Got a driving impression of the 2016 Ford C-Max standard non plug in Hybrid after 425 miles.
Last night I drove it from Fairhill MD. to Oxford PA. on route 272 if any of you folks live around the area.
Its a back road run with rolling hills and about 6 stop signs each way. Speeds are from 25-50 mph and I usually average
5-7 mph over the speed limit. It was 19.2 miles total with exactly 12 noted as EV miles and the trip average was 56.3 mpg. ( Well over 80% of the driving was in the 45-55 mph range)
I do not use the Eco button as it does very little but to zap all the cars performance and in my experience with other Hybrids yields very little unless you drive like a zombie well under the speed limit.
I did not try to eek out those mpg's either. At a stop I run to car to speed rather quickly at about 3000-3200 RPM and when I hit the hills I get to the same RPM quickly as the long torturous method of trying to let the EV cycle get you up the hill is a waste of time and enough to get you beaten by other irritated drivers. So the short of it is, I drive it like a regular car.
At 425 miles it is still a bit stiff everywhere and it has plenty of leg room and head room for a well over 6 footer and a three hundred pound bloke.
That said it's like sitting in a capsule though. It is comfortable but the center console keeps you boxed in and the seats actually are only off the console a quarter of an inch.
That I could do without. The car is quiet but not as quiet as the reviews I have seen. You do get minor wind noise and even with the laminated windshield its not a Lexus.
The suspension is Euro taunt like a BMW and I think the 38 psi Michelins are one of the reasons for that. Of course that won't go away but I think that at 3000 miles things will be where they are going to be and improved.
The window sticker does not list interior sound reduction hardware like they do with the new Fusion but I wonder if they are piping in engine noise as this thing has Lincoln V8 style burble. It really sounds good and I suspect reviewers that got poor gas mileage were on it too hard as the 2L. invites abuse. The driving experience is unlike the normal hybrid. It's actually fun to drive and has good power. The interior is loaded with buttons and the typical hybrid nonsense like the green leaves and all of the charts and graphs for which I don't like so I programmed the tach and compass instead. That hybrid stuff is about as bad as texting and if you aren't careful you could go off the road.
The interior is very nice but honestly it is average plus in quality. I know you have read otherwise but on the SE its nice but it isn't top end.
The standard radio is okay and better than your typical Honda radio by far. The switch gear is really awesome. Honda owned that honor for decades but this Ford is much better and when the power windows go up its a quality feel. My 2013 Accord when new would slam them shut and was rather irritating.
No rear view camera is inexcusable on a 2016 but you deal with it. Also as noted the tach is not there like a normal car. You get a very small one with an EV gauge but you have to select it from a selection of screens.
The doors and hatch have that old heavy German feel to them. They close like a bank vault. Very impressive. The paint quality on this car is awesome.
Best I have had in years. The E-CVT is also very impressive. No whine or noise and is silky smooth with none of the Honda-Mitsubishi abrupt behavior.
It just seems to tackle any terrain without you knowing it is even there. Also the transition from electric to gas engine are seamless and really impressive.
Often you have no clue unless you have the tach screen on that it has changed over. The Honda Insight took no guessing as it was rough and obvious at all times.
So far so good. I have a couple long drives coming and a few are 14-16 hour straight ones so soon I will know better on how durable and responsive it is and I'm sure I will find some more negatives but nothing is perfect. The oil change regimen is a bit of a hassle like the new Civic with the underside cover but with a lift or ramps not a deal killer. I got lazy sliding under SUV's with no lift required but it is what it is.
Last night I drove it from Fairhill MD. to Oxford PA. on route 272 if any of you folks live around the area.
Its a back road run with rolling hills and about 6 stop signs each way. Speeds are from 25-50 mph and I usually average
5-7 mph over the speed limit. It was 19.2 miles total with exactly 12 noted as EV miles and the trip average was 56.3 mpg. ( Well over 80% of the driving was in the 45-55 mph range)
I do not use the Eco button as it does very little but to zap all the cars performance and in my experience with other Hybrids yields very little unless you drive like a zombie well under the speed limit.
I did not try to eek out those mpg's either. At a stop I run to car to speed rather quickly at about 3000-3200 RPM and when I hit the hills I get to the same RPM quickly as the long torturous method of trying to let the EV cycle get you up the hill is a waste of time and enough to get you beaten by other irritated drivers. So the short of it is, I drive it like a regular car.
At 425 miles it is still a bit stiff everywhere and it has plenty of leg room and head room for a well over 6 footer and a three hundred pound bloke.
That said it's like sitting in a capsule though. It is comfortable but the center console keeps you boxed in and the seats actually are only off the console a quarter of an inch.
That I could do without. The car is quiet but not as quiet as the reviews I have seen. You do get minor wind noise and even with the laminated windshield its not a Lexus.
The suspension is Euro taunt like a BMW and I think the 38 psi Michelins are one of the reasons for that. Of course that won't go away but I think that at 3000 miles things will be where they are going to be and improved.
The window sticker does not list interior sound reduction hardware like they do with the new Fusion but I wonder if they are piping in engine noise as this thing has Lincoln V8 style burble. It really sounds good and I suspect reviewers that got poor gas mileage were on it too hard as the 2L. invites abuse. The driving experience is unlike the normal hybrid. It's actually fun to drive and has good power. The interior is loaded with buttons and the typical hybrid nonsense like the green leaves and all of the charts and graphs for which I don't like so I programmed the tach and compass instead. That hybrid stuff is about as bad as texting and if you aren't careful you could go off the road.
The interior is very nice but honestly it is average plus in quality. I know you have read otherwise but on the SE its nice but it isn't top end.
The standard radio is okay and better than your typical Honda radio by far. The switch gear is really awesome. Honda owned that honor for decades but this Ford is much better and when the power windows go up its a quality feel. My 2013 Accord when new would slam them shut and was rather irritating.
No rear view camera is inexcusable on a 2016 but you deal with it. Also as noted the tach is not there like a normal car. You get a very small one with an EV gauge but you have to select it from a selection of screens.
The doors and hatch have that old heavy German feel to them. They close like a bank vault. Very impressive. The paint quality on this car is awesome.
Best I have had in years. The E-CVT is also very impressive. No whine or noise and is silky smooth with none of the Honda-Mitsubishi abrupt behavior.
It just seems to tackle any terrain without you knowing it is even there. Also the transition from electric to gas engine are seamless and really impressive.
Often you have no clue unless you have the tach screen on that it has changed over. The Honda Insight took no guessing as it was rough and obvious at all times.
So far so good. I have a couple long drives coming and a few are 14-16 hour straight ones so soon I will know better on how durable and responsive it is and I'm sure I will find some more negatives but nothing is perfect. The oil change regimen is a bit of a hassle like the new Civic with the underside cover but with a lift or ramps not a deal killer. I got lazy sliding under SUV's with no lift required but it is what it is.
