luv4beer

We frequent the Ford's Garage in Estero, FL and have really enjoyed it for the past few years. The decor is excellent throughout (even the restrooms) and fun even if you're not a car buff. Food is good and beer selection is outstanding.

Agree - bland front and profile. Looks like a larger and less sleek version of the current Fusion (which we know is 3 years old).

Do the categories have unequal weighting factors? For example, does the 'Comfort/luxury' category bear more importance than 'Fuel economy'? Or is the 'Overall' category just your overall impression and not an exact tally of the rankings? Not trying to poke holes but just curious.

Had a '97 Wrangler for about 4 years...nothing but problems and just a very primitive POS. I fully understood what a Wrangler was and wasn't supposed to be, but that was the worst vehicle I've ever had. Sold it for FAR less than the residual shown above and promptly and happily ran for the hills.

Same deal in our C-Max...aggravating as hell. High school daughter, who has always been tech savvy, gets in my HHR (2006) last week and sees the AUX cord dangling from the audio, "Ahhhh...good ole auxilary cord!!". We both absolutely despise the MySync menus...an absolute mess...completely counter-intuitive.

We checked out the Fiesta and Focus - both were too small for what we needed. The C-Max was pushing it considering my wife was drop-kicking her Chevy minivan, but we figured we could make it work w/o every seeing one before ordering it a year ago. So far, everything has worked out pretty well. The C-Max offers quite a bit more space & storage than a Fiesta and even the Focus. It is a fabulous car despite the bad press. I've driven all 3 several times, and it would be ignorant to make comparisons between them - so different. Unless you've spent time in a C-Max, you probably should refrain from your "perception" responses. This is a quality-built spacious vehicle with many features that gets significantly better overall MPG than a Fiesta. There is no comparison - both cars do their thing quite well.

I've always thought San Diego is the perfect place to own a hybrid. Will be interesting to see what your MPGs look like in 6 mo. By the way, our C-Max is Blue Candy as well...have yet to see another one on the road here in northeast IN.

Thanks for the info, Jason.

Can anyone confirm that this adjustment is for current owners (article makes it sound that way) and not just for new owners? If so, will Ford be contacting owners to set up appointments? After a 400-mile trip in my C-Max Hybrid this past weekend, it was very apparent how huge the MPG delta was between cruising at 65 MPH vs. 78 MPH. The MPG delta is also huge between cold and warm ambient. We're overall pleased with the MPG, but I would welcome a tweak to minimize the above-mentioned deltas. It also occurred to me that all cars, especially non-hybrids, should include the same driving habit/energy consumption feedback that the C-Max provides. If everyone had that feedback shoved in their face, most people would learn to drive for maximized MPG.

From the Mike Brady School of Design.

We had plenty of sub-20 mornings, so I was stating daytime highs. But, yes, it could have been much worse. I'm guessing this car would average well above 50 in San Diego-type climates.

My wife adapted very quickly and easily to this vehicle. My researching of it before we took delivery did help a bit, but the info center makes the learning curve very quick. My wife is technologically-challenged in many ways, so that should tell you something. The car does drive just like a regulary car when you want it to, and it has surprising quickness for what you'd expect with a hybrid. The CVT transmission just makes the whole experience that much smoother. Very easy car to drive in so many ways.

Our C-Max is garage-parked at night. It's looking more and more like outdoor temps have everything to do MPGs for this vehicle. We had a very long winter here (Ft. Wayne, IN) where temps were in the 20s/30s from late November through March. Most of my wife's driving is 4-mile trips to her workplace and many other short drives. With the cabin always struggling to get to 70 degrees, the gas engine was on most of the winter (heat comes from gas engine). Not to mention my wife cranking cabin setting to 85 to get the cabin warmer quicker... Today, with temps in the 70s, I averaged well over 50 for 25-30 miles driving around town. Amazing difference now that ambient temps are much higher.

Funny you mention AWD. My biggest fascination with this vehicle thus far has been its performance in the snow and even on icy roads. Wow. It really does feel like a 4WD. Stock tires are Michelins, but there obviously are several other factors in play. It does have traction control, but I'm too inexperienced to know when/if it's kicked in. I've played with the traction control button, and this thing still has great traction when it's off. There aren't many hills in NE Indiana, but it has done well on the modest hills I've climbed.

Just thought I'd report in after enjoying the first 8 months of our C-Max Hybrid: This was our first hybrid, and getting used to driving this hybrid was a breeze. There are various gauge/graph/calculation options to choose for viewing the entire hybrid experience...very interesting and informative. The info center greatly contributes to a quick understanding of how to drive this hybrid...slow acceleration when possible, gradual braking, and generally knowing when/how to kick it into 'EV' mode. A chimp could easily figure it out. A very nice system overall. We acquired the C-Max in September, if I remember correctly, and the MPG noticably decreased as the temps sank through the winter months - no different than other vehicles. MPG is climbing fairly quickly now with warmer temps. Nonetheless, I think most people want to know if this vehicle will get anywhere close to 47/47 as stated by the EPA estimate. I don't believe it will, but 'time' still needs to tell. I bought this vehicle after I crunched numbers of my wife's old vehicle MPG, ave. miles driven per year, and comparing gas costs vs. what it would be with the EPA estimate of the C-Max. Payback...simple and nothing more than that. The 'premium' one pays for the C-Max over a similar gas-only vehicle is only a few thousand. My wife simply wanted a dependable vehicle that got her from 'point A' to 'point B' - new or used, she just didn't care. Regardless of the well-below-EPA-estimate MPG to this point, we love this car (it's now getting around 40 MPG after dipping below 35 in the winter months...ave. of city/hwy). I no longer care about the MPG (it's now simply a bonus) because this car is superior in so many ways. This thing has had ZERO defects, and it is absolutely built like a tank for a vehicle of this size. Quality oozes from every nook & cranny. Ford did not skimp on anything here. My question is..."where is the Consumer Report survey?" For the first time in my life, I actually want to fill out a survey on something. My wife doesn't care about all of the aspects that I do, but she even commented that she feels like this thing will last forever. With such a complex machine, it's surprising to me that absolutely nothing has gone wrong with it. Exterior paint job is impressive, although some chode (in a large truck it appears) rammed his/her door into poor "Candy's" driver door. Bastard. Interior fit and finish is right at or even a notch above what you would expect for a $25K-$28K vehicle. I'd be really surprised to find out if Ford made a dime on the C-Max...just the feeling I have after owning it for 8 months. Great vehicle, the C-Max. I hope others have had a similar experience that we have had. After regularly driving rental cars for years and sampling the latest offerings from other manufacturers, I do have a decent 'gauge' of what to expect. For an efficient 5-person hauler, this vehicle is a home run.