What is it?
This is the all-new C-MAX compact MPV from Ford, which will compete head-on with the Renault Scenic for the first time in five- and seven-seat forms. The C-MAX sticks with five seats, while the Grand C-MAX comes with seven pews. Ford has also added sliding rear doors to the Grand variant to make it more practical.
Why's it here?
This is an all-new model from Ford and the latest C-MAX is the first model to arrive based on the next generation Focus platform. As well as showing off Ford’s space- and practicality-solving ideas, the new C-MAX marks the debut of the firm’s 1.6-litre Ecoboost low emissions petrol engine. It uses a turbocharger and direct injection to reduce CO2 emissions and increase economy by up to 20 percent. The C-MAX is also the first car from Ford to feature semi-automatic parallel parking, driver’s blind spot warning and power-activated child locks.
Show stopper or floor filler?
A people carrier is not the sort of thing to halt showgoers in their tracks, but a new Ford is always a big deal. As well as good looks and the addition of a seven-seat model, the new C-MAX is packed with a lot of new technology that we’ll see on other new Ford models in the very near future, so this is an important car. The C-MAX itself will hit UK showrooms in the autumn of 2010, so this is a very early glimpse of the finished product.
Alisdair Suttie - 17 Sep 2009