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My thoughts on the C-Max

Discussion in 'Ford/Lincoln Hybrids and EVs' started by stevemcelroy, Feb 25, 2013.

  1. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

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    Over the weekend I had the opportunity to rent a C-Max and just wanted to share my impressions. I have not yet driven a Prius v so I'm really comparing it to the Gen 2 and 3. I picked it up in Salt Lake City and drove it up to Deer Valley. All told I drove it a touch under 200 miles and had an overall mpg of 34.6. I was pretty happy with this as I was aware of the press reports that most people were getting along the lines of 37 mpg. Given I was driving at altitude in the mountains, in the cold and snow it was about what I expected. I figure that my Gen 2 Prius would have been in the high 30's or low 40's.

    The car itself was very nice. It drove well in all conditions - on the highway, in the city and also handled well in the snow. The brakes seemed a bit grabby - something that I never noticed in the Prius. Inside it was very comfortable, far more so than my Prius, with leather and power seats that made me very jealous (I hate the seats in my car). The car seemed to fit well - it felt just about the right size. Since it was a rental the dash instruments and the Sync system were a bit confusing, but I bet that they would become second nature in just a short time of owning the car. They really put the Prius to shame. When I got back in my Prius at the Philly airport just a few hours after leaving the C-Max the differences were just so noticeable and made me miss the Ford.

    Overall I just loved the car. I think that Ford did a great job with it and think that their decision to make it a hybrid only model in the US was smart as it is a distinctive looking car (though not nearly to the extent the Prius is). Hopefully the mileage issue will be worked out in the near term - hopefully the EPA number will be lowered and perhaps Ford can add a few tweaks to boost the real world numbers a touch.

    My plan is to keep my Gen 2 for the next few years and then pass it along to my daughter when she gets her license. I'm not positive, but my guess is that I'll be looking for a smaller rather than larger car at that point. But if that is not the case the C-Max would be right at the top of my wish list.
     
    #1 stevemcelroy, Feb 25, 2013
    JMD and austingreen like this.
  2. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Is that with respect to the Gen 2 or the 3? Which instruments? And was it the interface or the visual appeal?
     
    #2 john1701a, Feb 25, 2013
  3. stevemcelroy

    stevemcelroy Active Member

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    All of the above - in some ways the display of the Gen 3 was a step back from Gen 2. In the C-Max you had both a touch screen in the center stack for things like the radio, nav, etc. The AC/Heat had it's own physical controls which is far easier to deal with than having to use the touch screen to change the fan speed as i need to on my Gen 2.

    The physical interface was pretty good, but it is my understanding that the real strength of Sync is the voice control which I just did not bother trying to figure out.

    On top of the touch screen it also had 2 small high-res screens, one on either side of the speedometer and tach that were controlled through buttons on the wheel. These could be configured - I had one set to show fuel economy and the other to show what was playing on the satellite radio.

    The interface was probably not what I would have chosen for a rental car - I would have preferred a dumbed-down interface. Why, because in a rental you are not intimately familiar with how it operates and figuring it out while moving is not great. However, if I were buying the car I'd be very happy with it as it seems like it would be a quick learn.
     
    #3 stevemcelroy, Feb 26, 2013
  4. acdii

    acdii Active Member

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    Wait a year or so before buying one though. Ford needs to get their SH** together and get them consistent in how they operate. Some are doing just fine, others are sucking up gas. Also that MFT has issues, and does not include Applink, so if you like using Pandora, or any of those other items in the Toyota, you wont get them in the Ford. If you live in a warm climate, they do just fine, but up north, forgetaboutit.
     
    #4 acdii, Feb 26, 2013
  5. sethster

    sethster Junior Member

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    C Max Energi Buyer's report: We just bought our first Ford since 1994 - a 2013 CMax Energi - my wife's ride. We've put our first 540 miles on the Energi and have used only 7.2 gallons of gas (a bit more than 1/2 tank). That's not that far removed from my PIP mileage with much higher range potential, thanks to the Energi's 20+ mile electric range and 13 gallon gas tank. Its made in America which is a + in my book.​
    We don't expect 47 mpg on hybrid alone, but we are seeing around 40+ in hybrid only mode (warm So Cal climate). Its both heavier and MUCH faster than either of the Prii that we have owned. My wife traded in her 2005 Lexus RX330 and prefers sitting up high - she really likes the C-Max. Our initial impression is that we both find the Energi more enjoyable to drive than the PIP - the driver's seat is SO much nicer than the Prius's that I am envious of my wife's ride.

    As for the My Ford Touch system, we have yet to have any problems and frankly, I like more of it than I expected to. I can stream music, Pandora, et al through the bluetooth interface just as I do in my Prius. And the wife loves the voice dialing feature.

    So, we are now a happy 2 plug-in family, propelled in part by solar roof power. Woohoo!​
     
    #5 sethster, Mar 4, 2013
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  6. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    The C max energi gets 20 miles in EV before hybrid kicked in.
     
    #6 JMD, Mar 4, 2013
  7. JMD

    JMD 2012 Prius 4 Solar Roof

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    You should use Fuelly
     
    #7 JMD, Mar 4, 2013
  8. vdek

    vdek New Member

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    The C-Max Energi is a pretty sweet ride. I purchased one myself last week and I've been enjoying it a lot compared to my relatives 2013 Prius. The seats are nice and comfortable compared to the Prius, and the car comes loaded with features. I purchased it with the 302A option and the upgraded Sony Speaker system is awesome. I haven't had any issues at all with MFT, I find it to work fairly well, not sure what the complaints were about, although it's important to note that I'm using the latest update to MFT since I purchased my car recently(3/18/2013). Apparently a lot of issues MFT was having were fixed with the update, and hopefully the functionality of MFT will improve as future software updates roll in.

    As far as MPG goes in hybrid mode, I go from a minimum of 37mpg up to ~45mpg in hybrid only mode(With the big battery partition emptied) It's cold here in New York though with temps around 35F for the past week. The Gas engine itself doesn't seem terribly efficient, probably due to the weight and I know I can push 32mpg if I drive the car really fast(75mph+) with high acceleration and bad braking, but put it in ecocruise@65mph which is above the speed limit in Long Island and the car gets ~40mpg. This is in line with the EPA numbers for the Energi Model. Compared to my 07 VW Golf that got 24.5mpg with the same commute, I'm very happy.

    Plug in range is great and I've been pretty much hitting ~19 miles in the cold weather, it's very cool to be able to drive along the highway at 75mph in EV mode during my morning commute. I'm expecting range to go up as the weather warms, I've heard of people getting 25miles+ in the warmer SoCal climate.

    Overall I've been very happy with the C-Max Energi.
     
    #8 vdek, Mar 26, 2013
  9. john1701a

    john1701a Prius Guru

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    Here, we're celebrating how warm it is... now that the temperature has climbed all the way up to 35°F.
     
    #9 john1701a, Mar 26, 2013
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