C-Max hybrid to get 47mpg both city/hwy

We'll get more reliable info from your fills, which will give you an idea of how accurate the car's mpg gauges are.

 

I own a 2006 Civic hybrid and without trying average mid-forties on mostly freeway driving. If I try, 50 isn't a problem(during summer). I am looking for a new car and have test drove both the C-Max and the Standard Prius. On everything other than MPG I liked the C-Max much better. Of course the reason to buy a hybrid is the mileage. In the Prius on a 30 mile drive that was mostly freeway I averaged a little over 53. On the C-Max on a similar drive I averaged 39.1. I tried 2 other C-Max's with shorter drives and did even worse. Doing 70 on the Freeway the C-Max was in the mid-30's. Like I said, I really like the C-Max for a lot of the reasons already mentioned. I didn't like the Prius, mainly the dash and controls. If I could trust the mileage I would buy the C-Max(or the new Fusion Hybrid) but I don't think I can.

 

Where are you that you got to test drive three different C-Maxes? My local dealers don't even know when they are getting their first ones.

 

Milwaukee area

 

A bit of a report after some city driving in the C-Max. After being disappointed in the Interstate fuel economy I am very pleasantly surprised with city fuel economy. I am think I should be able to obtain 55-60 mpg quite often. It's early but that's what I believe. It seems much easier to pulse and glide in the C-Max and I even find I can accelerate and stay is EV mode much more easily than in the Prius.

Examples - in my Prius 35 mph zones were the best for my fuel economy. I could speed up to 39 mph or so and then glide and maintain that speed or reduce it a touch and stay in EV. This became more difficult around 42 mph or so. Now in the C-Max I find I can easily do this in 45 mph and 50 mph speed limit zones as well and maintain speed. This equals more overall driving time in EV mode with the engine off. The C-Max has a 62 mph limit on EV ... my theory now is that you can obtain closer to the highway MPG on the sticker (47 mpg) if you stay under 62 mph. Anything over that and I'm finding the fuel economy dramatically drops off.

I need more time in all city driving, but as disappointed with the Interstate fuel economy as I was ... I'm pleasantly surprised with the city fuel economy. I'm still finding the C-Max a great driver's car and am pleased with everything over my Prius except for the highway/Interstate fuel economy. Otherwise it's practically night and day in terms of comfort, drive, noise level, and visibility.

 

I am so looking forward for your first tank average. I understand that it'll probably on winter gas formula.

 

Husker, thanks for the continued fuel economy observations... I am also very looking forward to more info from you... please keep posting.

 

Photo of full hatch

 

Closer

 

Dash picture said 32 MPG average?

 

The dash and steering wheel materials look much nicer than the Prius.

 

Can you comment more on the sunroof. Maybe take a few pictures Do you find that it makes your driving experience better? Do you even notice it's there? If you had the option, would you buy the same car with or without the sunroof?

I was looking forward to the panoramic sunroof thinking it would let in a lot of light and can at least be partially opened. It's disappointing to hear it doesn't open.

 

I always had the impression a panoramic sunroof meant just a clear roof. On smaller cars, like the Fiat 500 and Smart fortwo, it is the entire roof.

Sunroof - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The convention is that sunroofs are opaque and moonroofs light in while closed. Like AWD and 4WD, the terms' use has blurred the difference.

 

I would get the panoramic sunroof again if I had the choice. It does make the interior feel more open even though it doesn't open. It's very substantial in size and doesn't seem to cut headroom like some moonroofs. The power-retractable shade feel a bit cheap but does the job.

I will take more pictures (lots) this weekend and post them guys. Tooling around town tonight for 20 miles on a fairly chilly evening achieved 47mpg (maybe I was a but quick to state the potential of 60mpg).

 

thanks husk, seem like very objective reviews for an owner. is it larger, smaller or similar size to prius? front seat area, rear seat area, hatch? hard to tell from pic. thanks!

 

I look forward to seeing your pictures. Thanks again for taking the time to post your experiences.

 

Your posting brings up something I've been thinking about for the past weeks after Jason announced the end of "myhybridcar.com" . . . the absence of a general, hybrid or efficient car forum. Today we have:

• ecomodder.com - a source for homebuilt experimenters
• greenhybrid.com - now a front for car sales and loans
• other advocacy - less interested in commercial vehicle technology, more focused on special interests

Now there is an old saying,"You dance with the one who brought you" and certainly PriusChat needs to be focused on our model cars. However, there are a growing choice of non-Prius, efficient cars initially with such small owner pools that without vendor support, it is difficult to see an independent, user run forum, springing up anytime soon.

Now there is also the problem of "my <advocacy> is better than yours" or advocacy that looks like cannibalism. I don't have a clue as to how a stable, heterogeneous hybrid or efficient vehicle forum might work. It may be impossible as I've seen advocates come to general forums to cannibalize what they can not dominate. But I have seen something clever done in PriusChat that works.

There was (is) a user who came to 'Environmental' with a plan to brag on his modified hearse used in the Texas oil patch. What surprised him was to find follow-up comments discussing technical aspects of his junkyard project. Eventually, he found his way to "Other cars" and his posts were peacefully relocated to the appropriate forum.

There is a structure for alternate cars, "Other cars", and I'm thinking perhaps, serious models that achieve some threshold value, say 500-1,000 per month, would get a structure under "Others" specific to the model with a 'general', 'technical', 'fuel economy', and 'accessories' sub-forums.

This is not something that has to be addressed today. Rather, just my idle speculations where advocates and owners of seriously efficient cars, the potentially growing pool, have a place to share their expertise with others having a similar interest. But also this could be a place where our shared interests and curiosity can meet with little ranker.

Bob Wilson

 

I agree Bob and would like to add CleanMPG.com to your list. They are very much about fuel efficiency technology and new vehicles testing.

 

Get ready for a lot of photos ... Hope that's OK with moderators. First exterior view. Didn't want to take the time to blank out my plates so don't burn me