Tired of the CMax being compared to the v

13.5 gallons. Its larger gas tank comes at the expense of interior design; the battery pack causes the load floor to be come raised a few inches.

 

They are finding out that the 47mpg rating on the C-Max is a tad overrated. I compared both and the v is much bigger, rides just as nice and I think I'll trust the quality/resale of the V in the years to come. After checking the two out, I bought the Prius v Three a couple of days ago. I was kind of surprised that they had added leather heated seats, fog lights, and the home link mirror.

 

You'd be giving up more than just 1 or 2 MPGs, but I agree, Prius' need some more power to really hit the big leagues (compete with midsize sedans)

Although C-Max is tall, it is much shorter than Prius v (C-Max 173.6", Prius v 181.7", even liftback Prius 175.6", 2 longer than C-Max).

I would describe the cargo area as sort of puny. The load floor is high and the wheel wells jut into cargo width. Rear seat legroom appeared noticeably less than Prius v (Put C-Max driver's seat fully back, not much room behind that). C-Max better be awfully fun to drive because I'm not sure why else it would clobber Prius in sales. btw, Prius v is in my opinion one of the best looking wagons around.

And what's with this 39 MPG fuelly.com average for C-Max? Ford should soon be forced to redo the EPA mpg results instead getting free reign to advertise 47 MPG ...
No, Ford did not pull a miracle of getting 47 MPG combined in a car with 188 HP and 3,600 lbs. curb weight.

 

Curious where you got such a three as at least two of those items are ones I associate with a five.

 

We agree:

The CMAX drag curve is a little worse than the Prius v. The relative ratio of drag curves is consistent with the user reported MPGs at Fuel Economy:

• 39.7 MPG (40 vehicles) - 2013 CMAX hybrid
• 42.5 MPG (18 vehicles) - 2012 Prius v
• 51.0 MPG (22 vehicles) - 2012 Prius hatchback
• 52.1 MPG (26 vehicles) - 2012 Prius c, not plotted

I've been looking at the Jetta, Prius v, and Prius c drag curves and it appears the drag power curves are a strong determinant in the user reported MPG.

Bob Wilson

 

Hi Bob,

Have you found any information on how Ford's Hybrid system works? I'm curious to see how it manages the ICE and traction motor when operating above 62 mph. From the many screen shots posted on the C-Max forum, it seems as if the car is very inefficient when the ICE is running at cruise speed. Since the car will report EV and total miles separately one can calculate the mpg when the ICE is running. And it's not very good. Most are around 28-32 mpg. It seems as if the EV miles (20-50% of Total miles) help the mpg get into the low to mid 40's if the driver keeps it at or below 62 mph under certain conditions. Unfortunately, on longer highway drives above 62 mph, the total mpg dives very quickly into the mid 30's. The C-Max doesn't appear to be as efficient above 62 mph as the Prius Gen III (lift back and Vee). Toyota's HSD system seems to be very efficient in blending the ICE and traction motor at a constant highway speed according to my ScanGauge II.

 

Fowler Toyota in Norman, OK. The Distributor installed them as options. They listed the seats as "Premium Leather-Trimmed Interior Upgrade (with heated seats). They put the heat controls just under the power outlets.

 

Mike, some items are added on at the port by the regional distributor and will vary from region to region.

 

Wow! I would have come back to Norman for those great upgrades. Lived there 36 years, and bought our 1998 Camry there ... a great dealer!
We bought a Prius v / 3, in April and LOVE it, average mpg since beginning, IS 47.2. Floyd

 

I can attest to this. There is a slight amount of EV applied above 62 MPH if you watch the gauge. You nailed it though, took a trip to Florida in my 13 FFH and averaged 38 MPG, regardless of speed. Above 70 it drops considerably.
Yes I am sick of the Ford commercials, they lie! They have blown me off twice now, even with absolute proof there is an issue with my Fusion regarding poor FE. Even the service manager is saying there is no way these cars can get 47 highway. In city traffic they can exceed 50 MPG, seen it happen twice, but I dont drive in the city, 80%+ of my driving is highway.

I havent seen a Focus rated over 40 MPG, but they advertise it, in fact saw it on TV at this very moment.

 

Latest Ford commercial says something about "most car models over 40 MPG". Effective advertising.

 

I considered dropping the final drive ratio to the same as the Gen 3 to reduce the acceleration, but I am not sure I would gain that much more mileage. If I was certain I would get better mileage I would reduce the acceleration in a heartbeat.

OTOH, with a background that includes the Ford Thriftpower straight 6, the Mazda TC engine, a Ford CVH 1.9 engine, the Toyota 4A-FE*, and my previous Prius 1NZ-FXE; the v's 2ZR-FXE is a powerhouse.

Ford Straight-6 engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mazda C engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ford CVH engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toyota A engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toyota NZ engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Toyota ZR engine - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

*Technically the 4A-FE made more 5 HP, but it was mated to an AWD drivetrain that sapped a lot of energy, in contrast, the Prius drivetrain adds energy with 2 electric motors.

 

Sounds more like you have friends who taunt you for owning a Prius. If removing the badges makes that much difference, you are trying to avoid stigma, not improve looks (which it does, but only a tiny bit). Said friends will surely razz you for dropping a couple of thousand dollars to switch.

 

Is it? How many cars are you planning on owning?

 

After test driving the C-Max and spending a few hours on research, I bought the Prius v. The C-Max performed a bit better but had the ridiculous 2 inch bump up in the cargo area and didn't have a spare tire. Also, I checked the Consumer Reports test of the C-Max and it got about 20% less than the EPA rating. The Prius v was close enough to the EPA rating for me.
The Prius has a proven reliability track record, the C-max doesn't.
I got the Prius for $3,000 less than the C-Max with same equipment.

It may seem crazy to some people, but the deal breaker for me with the C-Max was the can of Fix-a-Flat with no spare. I've had a few total tire failures when it would have been a serious inconvenience I couldn't have been on my way in a few minutes simply by changing a tire.

 

Let me suggest:

• pair of donuts - put on the front wheels, the smallest diameter possible (i.e., maximum revs/mile,) you'll get maximum torque for acceleration.
• pair of oversized tires - use Tire Rack to find the tires with the lowest revs/mile that will fit on spare rims. This in effect implements permanent over drive.

With both sets, you'll have to come up with a correction factor for the trip meter and hand calculate the mileage. You'll also probably want a GPS speedometer. Then you're good to go to 'have fun.'

Bob Wilson

 

Yes Ford's "most cars over 40" is effective in attracting attention to Ford as a seller of economical vehicles.Not something typically associated with them by most before they started the advertising. If I were Toyota, I'd be training my salespersons to counter the claims with facts.

And to answer your question, I'm on at least my 40th car and influence many more. Bought or sold 5 in the last 2 years.

 

My friends say nothing about the car.

I removed the badges from every car I owned. (3 total)

 

That's not crazy at all. It is very convenient to have a spare tire, even donut sized. Even if the damaged tire on car is at home and you have another car, put donut on, take tire for repair. I like that better than leaving the car on a jack / stand for a few hours while gone.

Also, if the fix-a-flat does not work, or it's late and all shops are closed, a bad tire will have one calling for a flat-bed. Need to have upgraded roadside assistance for that.

 

When I consider this, I am reminded that I drive a Prius in part (and a Prius v entirely) because I carry such large loads that I do not 'fit' into a sedan. I can't help but worry that reducing the load capacity of the tires is going to mean I need to go on a diet. Eeeek!