Ford C-Max

Text: Sam Hardy / Photos: Pete Gibson

May 2007

• Rating:
• Latest deal price: from £14,377 to £18,468

	New options also include Bluetooth telephone connectivity, a full-length panoramic glass sunroof and a choice of Sony stereos with an in-dash six-disc CD changer

As SEAT's Leon FR proves, good looks count for a lot when it comes to desirability. But it's not only racy hot hatchbacks which can benefit from stand-out styling - MPVs can, too.

Showing off a new design direction inspired by the larger S-MAX people carrier, the facelifted Ford C-MAX is ready to give Citroen's C4 Picasso some serious competition. It's available in the UK now - so Auto Express took a test drive.

First impressions are good, and it's clear that the styling changes have been very successful. Resembling a scaled-down version of the S-MAX, it gets a sporty nose with deep air intakes, faired-in spotlights and bold headlamp units.

At the rear, classy LED tail-lights finish the look off, while a new range of alloy wheel designs is available. Overall, the C-MAX - which drops the Focus part of its name as part of the update - has a much more distinctive appearance than its predecessor. The interior wasn't an area which needed much improvement, but the combination of an S-MAX-style dash and some neat orange ambient lighting raises the design and quality standards even higher.

The addition of a compact Z-shaped handbrake frees up space on the centre console for a 1.5-litre bottle holder, while the addition of an MP3 player socket is a neat touch.

New options also include Bluetooth telephone connectivity, a full-length panoramic glass sunroof and a choice of Sony stereos with an in-dash six-disc CD changer.

Buyers can order a Sport pack, which sharpens up the Ford's handling. But the stan-dard car we tried still offered excellent agility, with minimal body roll and steering that has lots of feedback. The C-MAX is still the best-driving compact MPV in its class by miles.

Contributing to that is the refined and very punchy 134bhp 2.0-litre TDCi diesel of our test car which, hooked up to a six-speed manual gearbox, returns an impressive 48.6mpg. There are a number of petrol options as well, including a 1.8-litre unit that runs on bioethanol.

Compared to the top-of-the-range £19,045 Titanium version we drove last week, this Zetec model's £17,745 price tag looks much more sensible, particularly as it's still equipped with air-conditioning and alloy wheels as standard.

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