Towing a Ford C-MAX Hybrid?

We just bought one today and plan to tow it 4 down when in the States. Thus far, the first day already 80 miles, we are well over 40 mpg. BUT I am a a foot the the floor kind of guy. Cruise home at 75 mph which forces the gas engine to kick in. First day impressions, we are very pleased and we traded in a BMW so do know quality. We plan to use the C-Max in the States but will still take our Jeep CJ South of the Border. Will be getting the base plates soon and doing the install. Thanks about the info about the charge line. No problem since I have a 7 way plug on the Motorhome.

rocmoc n AZ/Mexico

I own a (2013) Ford Fusion hybrid, which has exact same drivetrain as the C max, and same mileage ratings.

What I'm going to say will 'fly in the face' of a lot of whats been said, reported here, but here goes:

First off, the 47 mpg most certainly IS realistic and very attainable. I get that or better pretty regularly, in driving the Fusion to work and back every day (26 miles, 'bout 80% interstate).

The secret is in how you drive it. Its like any other car - if you drive foot-to-the-floor all the time, have to be the first away from every traffic light, and the last one to start braking to stop, yep, your mileage will be in the toilet. Folks reporting 35 mpg, I'm betting were driving it like that.

However, if you drive more sensibly, and learn how to drive the hybrid right (keep it in EV mode as much as possible), you will easily average 47 mpg or better. I've seen as high as 50 mpg on a few trips.

Second, I find the JD Power Ranks article a little surprising. Contrary to what that article suggests, our hybrid Fusion has been absolutely flawless, and a blast to drive. Perhaps the defects they had are specifc to the all new C max, not the Fusion, I don't know. I do know we have not had one bit of trouble out of our Fusion so far. And, it gets driven a lot - its my daily driver to work and back, and we tow it with us, use it on all our camping trips (4 trips so far this season).

As far as towing goes: Really, the simplicity and ease of towing this vehicle 4 down behind our MH is the main reason we bought it. The fuel mileage was only an added bonus. LOVE how simple and easy 4 down towing is with it - just put it in neutral and go. No crazy procedures to go through, don't have to start and run engine every few hours, none of that junk. As already said, you definitely have to run a charge line to the battery, but thats a very, very minor thing to add (I did it myself easily), and is a good idea, regardless. Also, its a great vehicle to have at a campground - its like driving a big golf cart, since it runs on electric power when traveling at slow speeds through campgrounds. Gas engine doesnt even come on until you get up to higher speeds. That, and its just really cool in general, driving a vehicle that uses ZERO fuel when stopped at stoplights or whatever, and at lower speeds. I can typically get completely out of our neighborhood and onto a major road, before gas engine even comes on.

Anyway, you can count me as one 'yay' vote, in favor of the Fusion Hybrid. Not sure about the C max, but the Fusion is definitely a great choice for a 'towed' vehicle.

J.D. Power ranks hybrid as worst car for quality. USATODAY article in today's paper. http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/cars/2013/06/20/ford-cmax-jd-power-initial-quality-study-iqs/2440589/

J.D. Power says two-thirds of the reported problems in the Initial Quality Study are related to bad design, instead of factory goofs. A manufacturing mistake can usually be fixed, but design problems are much harder to quickly remedy.

Sounds like a car to pass on buying at this time.

I own a C Max SE. We bought it in March and have about 6,600 miles so far. I average between 39 - 40 mpg. So far I am very happy with the C Max. We bought it because of its mileage, ease of getting into and it can be towed four down. I opted for a Blue Ox baseplate. The Blue Ox is not hidden as is the Roadmaster so you can see the hooks on the front. It tows easy but you must be certain to have a battery charge line installed or, after about 4 hours of towing, will have a dead battery. The C Max tows with the ignition key in the "ACC" position and the CVT transmission in Neutral.
As I said, I like the C Max and enjoy driving and towing it.

howdy35 wrote:
. . . I think there may be a few bugs in this first year offering which is the reason I didn't pull the trigger for the car. . .

That's my biggest point of hesitation.

We went into the Ford dealer with the thought of looking at the Fusion Hybrid. We thought the Fusion seemed cramped compared to the Accord. When we mentioned looking for something to tow behind MH, the saleslady wanted to show us the C-MAX. C-MAX was much roomier and seemed quite nice.

But maybe a dolly for the Accord really is the most practical solution for now, then we can get a car we can tow four-down when we're due to replace the Accord in a few years.

35 MPG for the C-MAX rather than the EPA estimate of 47 doesn't sound so appealing -- not much better than the Accord.

Wayne

We tow a Fusion Hybrid but when it is time to trade a C-Max looks like a good replacement. The people I have talked to about the car say the better mpg starts after 5000 miles. Maybe, maybe not..:) Very easy cars to set-up and tow.

I have also looked at the C-Max and have checked it out for a tow. Yes, it can be towed 4 down. Go to the C-Max owners forum to check out about the car further. Most owners like it , but it does not get the 47 mpg as it is rated. Most get at least 35 and some better. I think there may be a few bugs in this first year offering which is the reason I didn't pull the trigger for the car.

Hope this helps.....Arnold

We tow a standard Toyota Yaris 4 down, we don't even "feel" it back there.... Very good reliable car.

VinCee wrote:
Not knowing a lot about your situation, it seems like you would be adding another hefty expense buying a new vehicle just for the purpose of towing it. The dolly will cost you about $1500, takes minutes to mount and you have the car you already enjoy.

Same situation we had back in 2004 when we bought our MH. We could not justify buying another vehicle just to tow, so purchased a Master Tow Dolly for $1,000 with spare tire and electric brakes. We used it for 6 years with no problems. I could load our 96 RAV4 front drive in 10 min. used a hitch on the back to tow it to our campsite. Never had any problems and was the most cost effective solution for us.

Can't help with your question but our daughter just bought one. Only has a few thousand on it but really likes it so far.