Ford C-MAX review - Practicality, comfort and boot space
Spacious enough but rear passenger space can be tight if carrying a car full of people
Despite its relatively compact dimensions, the C-MAX is a very practical car. It has 471 litres of boot space – slightly more than the Renault Scenic’s 437 litres, but way down on the Citroen C4 Picasso's 537 litres. With the seats down, load space increases to 1,851 litres.
The C-MAX can also be ordered with a clever rear bench that splits 40/20/40, which allows you to fold the centre seat and slide the outer seats backwards and inwards to create a more spacious 2+2 layout.
The downsides are that, in three-seat mode, shoulder room is tight in the middle, and although the seats tumble easily, they’re very heavy when you need to remove them. It’s also worth noting that as of 2015, every C-MAX comes with a space saver spare wheel.
Storage is good, thanks to the versatile centre console, with its deep cubby, plus the glovebox is a nice shape. The deep door bins are also useful, as is the 12V socket in the rear, while you get a fold-out observation mirror below the rear-view mirror.
Other notable options are the manufacturer’s Active Park Assist, which automatically parallel parks the car, and a Family Pack, which comes with a powered tailgate and rear sunblinds. The elevated driving position means visibility is excellent, while reach and rake steering makes getting comfy behind the wheel very easy.
Size
At 4,380mm long and 1,828mm wide, the C-MAX is smaller than the Citroen C4 Picasso, which also has a larger boot.
The larger Grand C-MAX measures in at 4,520mm long and 1,828mm wide, around the same size as its main rival, the Renault Grand Scenic (4,573mm long and 1,845mm wide).
Leg room, head room & passenger space
Thanks to the high roofline and generous amounts of knee room, the C-MAX offers comfortable family transport. It can be a bit of a squeeze with three adults in the rear but the two outer rear seats slide backwards independently to create more shoulder room.
Boot
The C-MAX has a decent sized boot at 471 litres. That's about average for the class but if you need even more space, Ford also offers the Grand C-MAX with seven seats and a larger load area when all the seats are folded flat.
Towing
The Ford C-MAX is never going to set the towing scene alight, as its maximum braked towing capacity ranges from a tiny 400kg to a reasonable 1,500kg. If 400kg sounds too little, then avoid the 104bhp 1.5 TDCi unit. However, if you will be towing loads up to 1,500kg, then you will need to go for one of the Ford’s larger diesels.
