Ford C-MAX, Grand C-MAX and Focus extended test drives review thread

[AnnMumsnet]

This thread is for the 15 Mumsnetters who are reviewing over the next couple of months the all new C-MAX, Grand C-Max and Focus cars from Ford. Each tester and their family will have the car for three weeks and will also be making a video review - look out for these on site soon. All the cars being reviewed feature "Active Park Assist" and Ford recently asked former MP Ann Widdecombe to put this feature to the test - .

Here are the review questions - don't feel you have to answer them straight away - some of them will make more sense once you've had the car for a week or so. We'd like you to give us your initial thoughts, first impressions - both from you and the rest of the family - and then add feedback at least twice a week for the next three weeks until the car is collected - though please feel free to give more regular updates if you'd like to, and don't feel you have to stick to the questions too rigidly - they are just a guide.

Thanks for volunteering. Safe driving.

Here are the questions - please do state the model of car you're testing (first up was the C-MAX tests)

What were you/your partner's first impressions of the car?
What do the children think of it?
Do the children fit comfortably in it?
How easy is it to fit car seats/ adjust seats etc
What's it like to drive?
Is it a comfortable ride?
What's the boot space like?
Does it have any useful extras - cup holders etc?

There are various features of the 3 cars - let us know what you think of these ones in particular:

C-MAX
~ Five flexible seats
~ Power operated tailgate
~ Active Park Assist
Grand C-MAX
~ Seven flexible seats
~ Power operated tailgate
~ Sliding doors
~ Active Park Assist
Focus
~ Active City Stop
~ Active Park Assist
~ Lane Keeping Aid
~ Traffic Sign Recognition

So far is it economical to run?
How does it cope with different road conditions eg town, country, motorway
What do your friends/ family think of it?
Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Ford?
Has testing this car changed your perception of Ford cars at all?
What one thing do you like best about it?
What one thing would you change about it ?
Please add any other comments and don't forget your video diaries!

Any queries please email [email protected]

Thanks again,

MNHQ

yes AnnMumsnet email received and camera will be coming back to you as requested - we are busy filming this week ......

Yep email received here too. Got to get more up to date on the camera actually before it goes.

AnnMumsnet E-mail received, filming underway!!

I have to say, the more i drive this car, the more I love it! Got held up in a serious tailback today (2 hrs+) so spent the time getting to know my gadgets better! The radio is completely tuned in now and i had fun testing the voice recognition thingy..... a bit like knightrider

Ooh, VodkaDash I haven't found the voice recognition yet, what's that then?

I am using my Bluetooth a lot to make phone calls and wondering how I coped before...

Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Ford? Yes and no. If I could buy the exact model I am currently test driving, then yes, I would be interested because it has been a lovely car to drive. That said, I wonder if I like it so much because it is the Titanium model, and therefore towards the top of the range? My delivery driver suggested I wouldn't get much change from £18-20k... that's a lot of money by anyone's standards. If I had that much to spend on a car, I wonder how much car I'd get from another manufactuer? Without all of the snazy features my model has, would I still love it so much? I would certainly keep the C-Max at the top of my shopping list, although I am keen to read feedback from the Grand C-Max testers RE the economy of that model.

Has testing this car changed your perception of Ford cars at all? Yes, absolutely. I never really considered Ford to be a brand that I noticed on the road, and when my friend recently bought a Fiesta Titanium I didn't really take much notice. Since the test drive began, I have been super-impressed with Ford cars and have started to look out for them and ask more questions of Ford owners- turns out most people who own a Ford love them!

I find the voice recognition doesn't recognise what I say unless I speak slowly and deliberately she's obviously too posh to understand a common welsh accent

I have to say I LOVE the SatNav! I didn't know it was going to be on there until I opened the manual folder and saw the empty memory card box. It's fab, we used it on holiday and I can guarantee it cut down the amount of arguements time we were driving around for.

Something else I didn't realise we had (because I couldn't find it until my dad pointed it out on the steering wheel ) is the cruise control - it's fab! I even used it in 30 limits, as you can slow down as well as speed up, as long as you're looking far enough ahead. The car is far more economical using cruise control, and much less strain on your ankle (a problem I have when driving a long way). I've also tried out the speed limiter, but I prefer cruise control to be honest. The speed limiter does have a handy little bell it sounds if you slip over the limit you've set, so that's good.

How much filming has everyone else done? I haven't done a huge amount to be honest, as I couldn't do any while we were away. I'll be doing final thoughts before sending back tomorrow, and have done 4 or 5 clips of different features. Hope that's enough!

sadly i dont have cruise control or a sat nav
we are loving the car and it will be a very sad day when it is collected, will Ford telephone us to arrange collection?

what happened with your electrics NewlyConverted and the open windows?

edwardcullen we've done about the same and will do a bit tomorrow morning before posting back.

The posh woman in my car doesn't recognise a Midlands accent either.......but then, who does!!?

newlyconverted without looking, I think it's on the right hand side of the steering wheel?

Interesting what you say about Ford; I'd never really given it much thought, only that I presumed it was a 'basic' brand IYSWIM. However, I too love the model I have but there is no way I could afford it!! Not with two DC's in full time nursery (could have a villa in Cyprus for that!). I will consider Ford now though and you're right newlyconverted, Ford owners do really love their cars!

I'm afraid my video is rubbish and I never got to finish my final thoughts as I ended up rushing to get the camera to the post office in time.
I was out early on this morning taking the dc for school shoes and sitting at a red light and some asshole in a lorry came down the inside lane when he plainly wasn't going to fit and took off the passenger wing mirror as he went.
is not the word for me I was livid. I have never been hit by anything in my life and it would happen when it isn't my bloody car.

I ended up at a ford dealer this afternoon (on the instructions of the demo centre when I called them) getting a new part ordered for them to repair it this week.

It did cheer me up later when the guy from the dealership called me back 5 minutes after I got in and said that there seemed to be some confusion because Ford seemed to be under the impression I was driving a C-Max I did this face as he went on and said not the Fiesta I seen.
Erm I said it is a C-Max... really he asked I could hace sworn it was a Fiesta. Nope definitely a C-Max says I
He said he felt like a bit of an idiot and that he was going to have to call the demonstration centre back and let them know.

Ineed heres a large glass of or two - hope you are OK

i have posted the camera back today aswell and hope my filming is good enough ...... this was the hardest part IMHO

love having the C Max and enjoying every day with her

Thank you I really need that that is me just sitting down at home for the first time all day now was visiting my sister tonight as it's her birthday and was late for that in the end too
Thankfully it was only the mirror but the dc did get a fright though and it could have been worse.

I am loving the car too there is honesty very little I dislike TBH.

Sorry to hear that Ineedacleaneriamalazyslattern, hope you and the DCs are ok

Ineed that's awful, hope you're all ok today.
for the Ford dealership guy who can't tell the difference between a Cmax and Fiesta though! I know the body is the same but the size difference is quite noticeable close up.
My final thoughts were a bit rushed tbh as I had DS in the car with me and was literally about to leave for the post office (as soon as I turned the camera off I packed it and drove there!)

Thanks guys. We're fine guy who hit me was pretty horrible despite it being his fault. Ds1 when I got back in the car said that he wasn't a very nice man now was he. Bless him.
Guy at the garage did cheer me up. The cmax is parked next to a Fiesta at my house and they are identical apart from size. I mean he went to the car to look at the mirror and popped his head in to get the mileage so it's not like he wasn't close.

Glad you're all ok ineedacleaner - Sod's law isn't it when you are in someone elses car!

I did my last bit of filming yesterday morning too and then posted it straight away too!
Still enjoying driving it around - am going to be very when it goes back.

Well dh also contacted Ford this morning. He noticed that there was a scrape on my back bumper, which wasn't there when I took collection of the car. The lady at Ford was lovely, and said it didn't matter, despite not being able to tell her when/how it happened.

Now I have sent the camera back, there are a couple of other bits of feedback that I've thought I should have mentioned...

1. When using the automatic boot release, I find the parcel shelf gets itself caught up a bit. Nothing major, but when you get in the car to drive off, you realise a portion of the rear window is obscured by the parcel shelf, so it has to be moved.

2. The cup holders in the front are perhaps not in the best place. Today I had a bottle of water in one of them, and when I went to change gears, I grabbed the bottle instead of the gear stick as they are so close together . I nearly stalled the car as I missed my gear, luckily I was in my sister's hamlet, so there were no other cars on the road to see me!!

I am not keen on the parcel shelf actually been meaning to mention it.
It is in 2 seperate bits and they do pop out too easily, I have not found it to be related particularly to the automatic boot it is more down to the fact that it is in 2 bits so one of them keeps popping out.

Yeah the cup holder in teh middle really irritates me have had a car with one of them before and it was a right pest. I keep my phone and keys in there when i'm in the car.

I like the glasses holder in the roof, that is fab I am awful for leaving my glasses/sunglasses rolling around the car so having that bit to put them in is great. I keep my water bottle in the door.

Hehehe I am got the impression today that the man at the garage (who now agrees it is definitely a C-Max) is being extra nice to me as he is curious as to why I have a car that belongs to Ford, is insured by Ford and is being fixed at the expense of Ford.

Not that he wasn't nice before he found all this out but he was extra specially nice and kept muttering to the mechanic that this was "Ford Motor company...Ford Motor Company this one"
The nice mechanic even offered help with DS2's buggy when I was getting it out of the car.

Ineed Maybe the garage think ford have given you a car to act as a mystery shopper so are really trying to impress you

I get my grand c-max on wednesday, I can't wait. we have been waiting to go on days out as we wanted to go in the new car

MNHQ when do we know what happens re collection of the car please?

Collection??? You mean I can't keep it ?

ha ha Vodka or do we have to take it somewhere???

aristocat I've been wondering about collection of the car too - I'm sort of hoping they're going to forget I've got it

I cleaned the inside of the car the other day, and I have to say it's the easiest I've ever done - takes less time than my little Punto! The tipping seats meant I could hoover under them and along the edges of the seats really easily.

Yesterday I had DS's high back booster in the middle of the back seat, and my friend's DS's 1-2-3 carseat next to it, and both were secured easily without looking squashed. There was also space for an adult on the other side of the booster. Friend's DS also proved that it is very easy for a small person to climb from the front to the back of the car without anyone noticing! (Friend and I were cleaning up sick from his carseat )

I am really going to miss having 5 doors, the bluetooth amd Satnav. I have become far too accustomed to these features. I don't want to give them up!!

I won't miss the parking sensors though-I find them too sensitive which irritates me!

hello a few thoughts from me again,

i too dislike the rear parking sensors - they are way too sensitive and i dont really use them. the beeping noise is very off-putting/distracting but i suppose it is something you would have to get used to.

i love the chunky stumpy indicators ...... they are the perfect size and just beautiful.

we have had no problems with the parcel shelf regarding boot opening/closing but the key fob doesnt always work for me first time, so i find myself pressing it 2 or 3 times like a loon ........... therefore it would have been opened so much quicker by using a button

also the central locking is poor, when the button on the dash is pressed the doors should be locked but they are not. my DCs are under strict instructions not too mess/open the doors!

did i say how much we love the integrated window blinds DCs love these - they should be standard in every model methinks.

also the position of the gear stick has grown on me ...... at first i thought it was odd being so far forward but after a few weeks of driving i love its position it is mainly used as an arm rest for my L arm

I too agree that the integrated sun shades are great I have really liked these and they should be standard.

You have to press the fob twice to open the boot I've discovered but never looked at the manual actually to see if it mentions this and any reason for it.

I've not been that enamored with the parking sensor as well it starts beeping when you are actually fairly far away from something and at first it did make me think I was much closer to something than I was so it does make it pretty off putting. THe one thing it potentially is handy for is that when you are in reverse and backing out a parking space it obviously beeps when people pass your rear as well. I think this could be handy as you may not always see someone or in busy shop car parks people often take a leap of faith and rush behind you out of nowhere so it is an extra warning for you as you're looking around you but apart from that it may be something you get used to but not that useful.
What would be more useful would be replacing that with the rearview camera that the cars with auto park assist have.