SECOND-HAND SENSEThe development of medium sized MPVs was hardly a surprising development, given the size of today's nuclear family. Not everyone, after all, needs seven seats to transport gangs of children, but many do need a more practical option to deal with smaller families, with ease of access and loading.
This is where the Ford Focus C-max comes into the frame. It is a car strictly limited to five seats and for cleverness of design it is bettered by Opel's Zafira and Toyota's Corolla Verso - both of these are usually used for a maximum of five passengers but can be adapted to take more because of ingenious pop-up seating in the rear. For smaller families, however, the C-Max is a very good option. It has been directly developed from the Ford Focus, which means the car has a proven track record for reliability and economy and gives a much more comfortable ride than others in the same class, including the Zafira. Its seats can also be adjusted to accommodate larger loads in the back, or for more practical layouts when the occasion merits it. Again, however, one has to look to competitors for the ultimate in seat arrangements.
What is very attractive about the car is its functional and bright layout. One never feels cramped, there is a large glass area and a solid feeling about everything. People often forget that it takes a rather special car to cope with kids, toys, spilled milk, food and the wear and tear they are capable of wreaking on upholstery and plastics. The C-Max certainly feels up to the job. Importantly, too, the boot space is good, is easily loaded and unloaded and it will take pretty much everything you can fling at it. Neither will you be short of interior storage space. The C-Max has been well thought out for family motoring and all that it entails.
It is pretty much an ideal five-seater and it drives really well too. Most people have tended to go for the 1.6 petrol engine, which is fine in the city and the open road, but rural buyers or those with high mileage might want to consider Ford's excellent and very economical 1.6 direct injection diesel unit. Ride and handling are as good as you might expect from a Focus derivative, and driving it is more like driving a car than an MPV. It is also important to remember that the Focus now has a very well established track record for reliability.
The C-Max underwent its EuroNCAP crash tests in 2003 at the time of its launch and it scored a very respectable four out of five, but one should expect more from Ford. Five-star awards are becoming more and more common these days as manufacturers improve their products. The car was found to provide "balanced protection for its occupants" and scored well in frontal and side impact tests. Like many other MPVs however, it scored only two out of a possible four stars for pedestrian safety. The Focus has had three small recalls and one major one that affected nearly 70,000 cars. This was when a wiper motor failure, which could lead to overheating, was found.
Perhaps because it is limited to being a five-seater or because it looks like a Focus that has been raised, the C-Max has not exactly shone. A 2003 model with 18,000 miles on the clock, alloys, electrics, multiple airbags, remote locking and more is on offer at €16,900. A 2004 model with 39,000 on the clock, which is pretty high mileage indeed, is on offer at €14,975. So, they don't come cheap and there are not a huge number around.
FOR: Ideal five-seater and has the car qualities of the Focus from which it is derived
AGAINST: Competitors have better seating options