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 C-MAX.

To keep this car current, Ford have updated the car with sassier styling in recent times but the essentials remain the same. There's a choice of 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0-litre power whether you opt for diesel or petrol. It's the 1.8-litre petrol car that we take a look at here. Powered by a 125PS four-cylinder engine, it's 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 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 room for five. This raises a perplexing question. Just as the Ford Fusion has found little favour with buyers who couldn't really see what it offered over and above a normal Fiesta, there may well be a significant proportion of potential C-MAX customers who can't 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 Style opens proceedings at £14,495, with the Zetec priced at £15,495. The Range-topping Titanium version is pitched at £16,495.

"Few mini-MPVs can put a smile on the drivers face. This one does"

Ford's marketing department remains 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 S-MAX or Galaxy 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. 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. Entry-level models get a less versatile version of the system but higher up the Range the all-singing, all-dancing set-up is standard. 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, space is 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. 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 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 Focus hatch, the C-MAX 1.8 is the car to go for if you want your MPV to deliver driving thrills and can't run to the quicker 145bhp 2.0-litre model. 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 driver's face. This one does.

The C-MAX 1.8 is a worthy contender in the mini-MPV sector but it still 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. Let's hope that enough people 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. Let's hope it's enough.

TOP 5 C-MAX DEALS

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

	Ford C-MAX 1.8TDCi Zetec 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £260	Saving £3,172	Price £14,373
	Ford C-MAX 1.8 Zetec 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £245	Saving £2,841	Price £13,204
	Ford C-MAX 1.8 Titanium 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £262	Saving £3,055	Price £13,990
	Ford C-MAX 1.8 FFV Titanium 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly	Saving £3,059	Price £13,986
	Ford C-MAX 1.8TDCi Titanium 5dr Estate
	ETR	Mthly £276	Saving £3,385	Price £15,160

typical 10.69% APR

PCP finance quote over 48 months,  10,000 miles pa,  deposit of £1000