USED Ford Focus C-MAX MPV (03 - 07)

My car

Having been a long term Ford owner I must admit I am a little biassed, however the C-MAX is by far the best Ford I have ever owned.

It would be good if it gave a closer combined mpg than claimed (I average about 48/52) but this is still reasonable. I personally found it to be the most comfortable car i've owned as the gear stick is close and lighting/display very good.

Handling wise, I have only anchored up once in the rain and, although it began to skid, it stopped almost straight away and did not lock up. Hence I had full control and avoided the idiot who had cut me up.

After starting first thing in the morning, it becomes very quiet in just a minute or two and on the motorway is much quieter than my other Fords. One of the cabin shelves on the back of the seats was squeaking a little but with a touch of vaseline from me and a tweak from the dealer, it soon cured it.

I think this car with all the same running gear of the new Focus is top notch. I am very satisfied. PS. i did not need 7 seats so it was the best choice midi MPV to suit our needs.

I think the Wat Car? verdict should be higher too - at least 4 out of 5.

My car

I traded up from my 5 year old 1.6 petrol Ford Foucs LX to get a new C-Max 1.6 TDCI LX. I negotiated a top deal at the end of September '04 and took delivery of a 1.6 diesel in LX trim.

Whilst it is a step down from the Ghia trim, it suffices for my daily commute. The equipment included electric mirrors and windows, a/c, CD player as standard and comes with ABS brakes, which weren't standard on my old Focus.

What do I like about it? Well, I hate MPVs with a passion but the C-Max lets you have your cake and eat it! You get the higher driving stance but with the panache of the new focus chassis to make driving along twisty roads a real joy. The drive is hushed and you only notice noise when you accelerate hard. The torque for a 1.6 diesel is very good and gives my Passat TDi 130 sport a run for its money! The brakes are competent and the gearbox is easy, if a little notchy from third to fourth. The boot is capacious.

My only gripe is that there are squeaks and rattles from the interior plastics at times - they come and go. Listen out for rattles from the seat belt pillars and the tray positioned on the front dash. The other thing you'll notice is that it has a small petrol tank - the C-Max does great MPG but you watch the needle drop quite quickly because of the small tank - can fill up for about £36.

Otherwise, it's perfect. The family love it and rate it far higher than the mark 1 focus, which in itself wasn't a bad car except for the rattles - deja vu?!

My car

It is one of the best small mpvs I have driven. It is quiet and handles very well indeed. The road-holding is superb, too.

My car

This is easy the best mini MPV I have had - fast, good to drive handles well, great consumption. A nice little car.