66% Which? works for you

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1 Which? works for you Which? Car review Ford CMax ( ) On sale: Oct 2003 Class: New price: 17,240 23,990 Used price: From 975 Performance: Boot & Storage: Ride comfort: Safety: Good to drive. High level of safety equipment and good security. Comfortable to ride in. Not as versatile as many rivals. Depreciation is high. Not terribly roomy. handling: Reliability: Total score: 66% Recommended models in the range Which? Car Top Choice Model 1.6TDCi Zetec 110 5dr [DPF] New price: 20,530 Used price: 3,575 Fastest Model 2.0TDCi Titanium 5dr [DPF] New price: Used price: 4, mph: 9.6 secs Most Efficient Model 1.6TDCi Titanium 110 5dr [DPF] New price: 21,780 Used price: 3,925 Combined fuel economy: 62.8 mpg Cheapest Model to buy new 1.6 Style 5dr New price: 17,240 Overview The innovative moveable rear seats help differentiate this car from a Focus estate, and there s a little more space all round. The CMax (launched as the Focus CMax in 2003 but renamed simply CMax after 2007) was Ford s first attempt at a midsized MPV, targeting buyers of the Renault Megane Scénic and Citroën Xsara Picasso. Basically a stretched Focus, it has five seats but, despite the rear cabin being quite wide, it s still a squeeze for three adults in the back. However, you can fold the centre seat out of the way and move the other two back and inwards to increase passenger space. Boot space, at 460 litres, is very good. It grows to 1,100 litres (up to the windows) with the rear seats folded. Ride and handling are both decent and the strong 2.0litre diesel works well with the sixspeed manual gearbox, and returned 45.6mpg (officially 50.4mpg) in our tests. It s fairly civilised, but can get rough if you rev it hard. The 1.6 petrolreturned 37.2mpg (Ford claims 40.9mpg). An allnew CMax went on sale in late 2010, offered in standard fiveseat and longwheelbase, sevenseat Grand CMax formats. According to the latest Which? Car survey the CMax scored an average threestar result for reliability. Diesel versions are more problematic than petrol ones, with the most common issues concerning diesels exhaust, fuel system, suspension and engine. The air conditioning and lights also pose problems. Cheapest Model to buy used 1.8 LX 5dr Used price: 975 Cheapest Model to Run (new) 1.6TDCi Style 110 5dr [DPF] New price: 19,280 Running costs: 17,250 (3 years/36,000 miles) Owner s View Superb turbodiesel and sixspeed gearbox, coupled with armchair driving comfort. You can drive the length of the UK and still feel fresh.

2 Ford CMax ( ) On the road The Ford Focus CMax is a decent drive suspension, handling and steering are all very good and there s a host of electronic systems to help you out in tricky situations. The 2.0 diesel engine is well up to the job, too, and can provide strong performance. It s an easy car to get used to and most instruments and controls are sensibly laid out and easy to operate. The raised driver s position gives you good visibility and it s easy to park. Performance The 2.0litre diesel engine provides plenty of pulling power and it works well with the sixspeed manual gearbox to deliver some pretty impressive performance. It s generally a civilised engine, but can get rather rough if you rev it hard. Gear shifts are easy and precise. Further engine options are 1.6 TDCi and 1.8 TDCi diesels, or the 1.6, 1.8 and 2.0litre petrols. Acceleration (3762mph) 5.5 secs 7.5 secs 8.9 secs Ride comfort The suspension is a decent compromise not too hard, not too soft and it deals with whatever the road can throw at it. There s minimal bodyroll in corners, too. A stiffened suspension option is available. Performance We use the sophisticated electronic timing equipment to record standingstart and ingear acceleration, and repeat each test several times. Ride comfort Ride comfort is assessed by our laboratory experts who have driven hundreds of thousands of miles in a myriad of different models.

3 Ford CMax ( ) On the road continued... Handling Straightline stability is good, and there s electronic stability control (now standard, though not fitted in some earlier models) to help you out of tricky situations. Traction control helps to prevent wheel spin on greasy road surfaces. If you push it hard into a corner the CMax behaves well, with fairly neutral handling, and the stability control (where fitted) prevents the car from breaking away even on wet road surfaces. The steering is good too; smooth, precise and providing good feedback to the driver. The turning circle is fairly typical for this type of vehicle. Brakes The brakes are good, and there s ABS and brake assist to help bring you to a halt safely in the minimum distance. Braking distance (620mph) 39.0m 39.5m 38.0m Refinement and noise Noise levels inside the CMax are generally low, but at high speed the wind noise builds up and can become annoying. Cruising noise 69dB 69dB 69dB Handling Onthelimit handling is explored well away from public roads to ensure a fair test. Our obstacle avoidance test is one of the harshest tests in the industry.. Brakes The Which? Car braking test measures stopping distance from 620mph and is repeated ten times in quick succession to highlight any brake fade issues. Refinement and noise The Which? Car experts use a decibel meter to record interior sound levels at common UK motorway speeds, and combine this with subjective assessments to arrive at an overall score.

4 Ford CMax ( ) On the road continued... Cabin and controls The CMax is a simple car to get used to, with sensibly laidout controls that are all within easy reach. The steering column is fully adjustable to suit individual requirements. Instruments are all large, clear and easy to read and an onboard trip computer is standard equipment. There are a few laboursaving gadgets available as options: automatically dipping headlights and rearview mirror, plus a satellite navigation system. It s not all roses, however, as the proliferation of buttons on the centre console is a tad confusing and it s hard to find what you re after and keep your eyes on the road at the same time. The fog light switches are especially hard to see and the windows won t operate unless the ignition is switched on. And if you do opt for the satellite navigation system, it restricts glovebox space considerably. Visibility and parking The driver s raised seating position gives you a great allround view. This makes the CMax easy to park and you can push the rear headrests down so that they don t obstruct your view when reversing. Parking sensors are available at extra cost, too. Cabin and controls We penalise cars with difficult controls, and we look for things like backlit light switches and easytouse heating and ventilation adjustments. Visibility and parking Visibility is a major issue for motorists today, so each car gets a 360degree swivel view test to reproduce the driver s eye view and any obscured areas. Turning circle 11.1m 11.1m 11.1m

5 Ford CMax ( ) Comfort and practicality You buy an MPV for its space and ability to carry people and luggage but, disappointingly, the CMax falls down here. The boot is large and practical, but carrying three rearseat passengers is a squeeze. The heater s rather pathetic, too. Getting in and out Getting into the front is particularly easy through the large, wideopening doors, and once inside it feels spacious, with plenty of headroom. The driver s seat can be slid back to accommodate those up to 1.9m tall. Things aren t so great in the back, however, as legroom is rather restricted; anyone over 1.75m will find it rather cramped if the front seats are fully slid back. It s quite wide but it s still a squeeze if three people are sitting across the back, which is disappointing for an MPV. If the centre seat is not being used, you can fold it out of the way and slide the other two seats backwards and inwards, which gives rear passengers far more room. Seat space and comfort The front seats are firmly padded and support the body well. The driver s seating position is comfortable and relaxed, and it s height adjustable (an optional detail for the front passenger seat). The two outer rear seats are comfortable, but things aren t as good for the person squeezed in the middle. Getting in and out We take measurements all around the driver and passenger s door apertures and note the height of the seat, door sills and step down onto the car floor. The best cars don t require too much bending or stretching to get in and out. Seat space and comfort We assess seat comfort subjectively, using our road testers expert knowledge and experience from thousands of different cars. And we measure the head, legand elbowroom on offer in every seat, to see how well the car caters for people of all shapes and sizes.

6 Ford CMax ( ) Comfort and practicality continued... Boot and storage The boot is capacious and takes 500 litres. If you fold the rear seats forward, this increases to a whopping 1,620 litres, assuming you load it to the rafters (about 1,100 if you just pile stuff up to the windows). You can actually remove the rear seats completely, although this is a rather fiddly process. The tailgate opens wide and the opening itself is big, which helps when loading and unloading large objects. The boot floor is large, flat and practical, which maximises its luggagecarrying potential. Boot space (seats up/down) 460 litres / 1100 litres 460 litres / 1100 litres 460 litres / 1100 litres Heating and ventilation The heater is too weak and it takes ages to warm up the rear of the car when it s cold (24 minutes to raise it from 10C to 22C). The CMax comes with air conditioning as standard, and the driver and passenger sides can be adjusted independently in models with climate control. Allergy sufferers will be pleased that the ventilation system comes with a dust and pollen filter. Boot and storage Carmakers give official stats for boot space, but our tests are more realistic. We load the boot up with measuring blocks only as far as the rear window line, so that luggage is well secured and won t obscure rear visibility. We repeat the test with the rear seats up, and folded down (where possible). Heating and ventilation Feel sorry for the tester who has to warm each car up from a frosty 10 degrees in our climate chamber. Starting with a cold engine, we measure how long it takes to warm up the front and rear of the cabin. Diesel cars usually take longer. We also check the effectiveness of air conditioning, where fitted.

7 Ford CMax ( ) Running costs and depreciation Fuel consumption is low in diesel models, but the overall running costs for the CMax are likely to be average for a small MPV. However, it suffers from too many breakdowns, faults and niggles for our liking, so it could be a frequent visitor to the garage not good news, as Ford dealerships aren t rated very highly in our owners survey. All models have relatively low insurance groups, depending on model and engine size, although the topspec petrol and diesel models are a little costly to insure. Servicing is respectably priced for this kind of car. Fuel consumption Fuel consumption is pretty low in the diesel models. We recorded an impressive 45.6mpg in the 2.0 TDCi (Ford quotes a figure of 48.7). You ll be making several more fuel stops in the petrol versions though the 1.8litre petrol returned 34mpg in our tests (39.8 claimed). Petrol (combined mpg, claimed) 34.9 mpg 42.8 mpg Fuel consumption We test fuel economy under strict lab conditions using realistic test cycles to reveal the facts behind the figures. Our figures rarely match manufacturer claims as, unlike the official mpg test, we measure economy with both a hot and cold engine, and on the motorway. Diesel (combined mpg, claimed) 47.9 mpg 62.8 mpg Urban (claimed/measured) 37.7 mpg/36.7 mpg 29.1 mpg/29.7 mpg 28.2 mpg/28.5 mpg Extra urban (claimed/measured) 62.8 mpg/61.4 mpg 50.4 mpg/50.4 mpg 50.4 mpg/49.6 mpg Motorway (measured) 40.4 mpg 33.6 mpg 34.9 mpg Combined (claimed/measured) 50.4 mpg/45.6 mpg 39.8 mpg/37.2 mpg 38.7 mpg/37.7 mpg

8 Ford CMax ( ) Running costs and depreciation continued... Emissions Emissions are pretty low, especially from the diesel although some diesels don t come fitted with a particulate filter, which dents their green credentials somewhat. Emissions Petrol (CO2, claimed) Diesel (CO2, claimed) Safety and security 160g per km 194g per km 119g per km 159g per km Emissions (claimed/measured) 148g per km/171g per km 170g per km/178g per km 171g per km/174g per km While testing fuel economy, we also collect exhaust gases to enable us to measure the amount of carbon dioxide (CO2) emitted. We also check whether particulate filters are effective at removing sooty emissions from diesel engines. Safety Euro NCAP score Here is the video of the 2003 Ford Focus CMax Euro NCAP frontal crash test. Please enable JavaScript to access this content. Adult occupant Child protection Pedestrian protection Which? safety rating We rate cars for safety using Euro NCAP crash test scores (where available), alongside our own comprehensive safety checklist. Uniquely, we also feed in results from our accident avoidance test after all, it s far better to steer around a crash than rely on the airbags... Security Active (crash avoidance) 70% Passive (crash safety) 62% Child 70% Pedestrian 77% Security scores come from the security experts at Thatcham, who break into hundreds of cars each year. Most modern cars are very difficult to drive away, but are still too easy to steal from. Security The CMax scored well for theft of in our assessment: It s very hard to steal without the car keys. And since recent security upgrades to the stereo system, the CMax is now the best small MPV for preventing theft of its incar entertainment and other valuables left inside. Theft of car: Theft from car:

9 Ford CMax ( ) Which? Car Survey results The Which? Car Survey is the UK s most robust reliability and owner satisfaction survey. In 2015, drivers told us about 58,000 cars, covering more than 484 million miles in the previous 12 months (that s equivalent to driving to the moon and back a hundred times). This unique feedback allows us to rate satisfaction and reliability for hundreds of new and used cars. Note: Star ratings below are from 15 (1 is very poor and 5 is very good). Percentages shown under Most common faults indicate the proportion of owners reporting each problem in the past 12 months. Brand Ford ratings Sample size: 5,747 people Overall owner satisfaction for this brand 79% Brand reliability Dealer Sales Service Dealer Servicing & repair Model: Ford CMax ( )S Ownership ratings sample size: 197 people Overall owner satisfaction for this range 76% Driving enjoyment Ease of driving Comfort Dash layout and controls Practicality Value for money Running costs Incar technology About our survey Brand ratings Everyone who takes part in the Which? Car survey tells us about their car and the dealers who sell and service it. We analyse this feedback across all cars to give toplevel satisfaction ratings for each brand, including the brand s reliability record over the last eight years. All star ratings are out of five. Model ownership ratings These show how owners score this car in 12 different areas, from performance to heating. Owners ratings are subjective so may differ from Which? Car test scores but they give a good idea of what the car is like to live with. Where relevant, cars are scored against other cars in the same class (e.g. for space). Owner s View Practical load carrier, outstandingly strong engine which eats the motorway miles, unexpectedly lively performance. Owner s View The front seats are very comfortable and an ideal position of the seat / steering wheel can be achieved, to make for a very relaxed driving experience, whilst the seats give good support.

10 Ford CMax ( ) Which? Car Survey results continued... Reliability ratings Overall Reliability Up to 3 years old 48 years old Petrol cars Reliability breakdowns 4% average annual repair cost 96 Diesel cars Reliability breakdowns 11% average annual repair cost 169 All cars Reliability breakdowns average annual repair cost Breakdowns: Percentage of cars suffering a breakdown in last 12 months Average annual repair cost: Average annual cost of repairs (not servicing), in past 12 months About our survey Reliability ratings We split reliability into breakdowns (including failure to start), faults (where parts need replacing) and problems (minor issues e.g. squeaks and loose trim). Where the car has been on sale for some time, and we have numerous survey responses from owners, we also split scores by the age of car and fuel type. Star ratings are out of five the more stars, the more reliable the car. Most common faults Most common faults Up to 3 years old 48 years old Exhaust System (D) 11% Fuel System (D) 9% Air Con 8% Lights 5% Suspension components (D) 5% Want to know what s most likely to go wrong as the car gets older? These are the five most common faults reported by owners, grouped by age into new, recent and older cars. A score of 40% means four out of 10 owners reported problems with that part of the car over the previous 12 months. Engine electrics and nonengine electrics (e.g. windows, stereo) cause more headaches than mechanical parts in most modern cars. Failure rate: The proportion of owners reporting this problem in the last year