Ford FOCUS C-MAX 1.8 RANGE
Arriving Late into A Competitive Market, Fords Focus C-MAX 1.8 Has A Tough Task On Its Hands. Does It Shape Up? Andy Enright Decides
Playing catch up can sometimes prove very difficult. When the
mini-MPV market first boomed,
Ford stood back and watched, confident that sales of these curious little boxes would be a passing fad. Buyers would soon realise that something Focus shaped or Mondeo sized made a far more satisfactory alternative than the frumpier lines of a mini-MPV. They were wrong.
Six years after
Renault popularised the genre with the Scenic, Ford responded with the Focus C-MAX.
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Two diesel engined variants and one petrol engined version were initially offered for sale with a 1.6-litre petrol model following hot on the heels of these three powerplants and the 2.0-litre petrol following that. Its the 1.
8-litre petrol car that we take a look at here. Powered by a 118bhp four-cylinder engine, its usefully quicker than cars like the 1.6-litre
Volkswagen Touran against which it competes pricewise and the engine is both smooth and blessed with a decent slug of torque invaluable for hauling a fully laden vehicle uphill. It will zip from standstill to 60mph in a respectable 10.
6 seconds and keep going until it runs out of steam at 119mph. Despite the impressive power and torque figures churned out by the 1.8-litre engine, it manages to return some very respectable economy figures. A combined fuel consumption figure of 39.
2 mpg makes it more economical than its less powerful 1.6-litre counterparts from Volkswagen and
Renault. Factor in CO2 figures of just 170g/km and it sounds like a winner already. There is a caveat, though, and for some buyers it will rule the Focus C-MAX out of contention.
Whereas the Volkswagen Touran can be specified with seven seats and the Renault Grand Scenic is also thus equipped, the C-MAX only offers five seats. This raises a perplexing question. 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.
The 1.8 LX opens proceedings at £14,565 with the Zetec priced at £15,515. The range-topping Ghia version is pitched at £16,665.
"Few
mini-MPVs can put a smile on the drivers face. This one does"
Fords 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 a Ford Galaxy.
Sales figures at the time of the C-MAX launch showed the Xsara Picasso a car endowed with a mere quintet of seats residing in the number one position. Therefore it was Fords aim to build the best and most practical five-
seat mini-MPV possible that would appeal to real world requirements. If the exterior may 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, 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. 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. Rumour has it that during the development cycle, an all-electric steering was developed that developed far better feedback than any electric power steering system to date. Thing was, it still wasnt as good as the Focus existing helm, so despite being undoubtedly clever, it was ditched. Instead Ford uses a hydroelectric pump system that offers great feel and a three per cent fuel saving over conventional systems.
This, coupled with the celebrated control blade rear suspension, ensures that the C-MAX feels a very capable handler. Riding on the chassis of the next generation Focus hatch, the C-MAX 1.8 is the car to go for if you want your MPV to handle and cant run to the £17,000
Honda charge for a Stream 2.0 Sport or the 145bhp 2.
0-litre C-MAX. 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.
The Focus C-MAX 1.8 is a worthy contender in the mini-MPV sector but it faces an uphill battle. With a bunch of established rivals and no seven seat option available, it will leave many buyers scratching their heads in puzzlement. Lets hope that enough buyers can recognise the C-MAX as the achievement that it is.
The 1.8-litre petrol engine fitted to this car offers punchy performance and admirable economy. Lets hope its enough.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Ford Focus C-MAX 1.8 range
PRICES: £14,565-£16,665 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 7E-8E
CO2 EMISSIONS: 170g/km
PERFORMANCE: Max Speed 119mph / 0-60mph 10.6s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: (combined) 39.2mpg
STANDARD SAFETY FEATURES: Twin front, side and curtain airbags, ABS, EBA
WILL IT FIT IN YOUR GARAGE?: Length/Width/Heightmm 4333/1825/1558
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