Ford Focus C-MAX 2.0
Spend any time with a Ford C-MAX and you may well find a niggling question preying on your mind. Time and again, youll guiltily look for excuses to drive it and the same question forms as soon as you step out and plip the remote. "Am I totally missing the point here?" You see, the C-MAX is such a capable and enjoyable drivers car that it tends to overshadow its more practical side. You become suffused with a rosy glow of affection towards the car based on its ability to tackle a corner and walk away with little or no idea as to how it would cope with family duties. The powerful C-MAX 2.0-litre model only exacerbates this problem.
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7mpg. Although nowhere near as good as the diesels in terms of fuel economy, this is still an impressive return. Plus prices which start at £15,995 on the road mean that the C-MAX 2.0-litre is a good deal more affordable than you might at first think.
Still, the suspicion that driver enjoyment clouds your critical perspective is never far away. Few cars invite you to miss the point quite so seductively as the C-MAX. Ford claim the C-MAX moniker is an amalgam of both the C-segment in which it competes and a combination of maximum comfort, maximum confidence and maximum control. Whilst some of this sounds like marketing flannel, its a source of great importance for Ford that the C-MAX should uphold the reputation of its Focus progenitor as a sparkling drive.
Ford have thought long and hard about this car since its original launch, hence the recent styling changes and the dropping of the Focus name from the title. The looks are a good deal less introverted these days with a redesigned front end that includes design elements from the S-MAX - most notably, the lower trapezoid front grille, a redesigned upper grille, headlights and tail lamps. Specify the optional bi-xenon lights and a light strip runs across the top line of the lamp unit. Its all rather Audi, as are the LED tail lights.
On the road, the celebrated control blade rear suspension ensures that the C-MAX feels a very capable handler. Riding on the chassis of the new generation Focus hatch, the C-MAX 2.0 is the car to go for if you want your MPV to handle. In this respect at least its as much of a true multi-purpose vehicle as anything you care to mention as it offers a very entertaining drive as well as being able to cope with more mundane duties.
Few mini-MPVs can put a smile on the drivers face. This one does.
"Few cars invite you to miss the point quite so seductively as the C-MAX"
Despite its keen road manners, delve a little deeper and youll find Ford have indeed done their homework. The marketing department is utterly convinced that theres an untapped market for vehicles that offer five seats with MPV-style headroom and versatility but which still offer keen driving dynamics and styling that doesnt resemble a downsized burger van. Think about how we use our cars for a moment. Many of us rarely even use the back seats for anything but shopping bags and jackets.
If youve got a family in tow, you may well need four or even five seats but if you seriously need seven seats, it makes sense to go with the additional carrying capacity of a full sized MPV like Fords Galaxy or S-MAX models. If the exterior may still be a little underwhelming, the C-MAX more than makes up for it with the ideas factory that is the cabin. Although its unlikely to be available on entry-level versions, Fords rear seat flexibility system really is the ace in the C-MAX hole. A 40-20-40 "tip and tumble" rear seat sees the centre section flip rearwards into the luggage compartment, leaving the remaining two seats to slide diagonally along a runner towards the centre of the car, giving unprecedented levels of space for four. The rear seats are set high, which does away with the usual mini-MPV complaint of virtually sitting on the floor and means that the kids get a great view forward. The flipside to this is that if youre regularly carting taller passengers about, that sloping roofline may cause a few grumbles. With 100mm of extra legroom and 60mm of additional shoulder room over a standard Focus hatch, space is otherwise pretty generous in the back of the C-MAX.
Even in the standard three-abreast bench position theres plenty of room, offering 946mm of legroom and 582 litres of luggage compartment space. Remove the rear seats altogether and theres a monstrous 1,692 litres available. One trick Ford did miss was the ability to tumble the front passenger seat forward to a flat position. The fascia design of the C-MAX reflects the exterior lines in its calm maturity.
The riot of bisecting lines, angles and arcs that the Focus introduced have been replaced by a quietly styled dashboard with classy Sony branded stereo equipment taking pride of place. The gearlever is mounted high and feels more natural than a floor mounted stick. Materials quality has taken a noticeable hike too, the soft-touch plastics used on the upper dash surface being reminiscent of latter day Audis. Just as the Ford Fusion has found little favour with buyers who couldnt really see what it offered over and above a normal Fiesta, there may well be a significant proportion of potential C-MAX customers who cant see the point of a car that seats no more bodies than a cooking Focus hatch.
Prices are sharp, however, and many customers who made do in a Citroen Xsara Picasso may be tempted to try something a little more here and now. If stepping from a mini-MPV and raving about the way it drives seems about as apt as stepping from a supercar and lauding it on its practicality, then the C-MAX 2.0-litre may not at first appeal. Yes, you do pay for the engineering excellence that gives it such a winning ride and handling package but its not a huge premium.
Well thought through practicality and an overall impression of quality thats unmatched in any mini-MPV may well swing the balance amongst those wholl never corner the C-MAX with any great gusto. If you thought starting a family would put the stoppers on having fun, the C-MAX 2.0-litre could well be your new best friend.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Ford C-MAX 2.0 range
PRICES: £15,995-£16,995 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 11-12
CO2 EMISSIONS: 210g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 127mph / 0-60mph 9.6s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 38.7mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, EBA
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4333/1825/1558
