Max style, Max performance

Paul Carter and Jamie Trounce discover that Ford’s latest MPV enjoys nipping around the streets of central London almost as much as they do

New to the Motability price list is Ford’s New CMax, the company’s latest foray into the evergrowing market for Multi Purpose Vehicles (or peoplecarriers to you and me).

It’s clear from first impressions that the C-Max is very much intended as a family car – the additional “rear seat mirror” is testament to that – but it avoids looking like one of the usual ‘wardrobes on wheels’ usually seen outside umpteen school gates, bringing some sleek lines and, dare we say it, sporty style to the range.

There is much more to the C-Max, however, than simply being a sporty MPV, and much that would make it suitable for disabled drivers or passengers.

The car benefits from low sills, with lots of deep legroom, aiding transfers (although it has to be said this proved to be something of a negative for me, as being someone of particularly short stature, getting into the car required demonstrating some particularly fine climbing and balancing skills).

However, the doors do open to a generously wide angle for those who require extra space for access or loading a wheelchair.

Once inside, the cabin is spacious and roomy, with the raised passenger and driver’s seats fully adjustable, along with an adjustable wheel.

In the rear, the seats can be folded in a variety of combinations, which, added to the ample boot space, will provide more than enough room for people travelling with a wheelchair or bulky equipment.

For those who slide in and out of seats, there is the option to have leather seats, but at £1,200 it’s relatively pricey and may be worth some negotiation with your dealer.

There is plenty of storage available, and there are enough cubby holes and hidden compartments to ensure you’ll be finding crisp packets and old cassette tapes for a long time to come. This does, though, make the area between the seats overly cluttered and congested.

In terms of performance and ride quality, we found the C-Max to be something of a surprise package.

For a relatively big car, it drives like a much smaller hatch, and it almost seemed to enjoy nipping around the streets of central London on our test-drive.

The car’s handling is superb, and felt grippy and responsive as Jamie darted in and out of traffic, while under the bonnet there was certainly enough grunt to get out of tight spots without too much fuss.

The model we tested included more extras than you could shake a stick at, including air conditioning, electronic parking sensor, CD player and automatic rain sensors, although many of these are only available as extras, not as standard.

Overall, however, the C-Max is a highly recommendable vehicle, that certainly ticks all the right boxes in terms of style, access and performance.

The 5-door C-Max is available in a variety of engine sizes and combinations, from 1.6-2.0 litres. It is available in either manual or automatic, although automatic models are all 2.0. Advance payments under the Motability scheme range from nil to £1,450, depending on the model.