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

The power liftgate can be set to open to the height you like. There is a sensor under the back bumper that allows you to swipe your foot/leg under it and open the tailgate in case your hands are full. I noticed today there is no button on the back gate to lock all the doors like there is on the Prius. All 4 doors have smart key sensors however rather than just the front doors.

 

Some shots of the panoramic roof to help give you an idea of the size.

 

The last photo shows the noise canceling speakers and they REALLY make a difference. You don't know they're working but if you cover them you can tell the difference.

 

Back seat ... Fold flat ... Front door

 

The button on the side of the shifter is like "B" on the Prius. The screens to the side of the speedometer are each adjustable. The center console is not huge but is very deep. The glove box is a good size.

Please ask any further questions. Today I drove around town quite a lot and trying to get solid fuel economy achieved 42 mpg. A bit disappointing ... My lifetime fuel economy is just over 35 mpg. Note I have driven 2000 miles already on the Interstate. The power liftgate is a touch sticky and the sensor for the auto liftgate is a bit finicky too.

 

Window sticker for anyone who cares. $1000 rebate out of the gate as well. Still not sure what I think overall. The C-Max offers a great deal of things above the Prius, but is the fuel economy hit worth it?

 

very very nice, great stuff husk, thank you! beautiful pics, good job. what are the armrests and cupholders like? is the drivers seat comfy? what was msrp and how much did you get off that? how much is the fed tax rebate? thank you!

 

The armrests are all decent. The driver's seat is better than the Prius but still not the most comfortable in the world but decent. The driving position is much better ... A bit upright like van. Entry and exit are especially good. MSRP was $33,180 with every option. There was no Fed rebate. Hard to say what I truly got off of the sticker but I'd guess around $1500. I attached the window sticker in my last post.

Forgot to note the rear camera has the outlines on the screen that direct you to where you're heading with the steering wheel turned. There are also front and rear bumper sensors for when you are getting close to objects. This may just come with the park assist option.

 

thanks man, keep us posted!

 

congrats on the car! I yearn for new one, this one is 7 months old and it is becoming boooring.

what was G3 economy over the same routes?

 

This is an excellent example:

This post needs a home, a place where our community can enjoy in association with PriusChat. How to 'bootstrap' a C-MAX (or any other serious hybrid or fuel efficient technology) remains a puzzle . . . at least in my mind.

Nice pictures but I'd like to suggest taking the open-hatch rear shot and equivalent one(s) from Prius models and adjusting to achieve the same scale. Then overlay with a 'load' like this:

Now this is a comparison of the Insight to the Prius. A similar analysis of the C-MAX would be helpful. But this also brings up another, random thought.

The current Insight was to be the 'Prius killer' but turned out to have been somewhat more modest. But the Prius c may be the Insight killer. Both are small cars after the same market. It will be interesting to see if:

• Insight + Prius c = Insight sales :: cannibalism
• Insight + Prius c > Insight sales :: synergy, complementary

Bob Wilson

 

I would imagine my Prius would've been 50 mpg or so

 

Power liftgate: in a Ford commercial showing the liftgate they sneak an "Open sesame" while it's lifting so you can't see how long it takes. How long does it take to open when you use the automation?

 

Nice car! Your MPG should improve once broken in. Perhaps you need to adjust your driving style by relearning from the Efficiency Leaves screen.

 

Husker, many thanks for taking the time with the pics and openness in providing detailed responses. Really doing a great service for folks who are mulling over this car like myself.

Regarding your lifetime 35 mpg ... wow that is disappointing to me, too, and again makes me hesitate on pursuing this car further... as well as wondering how the heck Ford got 47/47 from EPA. I'm realistic and was hoping for at least 40 combined for my own use. I test drove one with my fam (wife and two rug rats) and I must say I really like the car both inside and outside - but esp. inside materials. Has the peppy acceleration that most who've test driven have noted. Only remaining concern is the mileage (besides the rock hard back seat - fortunately it would be my kids who would sit there most of the time.... and they thought it was ok - have you had back passengers complain yet? - not sure if you hauled back passengers in your Interstate jaunts)

What would you say is your city/highway percentage so far? I know you have driven a lot of freeway miles so far ("2000 miles on the Interstate) ... how many miles approximately in typical city traffic? Am trying to relate to what I would be using the cmax for (commute) and my own percentage cit/highway to get a sense for what I'd get. Thanks so much.

 

I would say out of the 2200 total miles I've driven only 100 have been true city miles so my lifetime mpg is very skewed.

Hers is my best guess as to fuel economy is various situations. Completely city (under 45 mph for most part) my guess would be around 45mpg. Regarding my interstate driving I was finding 75 mph yielded 33-34 mpg ... 70 mph yielding 35 mpg ... 65 mph yielding 36-37 mpg. I think the breaking point to getting the best fuel economy on the actual highway versus Interstate would be staying under 62 mph since that's the breaking point for having EV mode engage. I plan to drive to my hometown next weekend and will drive 60 mph (highway speed limit here) and see how I do.

You are right the back seat is fairly flat and hard ... No worse than the Prius imho

 

The liftgate opens very quickly to be honest. I was surprised by that fact. I am finding mine sticks when it pops open sometimes - I hear it pop (which is always a very abrupt sound) but sometimes it doesn't release. The sensor for the leg swipe has been tough to activate from time to time as well.

 

One of the first things, as I was leaving the dealer, was to take the new car to a flat, 10 mile stretch and do a series of MPG vs mph runs:

• drive for 20 minutes to throughly warm car and survey the test route(s) and write down weather conditions, temperature and wind
• enter test route, use cruise control, reset the trip meter
• end of run, memorize the MPG and stop to record data and U-turn
• repeat run in reverse direction and record data
• repeat for different speeds
• enter data into spreadsheet and plot

Often this can lead to finding a 'knee' in the performance curve. Then drive on the 'good side' of the curve whenever possible. If you have to go to the other side, you'll know what to expect.

GOOD LUCK!
Bob Wilson

ps. I used the new just as delivered from the dealer before fully inflating the tires and various lubricant changes to get rid of manufacturing debris.

 

Thanks Husker. Here's another anecdotal: attended the HMB pumpkin street festival today (I live in SF bay area) and lo and behold the Ford marketing crew was there with a CMAX Hybrid and CMAX plug in on display. I chatted with one of the Ford employees and asked him about the mileage concern in this forum - he stated that they were getting mid 40s average on their way from Michigan (they DROVE all the way to northern CA!). As you would imagine, their travel has been primarily interstate... but he also stated that they were going close to the speed limit, ~65mph, to get mid 40s. He further mentioned that one driver did a stretch averaging 85mph or so and acknowledged that fuel efficiency promptly dropped to ~37/38 mpg.

I have no reason to think the guy was giving me BS... he seemed like a straight up guy, is a marketer, not even a sales guy.

Anyway, thought I'd share my story.. I think I feel a bit better about the mileage thing after my chat with the Ford employee, esp. after Husker confirmed that 2100 out of 2200 is interstate travel for his 35 mpg.

 

I could not fathom achieving mid 40s on the Interstate after driving to Ohio and back. Maybe there IS something wrong with my car?