Considering the things hardly existed a decade ago, compact MPVs have come a long way. There are a lot of potential customers out there, so manufacturers fight hard against each other to attract them, and the end result is a market segment consisting largely of very good products.Ford's Focus-based C-MAX has been near the top of the league since it was launched, but the world continues to turn and the opposition keeps raising the game. The current C-MAX, introduced in April 2007, is Ford's attempt to stay in touch.Quite a successful attempt, too. Ford's reputation largely rests on its ability to produce good, competitively priced cars which are not necessarily exciting but which do the job as well as anyone needs them to, and that's a reasonable description of the C-MAX.In some ways, though, it's beginning to feel a little old-fashioned. Ford does not, as some manufacturers of comparable vehicles do, offer seven seats, leaving this facility for the larger, Galaxy-based S-MAX. The three rear seats can be individually tipped forward or removed completely, and unusually for the class the central one can be taken out and the other two shifted to provide extra space for their occupants.But none of those seats can be folded flat into the floor, and they are a little more tricky to operate than those in some rival cars. This isn't exactly rocket science, of course, and the typical compact MPV practicality makes it worthwhile, but I did find the adjustments more of a chore than they are in, for example, the Citroen C4 Picasso.The C4 Picasso also highlights another flaw in the C-MAX. In an effort to improve visibility, the Ford has triangular front side windows, but they're small and almost completely blocked by the very large door pillars. Not long ago, this is something that you pretty much had to accept in a small MPV, but Citroen has since shown (with its larger windows and cleverly angled pillars) that the job can be done more effectively.On the other hand, the C-MAX scores well on price. The test car officially costs £15,995, which is pretty good for an MPV with a two-litre engine, though I'm not sure this is the one I would pick myself. Assuming the same trim level, it's just £500 more expensive than the 1.8 petrol version, but the extra performance you pay for isn't particularly useful in a car like this.If I wanted more power at all I would prefer it to be available at lower engine speeds, in which case spending an extra £1000 on the 1.8 TDCi turbo diesel seems to be the way to go. And it's significant - in terms of ownership costs - that the 2.0 is four insurance groups higher than either of the 1.8-litre cars.In the early days of the original C-MAX, this magazine lost no opportunity to praise its excellent handling. Several years on, the road behaviour is no longer particularly surprising, but that's probably because the class standard is so high. Having driven several hundred miles on a wide variety of roads within a few days, I can say that the C-MAX is never uncomfortable and does nothing to tire its driver.The test car was also happy to swallow a large and inconvenient load once the rear seats had been folded down. With all the layout possibilities there are more potential luggage volumes than you want to hear about, so let's just say that they range from 473 litres (all seats in place, up to the top of the seatbacks) to 1633 litres (rear seats removed, to roof level).The Zetec model tested here is on the middle step of a trim level ladder which starts with Studio and Style and continues through Ghia to Titanium. Zetecs have a wider choice of engines than the cheaper versions (there is, for example, no 2.0 petrol equivalent further down the range) and boast such niceties as heated door mirrors which, like the handles for the doors and tailgate, are painted in the same colour as the bodyshell, manual air-conditioning, a trip computer, a luggage cover and lumbar support and an armrest for the driver.There is also the option of a Sport pack consisting of lowered suspension, more supportive seats and larger alloy wheels. Not the kind of thing I'd be personally interested in if I had a C-MAX, but there you have it. Engine 1988 cc, 4 cylinders Power 145 bhp @6000 rpm Torque 136 ib/ft @4500 rpm Transmission 5 speed manual Fuel/CO2 38.7 mpg / 174 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 9.8sec Top speed 126 mph Price From £17346.00 approx Release date 01/05/2007
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