upper grill it stuffs in tightly between the grille slats. On the lower, I put it over the grille slats.

This allows the engine to heat up quicker, but not overheat. It reduces the amount of time that the engine must run on ICE before the cabin heats up. I do something similar in my Focus. With the C-Max, fuel economy goes up because you can get into EV mode sooner- the comfort is nice too. When I drive the car I can drive without the climate control on, but my wife has to have it. The car barely heats up before she gets to work, but that 85F setting on the climate control makes her think she's warm.

Basically a family needs a C-Max for trips, and an Energi for Mommy. That way she can have the car plugged in downstairs, call it with her iPhone, and it will warm up or cool down before she sets foot in the car without using the battery. That's what Mommies need. Daddy just needs a 1950 Ford Flat pickup that gets 60 mpg (with AC because I'm not a kid).
 
#21 ·
Mine is not getting as good at the fuel economy as yours. Not far off, but not as well. If I didn't have the foam stuffed in the grille- I wouldn't be getting much over 40 mpg. The wife's driving circuit only gets her 35 mpg, but she's only going a total of like 5 miles per day. We should've gotten a plug-in.

When I took a road trip during sub zero temps, we installed 5/8 foam pipe insulation between the slats on the middle grille. This stuff is available for $5 for like 8'. It took 3 lengths. I also put it on the lower grille, but not in the same way. On the upper grill it stuffs in tightly between the grille slats. On the lower, I put it over the grille slats.

This allows the engine to heat up quicker, but not overheat. It reduces the amount of time that the engine must run on ICE before the cabin heats up. I do something similar in my Focus. With the C-Max, fuel economy goes up because you can get into EV mode sooner- the comfort is nice too. When I drive the car I can drive without the climate control on, but my wife has to have it. The car barely heats up before she gets to work, but that 85F setting on the climate control makes her think she's warm.

Basically a family needs a C-Max for trips, and an Energi for Mommy. That way she can have the car plugged in downstairs, call it with her iPhone, and it will warm up or cool down before she sets foot in the car without using the battery. That's what Mommies need. Daddy just needs a 1950 Ford Flat pickup that gets 60 mpg (with AC because I'm not a kid).
I'm with you on the pick-up! I think what really helps the milage here is the trip my girlfriend takes most days is a sharp uphill first thing with gradual rise after for part of the way, undulating mostly, then a long gradual downhill to school. On the way home it is the opposite, gradual up for a long way and undulating then, a quick sharp down hill to home. In the morning the ICE is going to be running anyway so with the grade it warms up quick, and the downhill really helps increase the milage.
Coming home after a few hours of school, the car is still relatively warm and the gradual uphill doesn't tax the ICE as much so it goes into electric sooner and the regen works more often on the way home. My focus has dumped to the 30's due to my 5-10 mile trips. Just can't warm it enough to get milage out of it. I need an all electric Focus! (or the new Focus plug in hybrid if they make it!)
 
#22 ·
I can't stress enough how much of a difference blocking off part of the radiator in the winter makes in both vehicles.

For my 05 ZXW: 2-3+ mpg, heat warms up cabin at about 4 miles away from the house in 20F weather. All I did was remove some plastic around the latch so I could put something in front of the condenser. I used old 18 wheeler plastic mud flaps which were free from a local repair shop. Before that I used cardboard wrapped in 200 mph duct tape to withstand moisture. That prevented the cardboard from breaking down and clogging the condenser.

I already told you about the C-max- it's well worth the minor expense. I'll try to take some pics tomorrow. The good thing is that winter is almost over! I'm looking forward to seeing how our mileage improves. We've only had the car in cold weather.
 
#24 ·
I've had my 2014 Energi for about two weeks and I'm loving it! I travel to and from work and can run most of my errands in EV Only and haven't needed to burn a drop of gas in 6 days. I'm actually trying to use gas to get it down to between 1/4 and 1/2 tank so when I do drive or have to drive in EV Later, or Auto (hybrid mode), I have gas to get me home. My average mpg's is currently at 158, now that's the average after using some gas yesterday, it indicates 90-98 MPGe after my EV only drives with modest brake regen. I took a photo of my screen when it read 519 Avg mpg. This is very new to me, and I don't know how it calculates the avg mpg, but that was pretty exciting. I use the level 1 charger and it generally takes 4-6 hours to charge, depending what the level is when I get home.
2014 C-Max Energi
302A Package
Sterling Gray Metallic
Splash guards, front bug reflector, plastic rear bumper guard from Zeta Products, soon to have 30% tint rears and either 50% (max by MN law) fronts, or I wait until I travel to my home in AZ next January to have 30% installed on the fronts. If you're considering a C-Max, also look at the Energi, it's a little more $, but the satisfaction of not burning gas for days or weeks is well worth it.
 
#25 ·
HEY!! Awesome to hear from some other CMax owners! Our fuel economy did improve after winter, and is steadily improving. The only mistake I made was not getting an Energi instead. The car was bought for my wife. She only drives about 10 miles per day round trip! Our lifetime average over 12k miles is 37 mpg! No car gets great fuel economy on short drive cycles. I didn't get an Energi because I was in that mode of replacing the "family" vehicle which was previously our Windstar. We needed room to take belongings on trips, and the reduction in rear storage room was too much IMO.

Stupid me. We don't take trips that often, and lately we haven't even been taking the dog with us! I'm saving up to get an Energi as soon as possible. The only other thing that bothers me with that vehicle is ethanol blend gasoline. Even E10 will break down in a month if not treated. I know Ford has that "fuel freshness" cycle like the Volt, however, I just don't see how running the engine is going to change the chemical attributes. This coupled with a "lifetime" fuel filter- if you believe that- is a turn-off. Fortunately there are relatively inexpensive fuel stabilizers on the market.

I highly suggest that you, 2012SilverSEL, check out a gasoline stabilizer, and consider mixing it, and then running your gasoline engine for a bit to circulate the fuel through the system. If I were you, I'd run the fuel down as low as 1/4 tank once you're certain that your normal drive cycle can be run on EV only. A 1/4 tank will probably give you enough to go 100 miles.
 
#27 ·
My C-max made it through the winter quite well. It had a low Ave. of 43.8. My girlfriend was unhappy it fell that low! LOL! But with warmer weather it is back above 44 and climbing. So far the car has performed very well. The sync does not recognize her phone but connects to mine just fine. The MFT has worked well with very few glitches, most early on but far fewer lately. The CD player seems to get a bit hot compared to what I am used to but time will tell if it is a problem. The one small issue right now is the outside temp. sensor seems to be on the fritz. It was jumping all over the place during the last drive. If it continues I will have it looked at during the next oil change. In all, I am very satisfied with the car and it's performance.

I would be tempted to buy a Focus energy if Ford were to bring it to market. I really like the way the C-max works, but prefer the body design of the Focus for my car. I don't need the extra room of the C-Max.
 
#28 ·
CD? I use the USB in the console for my music. For a while I thought I'd use the SD card slot, but I have a 32G USB drive, so that's enough.

I've found that it's all about how a person drives a CMax. If you drive it like a regular car, you'll get in the 30's. If you drive it like a Prius, you'll get into the mid 30's. The optimal FE driving technique I've found is to drive it like a Ford. 1) Accelerate with authority to the speed limit. 2) Let off the gas pedal to encourage EV mode once you're at the speed limit. I actually go slightly above the speed limit before kicking in EV.

Using the "Ford" acceleration technique, I'm able to get 60 mpg figures for short drives to the store or nearby neighborhoods that are less than 5 miles away. What I'd like to try is if changing out all the incandescent lamps to LED would help increase fuel economy. I don't think the effect would be dramatic, but I think that with some other add-ons will be helpful. I've been looking into smooth wheel covers to increase aerodynamics on highway trips, but I haven't gotten around to doing it. My house has seen the benefits of LED lighting, but I don't think that lighting load (other than headlights) is much on a vehicle. I know I was surprised when I went from $150 to steady $120's by changing out the most frequently used lamps from fluorescent to LED.
 
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