First Drive: 2013 Ford C-Max Hybrid
Pole Position
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,465
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From: Illinois
Took a bit of an extended test drive (the wife is looking at it) in one of these and got just over 52 MPG during the test drive. I didn't hammer it but rather just kept up with traffic taking it easy. It's a surprisingly nice car inside and rode and handled really well. Much more to my liking than the current alternatives.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
Posts: 20,213
Likes: 261
Took a bit of an extended test drive (the wife is looking at it) in one of these and got just over 52 MPG during the test drive. I didn't hammer it but rather just kept up with traffic taking it easy. It's a surprisingly nice car inside and rode and handled really well. Much more to my liking than the current alternatives.
did you drive it on highway or city/back roads?
Pole Position
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,465
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From: Illinois
Lead Lap
Joined: Jul 2009
Posts: 4,810
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From: MI
Ford's continuing quality problems with newly-launched vehicles would give me concerns. It may be worth considering in a couple years if it proves reliable.
BTW, one plus of the Prius' center instrument display is that no matter where I adjust my steering column, the wheel doesn't obstruct the instruments.
There are two things that baffle persons who are new to driving my Prius:
- The little blue shifter, it's set-and-release positions, & the park button.
- The feeling of brake failure when stopping on rough pavement and regenerative braking cuts out to preserve the electric motors and there is a delay before friction braking takes over.
BTW, one plus of the Prius' center instrument display is that no matter where I adjust my steering column, the wheel doesn't obstruct the instruments.
There are two things that baffle persons who are new to driving my Prius:
- The little blue shifter, it's set-and-release positions, & the park button.
- The feeling of brake failure when stopping on rough pavement and regenerative braking cuts out to preserve the electric motors and there is a delay before friction braking takes over.
Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 194
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From: Dallas, Texas
it is similar to old Fusion that got up to 5 mpg more in EPA, but nobody in the world got better real life than in Camry... this is why many people that follow hybrids were waiting for first reviews.
You can actually optimize EV motor use to do better in EPA test, but as we can see, that doesnt work in real life.
You can actually optimize EV motor use to do better in EPA test, but as we can see, that doesnt work in real life.
Pole Position
Joined: May 2001
Posts: 2,465
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From: Illinois
Must be something wrong with yours. You're supposed to say how poorly it does! 
FWIW from Fuelly it looks like most are averaging around 40 with one in the mid 50's. The latter is doing more city driving AFAICT. Should be interesting to see how these pan out.
FWIW from Fuelly it looks like most are averaging around 40 with one in the mid 50's. The latter is doing more city driving AFAICT. Should be interesting to see how these pan out.
Lexus Fanatic
Joined: Jan 2005
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here is one of them
rkk
For what it's worth I have had my C-MAX for almost 3 weeks now. I have just over 2000 miles on it. So far I have an indicated 43.3 mpg but actual is about 42. It was starting to get better but it is has turned colder. I took a trip on the freeway today and when I got off my C-MAX indicated 38.1 mpg for that leg. I later took that same trip in my HCHII and it was 45.3 mpg indicated. The C-MAX computer has been a bit optimistic so it was probably closer to 37 actual. The Civic has been a little low so it was probably closer to 46. It was a few degrees warmer when I drove the Civic. My whole trip which included some city driving ended up at 43.3 on the C-MAX and 45.2 on the Civic. The best day I have in the C-MAX so far was an indicated 45.3 mpg but I have had trips of 49-50.
So for real life for me anyway the 47 mpg C-MAX doesn't look like it will do as well as the 42 mpg combined(after the 2008 EPA adjustment) Civic. Of course, the C-MAX is still "breaking in". Those are Fords words but who knows, it might get a little better. Most of my driving though is highway. If it was the other way around the C-MAX would probably be doing better.
For what it's worth I have had my C-MAX for almost 3 weeks now. I have just over 2000 miles on it. So far I have an indicated 43.3 mpg but actual is about 42. It was starting to get better but it is has turned colder. I took a trip on the freeway today and when I got off my C-MAX indicated 38.1 mpg for that leg. I later took that same trip in my HCHII and it was 45.3 mpg indicated. The C-MAX computer has been a bit optimistic so it was probably closer to 37 actual. The Civic has been a little low so it was probably closer to 46. It was a few degrees warmer when I drove the Civic. My whole trip which included some city driving ended up at 43.3 on the C-MAX and 45.2 on the Civic. The best day I have in the C-MAX so far was an indicated 45.3 mpg but I have had trips of 49-50.
So for real life for me anyway the 47 mpg C-MAX doesn't look like it will do as well as the 42 mpg combined(after the 2008 EPA adjustment) Civic. Of course, the C-MAX is still "breaking in". Those are Fords words but who knows, it might get a little better. Most of my driving though is highway. If it was the other way around the C-MAX would probably be doing better.
On my Prius i averaged 48 MPG... on my diesel i could get 40 MPG on some test routes, but I average 26 MPG. On my Prius I could get 70 MPG if I babied it.
So statistics is a game of numbers, that can be shown either way... most important part is that people who own these cars are satisfied with their numbers. On PC, we had 2 owners who owned other hybrids chime in, and both are getting lower than expected numbers and then we have 5-6 other members trying to convince them there is a mistake somewhere and it is not Ford inflating the numbers :-).
I would guess if you are moving from something that got you 20's before and are getting 40's now, you will be very happy. But If you used to get 50 in Prius and get 40 in C-Max, you might not be that happy at all.
Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, Texas
Green Car Reports managed right at 40mpg cruising at 75mph and I will try to duplicate that effort since my trip will be on 75mph speed limit highways.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/...s-mileage-test
Since the TDI Jetta I traded for my C-Max would only get 38 at those speed on diesel (now costing .50 more per gallon) I will be very happy.
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Driver
Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 194
Likes: 0
From: Dallas, Texas
it is all about how it does compared to other cars... and on priuschat you have many hybrid owners, some of them with new c-max...
here is one of them
so Civic Hybrid that should get 5 MPG less, gets 2-5 MPG more, same driver, same roads. So getting 40 MPG in car xx is cool, but if same driver would get 50 MPG in car xxx, not that cool, right?
On my Prius i averaged 48 MPG... on my diesel i could get 40 MPG on some test routes, but I average 26 MPG. On my Prius I could get 70 MPG if I babied it.
So statistics is a game of numbers, that can be shown either way... most important part is that people who own these cars are satisfied with their numbers. On PC, we had 2 owners who owned other hybrids chime in, and both are getting lower than expected numbers and then we have 5-6 other members trying to convince them there is a mistake somewhere and it is not Ford inflating the numbers :-).
I would guess if you are moving from something that got you 20's before and are getting 40's now, you will be very happy. But If you used to get 50 in Prius and get 40 in C-Max, you might not be that happy at all.
here is one of them
so Civic Hybrid that should get 5 MPG less, gets 2-5 MPG more, same driver, same roads. So getting 40 MPG in car xx is cool, but if same driver would get 50 MPG in car xxx, not that cool, right?
On my Prius i averaged 48 MPG... on my diesel i could get 40 MPG on some test routes, but I average 26 MPG. On my Prius I could get 70 MPG if I babied it.
So statistics is a game of numbers, that can be shown either way... most important part is that people who own these cars are satisfied with their numbers. On PC, we had 2 owners who owned other hybrids chime in, and both are getting lower than expected numbers and then we have 5-6 other members trying to convince them there is a mistake somewhere and it is not Ford inflating the numbers :-).
I would guess if you are moving from something that got you 20's before and are getting 40's now, you will be very happy. But If you used to get 50 in Prius and get 40 in C-Max, you might not be that happy at all.
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