Ford C-MAX Review.
The Focus C-MAX was launched in 2003 to much acclaim. It gave rise to the larger S-MAX, a vehicle that has in turn influenced the new C-MAX.
With the advent of the new C-MAX, Ford decided to drop the ‘Focus’ name and make the car and the S-MAX a separate group of Multi Activity Vehicles or MAVs, at the same time taking the opportunity to give them a similar look.
The Focus C-MAX was launched in 2003 to much acclaim. It gave rise to the larger S-MAX, a vehicle that has in turn influenced the new C-MAX.
With the advent of the new C-MAX, Ford decided to drop the ‘Focus’ name and make the car and the S-MAX a separate group of Multi Activity Vehicles or MAVs, at the same time taking the opportunity to give them a similar look.
The new C-MAX has a completely new front end in keeping with Ford of Europe’s ‘kinetic design’ philosophy, in simple terms that means that it should look as if it is moving even when it isn’t. I can’t think of any car that achieves that goal but the new C-MAX certainly has a more dynamic appearance than before.
Usually, when manufacturers use words like ‘sculpted’ it tends to be something of an exaggeration but it does apply to the new front bumper but, unfortunately, silver doesn’t really do it justice, so it might be best to pick one of the other ten colours. The one-piece design is positioned lower than before and incorporates a shapely, new, lower trapezoidal grille with vertical fog-lights on the top two trim levels.
The upper grille hasn’t escaped the redesign and now features a larger blue oval and a chrome trim bar on the leading edge of the bonnet – a design feature representing the new ‘face’ of Ford. The inner corners of the new headlamps form the starting point for the strong feature lines that flow up towards the windscreen, forming a wide, three-plane bonnet.
The rear also has a new bumper, which is longer and rounder than on the previous model, while the vertical tail-light cluster now features a strip of distinctive and very bright, LEDs; a ‘first’ for Ford.
The interior hasn’t been left out but sensibly, Ford has kept the elements that made the original C-MAX so popular; that is to say the rear seat arrangement. There are two formats: the standard version is three individual seats in a 40:20:40 ratio that can be tumbled, folded or removed altogether for extra load space, which can be anything from 473-litres up to a maximum of 1,633 litres.
The alternative is the so-called Comfort Seat System, which is priced at £200. It still retains all of the standard functionality but with the centre seat removed the outer two can move diagonally inwards, so they are closer together for more leg- and shoulder-room. Not that either commodity is lacking in the first place.
The driver and front passenger sit tall and a good way back from the windscreen, which has good and bad points. For instance, if the driver takes full advantage of their height-adjustable seat, they will certainly have a good view of the traffic ahead but they will still not be able to see the end of the bonnet, which concerns some people. That said, they could always fork out the extra £450 for front and rear parking assist (£300 for the rear only), but that means the loss of the passenger airbag deactivation switch.
The other problem could arise from the seemingly useful, shallow, lidded bin. It is centrally placed atop the fascia making it just out of reach when on the move. However, the new centre stack has been thoughtfully laid out in a tidy, businesslike fashion. It incorporates the nicely placed, high-level gearshift pod and houses the cabin’s climate controls, single CD/radio and a socket for music on the move. The last two items are standard throughout the range and the only variance is that the audio system in the Titanium model is a Sony and includes MP3 compatibility.
There are plenty of options available for upgrading the audio and communications functionality, except that is, for base-model customers. The list contains no less than three navigation systems; the one in the test car was the Premium DVD-based unit priced at £1,950, which comes with a 7-inch, colour , touch-screen, eight speakers and for some reason has heated front seats and Dual Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (DEATC), thrown in for good measure. But still only a single CD player; the same system with an under-seat, autochanger is £2,200.
There are four trim levels; Studio, Style, Zetec and Titanium with prices ranging from £13,550 to £20,800 but it is very easy to go overboard with the optional extras.
Studio trim is C-MAX in its purest form. It, along with Style and Zetec has an open storage area over the central tunnel with cupholders and oddments trays, more storage under the rear passengers’ feet, front electric windows and rake- and reach-adjustable steering column.
Style builds on this with heating added to the powered door mirrors, which are now body-coloured along with the door handles. Air-conditioning arrives, as do the sun-blinds integrated into the rear door, lumbar support and an armrest for the driver, seat-back trays and a cover for the luggage area.
The Zetec offers much them same as the Style but adds privacy glass for the rear windows, a quick-clear windscreen, front fog lights and leather trims for the steering wheel. At this level, there are far more optional extras available.
Topping the bill is the Titanium. It is at this level that the rear windows become powered and the door mirrors gain puddle lamps and integrated indicators. Inside, the central tunnel console changes to include a sliding armrest with storage underneath and brushed chrome, design trims are introduced. The front passenger now benefits from manual height- and lumbar adjustment, while automatic wipers and lights are also part of the specification.
Leather covered seats are still an optional extra but there is now a greater choice in other areas, although restrictions apply to certain combinations of goodies. The test car came with one of my favorite extras, the KeyFree system with starter button however, it does add to the annoying array of warning beeps.
Moving on to suspension and engines. One of they key features of the original C-MAX was the stability and sheer driveability, making it possible to have a family car that is fun to drive. The basis of this, the Ford Precision Drive, hasn’t changed too much, with Control Blade rear suspension in combination with a wider track and an ultra-stiff bodyshell, making all the difference. Add in one of the Sports Packs and it gets better still while still providing smooth, precise ride and handling characteristics.
The Ford Intelligent Protection System is the collective name for ABS, EBD, EBA and ESP, while a full set of airbags comes as standard - a full set being front and side for the driver and passenger and curtain airbags front and rear. For the kids, the rear outer seats also have ISOFIX mountings, as standard.
There is a choice of seven power units, which mix and match with various trim levels. Actually, there are eight if you include the 1.8 Duratec Flexifuel. The rest of the Duratec petrol engines are listed as a1.6-, a 1.8- and a 2.0-litre unit. The 2.0 version can, in certain areas, be converted to LPG or CNG.
The smallest of the TDCi, Duratorq engines is offered with two power outputs. One version of the 1.6 produces 90PS while the other outputs 109PS. It comes with a Diesel Particulate Filter System (DPFS), as does the 2.0-litre TDCi, but the 1.8 in the middle and the 90PS, 1.6 does not.
The test car housed the higher output 1.6 and, along with the 109PS at 4,000rpm, there is 240Nm on tap, starting at 1,750rpm. The low-inertia turbocharger helps the car to achieve a top speed of 115mph after a 0-62mph sprint time of 11.3 seconds. While the handling is good, the performance is not excessive for a turbodiesel and overtaking at motorway speeds is best accomplished by dropping a gear to fourth; but then it is a relatively small engine moving a fairly large vehicle.
All of the quoted statistics are for the test car with the Getrag, 5-speed manual gearbox, which is common to most of the range; the exceptions are the 2.0TDCi, which has an extra manual gear and the 2.0-litre petrol unit which is available with 4-speed, automatic transmission.
Whereas the engine’s performance was satisfactory, the fuel economy was impressive with figures of 44.8mpg (urban), 68.8mpg (extra-urban) and 57.6mph for the combined, while the CO2 emissions are measured at 129g/km, putting it in VED Band C.
Ford seem to have all the options covered, there are engines to suit almost every purpose, from frugality to the more performance orientated. There is plenty of space inside the C-MAX with clever seating, if you feel it important enough to pay the extra, and with Ford, you know you will always feel comfortable and welcome.