What will the C-Max MPG change mean for Ford?

[hybridbear]

It would appear they have not turned on all of your permissions. Being able to merge threads would really help clean up the site.

I'm a mod on another site, the software we use is different, and we have the ability to merge threads and posts. The mods here need to have these abilities.

I e-mailed Robert (aka Staff) last night and he's looking into it. He said he knows he can merge threads and he's going to see about giving acdii & I that ability.

[acdii]

I agree, these are well run forums and I appreciate the quality of discussions we can have here. It only takes one or two trolls to spin things out of control, and trolls love posting know nothing comments on news sites and blogs that tend not to do a good job of moderating comments.

This says something about Fusion Hybrid owners. Maybe its the type of car we chose, or that we are all in the same mindset, definitely not the same age bracket. I know a few of us used to drive a PPP(Still cant say it)or TCH, so we really appreciate the refinement Ford delivered in this new car. We also don't bash other brands, we don't need to, they each have their own things that make them what they are.

 

Well said! To be honest, I only intended to be part of the forum until I got my car - I figured it would be a good way to learn about the FFH from people who have one. But once I got involved, I found the same thing - the discussions are always civil and polite, even when we disagree about something.

There are a lot of good people here on this forum, helpful, mindful and considerate too. There is not one member, ok maybe one, that I wouldn't mind having as a friend, have lunch with, shoot the cheese with, etc.

 

From the beginning most of us here questioned how two vehicles with such different aerodynamics and wheels could come up with exactly the same EPA numbers. Just having one vehicle with the same highway and city figures is very rare. With all we have learned here about the numerous factors that affect mileage, common sense should have set off a red light from someone at Ford that having one MPG figure for the four ratings on two different vehicles was almost statistically impossible. Sure it was "legal" according to EPA rules to use the Fusion's figures for the C-Max, but at best it makes Ford look boneheaded and at worst unethical. These days I hear too many stories about how no one has the ethics and guts to take a stand and say "No, we should not do this".

 

 

I think what Ford did was realize, oops, yeah we goofed and instead of spending a ton on lawyers, and bad press defending their mistake, they stood up and came right out saying, Hey we goofed! To me that is the sign of a good company. They used the fudge factor, perfectly legal, ethical in some minds, but in the end turned out to be a not so good thing. The money they will put out for this most likely wont hurt them either.

 

Now if they had done the same on the Fusion, an $1100 check would be pretty nice, but that's not going to happen.

 

Now all Ford needs to do to further negate bad press is do something regarding the small number of cars that don't work as designed.

[hermans]

There are a lot of good people here on this forum, helpful, mindful and considerate too. There is not one member, ok maybe one, that I wouldn't mind having as a friend, have lunch with, shoot the cheese with, etc.

 

 

 

OK, but you're buying.

[majorleeslow]

the car in my opinion is capable of giving better than epa(city only). but not if you use climate control or drive to keep up with traffic. I would like ford to compensate me for this misleading when they knew that it's not achievable in normal condition. cmax and fusion are both same in every way I haven't seen any news on when ffh13 will get compensation.

[hermans]

C-Max and Fusion are certainly not the same in every way. Just for starters...weight and body style. Powertrain may be the same, but other factors make a difference.

[jsolan]

I guess the only "good" news for ford is that it's the C-Max that has the issue and I don't know a single person who even knows that a C-Max is a ford vehicle. If it was the Focus/Fusion/Taurus, then they'd be facing a bigger publicity issue.

[tbranca]

I drove a cmax for 3 days and got 46 mpg going back and forth to work. the same driving I can only get 38mpg with my fusion hybrid. this is my 2 cents . I bought my car in nov of 2012 :(

[acdii]

I drove a cmax for 3 days and got 46 mpg going back and forth to work. the same driving I can only get 38mpg with my fusion hybrid. this is my 2 cents . I bought my car in nov of 2012 :(

Looks like someone else got one of those bad cars. I saw the same thing with my first one. I know exactly how you feel. WTF Ford?

[jeff_h]

I drove a cmax for 3 days and got 46 mpg going back and forth to work. the same driving I can only get 38mpg with my fusion hybrid. this is my 2 cents . I bought my car in nov of 2012 :(

 

Really? If you are anywhere near Stafford County let me know and we can get together and have some direct comparisons on the cars, would be interesting. My car was built in December, a bit later than yours since you took delivery in Nov.

[hybridbear]

I think we're seeing the answer. C-Max sales are down and Ford is taking notice

http://www.autonews.com/article/20140428/RETAIL01/304289976/ford-tries-to-revive-c-max-hybrid-sales

[acdii]

They need to re-think how they market the car if they want the sales to increase. They screwed themselves huge comparing it to a Prius. People don't care if they target the Prius that gets the lowest FE, they say Prius, which is a 50 MPG car to most people, and here Ford is going after them with their car that barely eeks out 43 MPG.

 

Then again, the marketing department the entire 2013 year sucked big time. They made some of the worst car commercials ever, never highlighting the car, its features, or what it has to offer that others in its class don't. With all the available options and features the C-Max has to offer that you cannot get on other cars in this class, This is where Ford needs to focus. <--OOH a PUN!

[hybridbear]

They need to re-think how they market the car if they want the sales to increase. They screwed themselves huge comparing it to a Prius. People don't care if they target the Prius that gets the lowest FE, they say Prius, which is a 50 MPG car to most people, and here Ford is going after them with their car that barely eeks out 43 MPG.

 

Then again, the marketing department the entire 2013 year sucked big time. They made some of the worst car commercials ever, never highlighting the car, its features, or what it has to offer that others in its class don't. With all the available options and features the C-Max has to offer that you cannot get on other cars in this class, This is where Ford needs to focus. <--OOH a PUN!

You're absolutely right. If they're going to compare it to the Prius then they need to say: "Look! We have a car that is more comfortable than the Prius because we used better quality seats & materials. Look! Our car has more horsepower too so it isn't such a pain on the road with other drivers getting angry with how slow you are. Look! Our car has some awesome features like a power liftgate."

 

Just like with the FFH, they should focus on Adaptive Cruise, Lane Keep Assist, etc. The Camry didn't have any of those features, but it will come 2015. I'm sure that Toyota will be all over advertising those features. The Honda Accord doesn't have those either. I think a big advantage of the Ford which I tell everyone about is the Lake Keep Assist. Most other cars are just a Lande Departure Warning system that doesn't actually do anything productive. I don't want just a warning beep, I want the car to steer. The nice thing with the FFH is that you have both options. You can turn off the Assist portion and just have a Warning if that's what you want or you can have both.

 

Ford has the stupidest marketing people ever.

[acdii]

Ford missed the boat many many times. There were VW commercials with the car backing up and getting hit, claiming how safe the car is in a crash, Ford could have come out with one saying, look our car can AVOID being hit when backing up.

 

Toyota came out with a global commercial showing all the safety features their cars have. Not focusing on one particular model, but all of them. Features Ford has had for years.

 

I think Lexus is now touting their "Exclusive" blind spot detection, something Ford has had since 2010.

 

So many missed opportunities to show people that Ford has features most Luxury brands only wish they had.

 

Ford listen up, Market like this.

 

While Toyota has Lane Keep warning, Our cars will help you steer back into your lane in addition to warning that you are drifting out of it.

 

Honda has a little camera for the right side, but the biggest blind spot, the drivers side has nothing, While Fords dont have a camera, we do have lights in the mirrors on BOTH sides to warn if a car is in your blind spot.

 

So many ways they can improve on selling their cars to the people, and they screw it up all the time.