Ford FOCUS C-MAX RANGE
Are Quality and Driving Excellence Enough To Enable Fords 5-Seater Focus C-MAX To See Off 7-Seater
Mini-MPV Rivals? Andy Enright Reports
If Fords market research is to be believed, the mini-MPV sectors obsession with seven seater vehicles is somewhat misplaced. In developing their Focus C-MAX contender with five seats, the company have wheeled out a bunch of statistics that show what little store customers place in being able to
seat a septet. If five seat versatility is indeed what the market desires, the C-MAX may well clean up.
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. The market seems to agree, for five-seat mini-MPVs like Citroens Xsara Picasso usually occupy top spot in the sales charts in this sector.
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Therefore it was Fords aim to build the best and most practical five-
seat mini-MPV possible that would appeal to real world requirements. It took them some time to do it but the C-MAX (priced from £13,695) has proved to be worth the wait. Designer Chris Bird has tried to create a mini-MPV more car-like than many of its slab-sided competitors and with its plunging roofline and up-and-at-em driving position, the C-MAX looks to have fulfilled that particular brief. With a wheelbase some 25mm longer than the standard Focus hatch, the C-MAX offers a good deal of interior space, helped by a novel seating arrangement.
The wheel at each corner design also helps maximise interior dimensions. The styling may disappoint those expecting something as ground breaking as the Focus originally was, but having seen the Fiesta and the Fusion, its perhaps not surprising that the C-MAX follows a similarly conservative design theme. The metallic finish around the front grille and the jewel-effect lights give the car a Mondeo-like nose, whereas the back end looks distinctly Fiesta. If youd have sketched a
Ford mini-MPV before youd even seen the C-MAX, you would probably have been pretty near the mark.
Still, this is a market where conservatism tends to pay off.
"Fords rear seat flexibility system really is the ace in the C-MAX hole "
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. In particular, 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. With 100mm of extra legroom and 60mm of additional shoulder room, even extravagantly dimensioned passengers should be able to find space 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. Eight engines are offered, the range evenly split between petrols (priced from £13,695) and diesels (priced from £15,190) with five trim levels (Studio, LX, Zetec, Ghia and Ultima).
The 90 and 109PS 1.6-litre diesel unit is a development of the existing 1.4TDCi common rail powerplant, plus theres a 115PS 1.8-litre Duratorq TDCi unit.
Pick of the range however, has to be the punchy 136PS 2.0-litre TDCi engine sourced from
Peugeot. Backed up by a six-speed gearshift, this has proved to be the engine most able to take the fight to
Citroen,
Renault,
Volkswagen and
Vauxhall. Petrol buyers are catered for with 100bhp 1.
6-litre 16v, 115bhp 1.6-litre Ti-VCT, 120bhp 1.8-litre and 145bhp 2.0-litre options.
The Durashift CVT gearbox is offered with the 1.6 TDCi diesels at a premium of around £1,100. Unless you want a mini-MPV that will either turn heads or seat seven, its difficult to fault the Focus C-MAX. Understated but far from unattractive, the C-MAX brings the qualities we expect of the Focus franchise to the mini-MPV sector.
Qualities well worth having.
FACTS AT A GLANCE
CAR: Ford Focus C-MAX range
PRICES: £13,695-£19,750 - on the road
INSURANCE GROUPS: 5-12
CO2 EMISSIONS: 129-170g/km
PERFORMANCE: [2.0TDCi] Max Speed 125mph / 0-60mph 9.4s
FUEL CONSUMPTION: [2.0TDCi] (urban) 37.6mpg (extra urban) 62.7mpg (combined) 50.4mpg
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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