Review of the new Ford 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, you'll 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 driver's 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.

With 144bhp on tap, this 2.0-litre Duratec engine will punt the C-MAX to 60mph in just 9.8 seconds and on to a top speed of 127mph. Despite these impressive figures it will still return a fuel consumption figure of 38.7mpg. Although nowhere near as good as the diesels in terms of fuel economy, this is still an impressive return. Prices which start at around £20,000 on the road mean that the C-MAX 2.0-litre isn't one of the more affordable options but it should be fun.

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, it's 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. It's 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 it's 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 you'll find Ford have indeed done their homework. The marketing department is utterly convinced that there's 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 doesn't 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 you've 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 Ford's 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 it's unlikely to be available on entry-level versions, Ford's 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 you're 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 there's plenty of room, offering 946mm of legroom and 582 litres of luggage compartment space. Remove the rear seats altogether and there's 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.

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 it's not a huge premium. Well thought through practicality and an overall impression of quality that's unmatched in any mini-MPV may well swing the balance amongst those who'll 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.

TOP 5 C-MAX DEALS

The results below show the top C-MAX deals on buyacar

Ford C-MAX 1.6 TDCi Titanium 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £16,667 Read C-MAX Reviews	Save £3,778
Ford C-MAX 1.6 EcoBoost Titanium 5dr [Start/Stop] Estate
Price £16,846 Read C-MAX Reviews	Save £3,794
Ford C-MAX 1.6 TDCi Zetec 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £15,508 Read C-MAX Reviews	Save £3,437
Ford C-MAX 2.0 TDCi Titanium 5dr Powershift Diesel Estate
Price £18,468 Read C-MAX Reviews	Save £4,272
Ford C-MAX 2.0 TDCi Titanium 5dr Diesel Estate
Price £17,499 Read C-MAX Reviews	Save £3,991
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