dtorres Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) I've now had my 2013 C-Max SE for one week and thought I'd post a few comments on my experience with the car. First off my wife and I love this car. I've owned a Ranger, Sport Trac and Escape in the past and have certain expectations of how I expect a car to drive. My '06 Escape was the least powerful vehicle I've owned with a 2.3L I-4. Despite the engine size it still moved when you gave it gas without hesitation (albeit with extra engine noise) which is what I expect. It could accelerate up hills with no problem. The down side was it was never as fuel efficient as I had expected averaging only 21 mpg on a split 50% city / 50% highway commute. Enter the C-Max. I've had a growing interest in hybrids because of their fuel economy. I opted out of the Prius after reading review after review describing acceleration as anemic and strained at best. Good mpg does me no go if the car won't go and go fast when I want it to. The C-Max did not disappoint in this aspect. The mix of electric and 2.0L gas motor makes this car move when you want it to. On my first test drive I floored the gas to see what it could do and actually managed to spin the wheels. There's no confusing this car with a Mustang (nor is it designed to be) but when asked this car will move. It's nice knowing that when that 18 wheeler cuts me off and begins moving into my lane on the freeway I've got the power I need to clear the lane. After reading reviews of other hybrids I was also concerned about the quality of the interior. Because the C-Max comes in cheaper than Ford's previous hybrids I wondered if it was at the expense of the interior quality. In short it was not, the interior is top notch and the seats are very comfortable. From what I've read in other articles the C-Max shares the same front seats as the ones that have received high praise in the new Ford Escape. I also like that Ford added the redundant controls for the A/C. The A/C works well and doesn't stop when the gas motor stops (which occurs is some hybrids). The rear vents for the second row of seats aren’t particularly powerful but the vehicle is small enough that the cabin cools quickly anyways. As for the rated mpg I think Ford may have been a bit optimistic here. If you hyper mile and are very easy on the gas pedal I believe you can easily reach or exceed the rated 47 mpg combined rating. In real world driving though you have to keep up with traffic when the light turns green. That means giving it lots of gas and not feather light gas pressure. That being said with real world starts from red lights (not turtle starts) and freeway speeds in the 65mph to 70mph range I've been averaging 40 mpg according to the trip computer. I have yet to actually finish the first tank and that number may go up after calculating the mpg based on miles driven and gallons added to the tank rather than the trip computer. I still have 5/8 of a tank and have already driven 240 miles vs. my '06 Escape which would typically go 280 miles and need 13 gallons of gas at the pump. So time will tell how easy it is to reach 47mpg but 40mpg has been easy so far. The in dash LCD screens are really the key to the whole hybrid system. Ford has engineered so many ways to monitor your accelerating and braking habits into the screens that it literally becomes a game trying to improve your driving habits. Even my wife jokes that this car has turned me into a safer driver. There should be some kind of insurance discount for that. Inside the vehicle it's quiet. Ford has done an incredible job isolating the noise from the interior even when the engine is on. Everyone I've given a ride has commented on how quiet it is inside the cabin. That being said if you've never driven a hybrid before you're in for a few surprises. There are some weird noises that you aren't used to from a gas powered vehicle. For example the electric motor has a low pitch whine when you brake. I believe it's caused by the electric motor running backwards during braking to generate electricity. It's only noticeable if the radio is off (as is the case for all the hybrid related noises) but it takes you by surprise because it's a sound you've never heard in a gas vehicle. None of these sounds are bad or deal breakers by any means just new. All together the only negative thing I have to say about my C-Max after one week is related to the MyFord Touch system. The system is amazing and the 8" screen is bright and easy to read in direct sunlight. However as has been mentioned by others glitches do exist. They're minor glitches and can be worked around or tolerated but they do exist. On one occasion the system froze while trying to access a USB thumb drive which required turning the car off for several minutes then back on which fixed the problem. Every time I start the car (with the USB thumb drive plugged in) the stereo system reverts to the same song on the USB drive and I have to switch back to Sirius or FM or whatever I had left it on, not a big issue but a glitch. This issue is made more comical by the fact that it always chooses the same Sesame Street song from my kid's music folder "C is for cookie that's good enough for me" as I drive along in my C Max. On one occasion I lost the Sirius preset labels. As others have mentioned you just switch to a different audio source then back to Sirius and the labels return. Finally on several occasions the A/C screen displayed different settings then the manual controls. In that case making any change to the on screen A/C controls resyncs the system. Overall small issues but issues that should have been worked out before the system went to prime time. Given the choice again I may have opted for the standard wing shaped audio system with sync and waited for Scosche or Metra to produce their dash kit to install an aftermarket double din navigation system. They've already produced aftermarket kits that maintain Sync functionality for the new Focus which has a similar dash shape. It will only be a matter of time before it's modified for use in the C-Max. However the aftermarket kit will not work in the C-Max's equipped with the MyFord Touch system because of the different dash configuration. So for now I'll patiently wait for the MyFord Touch updates. Edited October 5, 2012 by dtorres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 Great to read an owners C-Max Hybrid review from North America. Thanks for taking the time and enjoy your new ride. Any chances of some images to go along with your review? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 As for the rated mpg I think Ford may have been a bit optimistic here. If you hyper mile and are very easy on the gas pedal I believe you can easily reach or exceed the rated 47 mpg combined rating Aw geez - not again. Ford doesn't control the EPA testing procedure. They can neither be optimistic or pessimistic in their EPA fuel economy ratings. They run the test the way the EPA prescribes and they report the results, just like every other mfr. The EPA actually performs some of the tests themselves and they audit the tests that the mfrs do themselves. If your driving habits don't match the EPA tests then you won't get EPA results - but that isn't Ford's fault (or any other mfr). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aneekr Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 (edited) Aw geez - not again. Ford doesn't control the EPA testing procedure. They can neither be optimistic or pessimistic in their EPA fuel economy ratings. John O'Dell of Edmunds summed up the most salient issue with EPA fuel economy estimates, namely that the EPA protocols themselves are overly optimistic. While achieving the EPA numbers in real world driving is easier done with some vehicles than with others, ultimately such discrepancies will be common unless there's a political will to 'change the system'. "In government and policy circles, it's well known that the EPA's fuel economy figures are too optimistic, but changing the system to more closely reflect real-world averages would mean lowering the bar on all the measurements of the current state of fuel efficiency on the American highway, and no one is eager to admit that we really haven't come as far in fuel-efficiency gains as it seems. The 54.5-mpg average for fuel efficiency among new vehicles that the Obama administration is proposing for 2025 will really be somewhere down around 36-38 mpg in real-world terms." btw, dtorres - best wishes for many happy miles on your new C-Max! Edited October 5, 2012 by aneekr Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted October 5, 2012 Share Posted October 5, 2012 This issue is made more comical by the fact that it always chooses the same Sesame Street song from my kid's music folder "C is for cookie that's good enough for me" as I drive along in my C Max. I remember loading that song on my brother's phone as a ringtone and he had no idea how to remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtorres Posted October 9, 2012 Author Share Posted October 9, 2012 Finally took some pictures after having the windows tinted. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chuck734 Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Finally took some pictures after having the windows tinted. Privacy glass was suppose to be standard. Ford must have changed their minds. CMAX_Exterior_Callouts.pdf Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SVTCobra Posted October 10, 2012 Share Posted October 10, 2012 Dtorres, you need to update your signature . It's great to see you happy with the car. I'll have to go and take a look as I will be shoping for a new ride in a few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScooterS Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Thanks for the pictures! I just ordered one in the same color. It looks like Tint is in my future! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScooterS Posted October 28, 2012 Share Posted October 28, 2012 Just Curious.... When did you make the Factory Order? When was it received?? Dealer says 6-8 Weeks. Not sure if that is real. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtorres Posted October 29, 2012 Author Share Posted October 29, 2012 (edited) Follow up to my original post regarding the USB always starting on the same song. I found a post on the Sync Forum that mentioned that when you install a USB drive or music player the vehicle indexes all the album and song names for the voice command to work. It will start playing the first song indexed while the remainder of the drive is indexed. In my case that was "C is for cookie". If the index fails the system repeats it again the next time you start the car. The post said typical problem is that you have a nonstandard or odd characters in a song or album title on the drive. I went through my drive and found several titles with weird characters that I removed. On next attempt the index completed successfully and the problem is gone. If I restart the vehicle it's at the song where I left off or on the audio source I was last using. Edited October 29, 2012 by dtorres Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresspotato Posted November 1, 2012 Share Posted November 1, 2012 (edited) The post said typical problem is that you have a nonstandard or odd characters in a song or album title on the drive. I went through my drive and found several titles with weird characters that I removed. On next attempt the index completed successfully and the problem is gone. If I restart the vehicle it's at the song where I left off or on the audio source I was last using. For real? Funny characters make MFT / Sync fail just like that? Why did Ford bother with Micro$ft bull to begin with... They should have had it running Linux and / or Android Edited November 1, 2012 by expresspotato Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dtorres Posted November 4, 2012 Author Share Posted November 4, 2012 Aw geez - not again. Ford doesn't control the EPA testing procedure. They can neither be optimistic or pessimistic in their EPA fuel economy ratings. They run the test the way the EPA prescribes and they report the results, just like every other mfr. The EPA actually performs some of the tests themselves and they audit the tests that the mfrs do themselves. If your driving habits don't match the EPA tests then you won't get EPA results - but that isn't Ford's fault (or any other mfr). I guess you're right there's no way to fudge the numbers and drive them slightly higher for advertising and bragging rights. Oh wait Hyundai and Kia just got in trouble for that exact thing and were doing it since 2010! They only caught Hyundai/Kia after several complaints were filed with the EPA by customers and other undisclosed manufacturers and then the EPA checked their results against what the manufacturer submitted and found that the numbers didn't match. In other words the EPA trusts the numbers submitted by the manufacturers unless presented with some evidence that makes it necessary to verifty them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
akirby Posted November 4, 2012 Share Posted November 4, 2012 I guess you're right there's no way to fudge the numbers and drive them slightly higher for advertising and bragging rights. Oh wait Hyundai and Kia just got in trouble for that exact thing and were doing it since 2010! They only caught Hyundai/Kia after several complaints were filed with the EPA by customers and other undisclosed manufacturers and then the EPA checked their results against what the manufacturer submitted and found that the numbers didn't match. In other words the EPA trusts the numbers submitted by the manufacturers unless presented with some evidence that makes it necessary to verifty them. Yes - and they got caught. The penalties - both financial and from a pr standpoint - are too significant for mainstream manufacturers to risk it. We've also heard from employees how serious Ford takes this internally. And they don't just trust the mfrs - they actually audit a sample of vehicles every year and they audit the mfrs testing procedure. It's not easy to cheat and not get caught. There is no way Ford would do this intentionally and virtually no chance of a mistake. Ford understands the EPA tests better than the EPA. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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