Ford C-MAX road tests and consumer car reviews

Ford C-MAX 1.8 Style petrol 2008

We’ve had our C-Max 6 months, a 2008 1.8 Style petrol with 42k. A good car overall in terms of space and trim, however, the fuel consumption is dire. It would benefit from a 6th Gear. I have just swapped it for a 1.6 Fiesta TDCI to cut the running costs.

Ford C-MAX 2004

I bought this car at 1 year old. A great car with very few problems; the bearings on rear wheel went, check engine light came on and I had it checked at the garage but they couldn’t find anything wrong. I have just sold it and bought a 06 plate Focus, only because I don’t need a bigger car anymore, but would recommend the C-Max for any family. A great drive, extremely reliable and economical (for me any way).

Ford C-MAX 1.6 tdci 2008

What a revelation. Great build quality. Great to drive. Great economy. I used to have a Mazda 5 which was great for a people carrier but the interior was "plastic fantastic" with cheap hard plastics every where you looked and touched. It crashed over bumps and the engine noise was horrific on any speed above 65mph. So back to the C-Max, a super car which is great for the family, cheap to insure and tax with low running costs and great to drive. ONLY get the diesel version, I had the 1.8 petrol before, but diesel drives like a different car with less noise at motorway speeds (the petrol should have had six speed box). I’d never owned a Ford before, but how things have changed. Very close to Germanic build quality. I have owned the car for two years now with no problems and average 44 mpg on 90% urban driving. I have achieved 65 mpg on the motorway at 70 mph.

Ford C-MAX 1.6 TDCi Zetec 2011

I have had this car for two months and very disappointed with it; poor acceleration and cutting out, flat spot in first gear. My car is supplied by Motabilty and I am keen to get the car changed, it’s just gone in to the dealer to be checked over but I don’t hold out much hope. I would think twice about having a Ford car again

Responses to this review

I am surprised that Ford still have not sorted the flat spot out. I drive an S-MAX diesel (57 reg) and have suffered this problem with the car since new. I have now done over 84,000 miles in the car and have had to adopt a specific standing start skill to avoid collisions at roundabouts when the car suddenly hits the flat spot. Every time the car goes for service, we have the same routine - they try to sort it but without any joy. If the car stalls then it makes one huge bang in the gearbox. Now after high mileage and some unavoidable stalls, the gearbox sounds like a bag of spanners, but I doubt Ford will acknowledge it has anything to do with the flat spot. I was considering a C-MAX, but guess what, not now! - Howard Hardy from Cheshire