Not having driven a Ford for some time I was given an opportunity to have a play with the New Ford Grand C-Max Titanium recently
It's actually been quite a few years since I last drove any of the Ford range so I suppose I could be classed as a bit of a Ford Virgin when it comes to reviews.
First impressions were excellent. Everything looked new and shiny, fitted together well, sounded good, was beautifully finished, and felt really comfy on first bum-contact. I have to say that compared to some of the old Fords I used to do battle with in my early teens and twenties 'destitude days', this was a veritable spacecraft, with enough gadgets and gizmos to entertain the most devout of technophiles for hours on end. So, having familiarised myself with, and mastered, most of the important ones I set off to see what sort of driving days lay ahead of me.
The first thing that strikes you with this car is the attention to detail. It appears that everything has been meticulously thought-out; from the easy and intuitive audio controls, which seamlessly integrate with popular MP3 players and iPods, to the versatile and easy re-arrangement of the seating, to the crystal-clear in-dash information displays.
On the road the C-Max was a real surprise. I was very, very impressed by the way everything worked together. It was a smooth, quiet, solid drive. Gear ratios seemed to be perfectly related, allowing effortless and seamless up and down changes through the corners and junctions. Roadholding was tight and confident, with not a single twitch or hesitation when pushed quite hard. The cruise control is activated and controlled on the steering wheel and again it was so easy and intuitive to use that you could almost forget it was there.
The parking accessories included in the model driven make such light work of manoeuvring the C-Max, with rear sensors, rear camera, active park assist, which even does the heavy elbow work for you when parking. Great entertainment for teenage kids too! Gets them talking about it for hours afterwards!
Nowadays with so many manufacturers chasing the cutting edge of family car design it's so unusual to find one particular one that stands out from the crowd. The Grand C-Max, with its 5+2 seating is a 'sensible' family car which not only serves, but impresses at the same time. It doesn't do it in a flashy 'rat-with-a-gold-tooth' sort of way, but through the not-so-obvious design details which manifest themselves by simply not being obvious, if that can possibly make sense. It is understated yet extremely competent. The build quality is excellent and most surprisingly the ones who were most impressed were the boys, who were already very aware of the car, what its design philosophy was and what it offered before they even got to see it. That impressed me more than anything because they rarely offer little more than indifference when I ask their opinions of a car. On this occasion it was all the other way around with complements, questions, and a desire to play about with the various features of the vehicle themselves.
It is very hard to list any cons, but if I had to do so it would be on the economy aspect, where I was surprised and a little disappointed at how quickly the fuel gauge descended on this 1.6 litre petrol car. The specifications suggest its economy is competitive with other manufacturers but I personally felt that compared to some other cars I've driven recently I would have been reaching for the wallet a little sooner than I expected. The only other little 'niggle' was the element of the heated windscreen which was not considered an issue until I became aware of it. Before then everything was fine, but after first seeing the little wire zig-zags embedded in the glass I couldn't stop occasionally focusing on them from time to time. Perhaps that was just me getting old and going slightly mad though!
Bearing in mind the space, comfort, ease of access through the sliding rear doors, the light airy cabin and the fact that despite appearances you're driving something quite special I would have no qualms whatsoever in recommending this great all-round family car which offers just about anything the family could want. It left me with a smile on my face and I'm sure it will do for lots of others too.
Nigel Crawford
June 2011
Model Driven
Ford Grand C-Max Titanium 1.6 EcoBoost SCTi
Price on the road as-driven - including X-Pack, Convenience Pack, Metallic Paint: £25,250 at time of publishing.
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