Family at the heart of the Ford B-Max

The Ford B-Max compact people carrier is based on the Ford Fiesta

Trying to referee children arguing in the back of a car while you’re trying to concentrate on the road has been the bane of many a parent’s life over the years but now Ford thinks it can ease the pain somewhat.

Its family-centric mini-MPV, the Ford B-Max, features a ‘child observation mirror’, a push down mirror in the roof of the car which allows those in the front to see what’s going on in the back without having to turn around.

An innovative car, the Ford B-Max is the first to feature the much lauded Easy Access Door System. Basically Ford has removed the centre pillars – where the front doors usually lock in to – to give better access to the rear seats.

This extra room is very handy if you’re trying to load small children, or for people with impaired mobility.

Ford’s innovative integration of the middle pillars into the doors of the Ford B-Max makes settling small children into the back of the car much easier

To achieve this extra space, Ford has integrated the pillars into the doors of the B-Max with the result that they are quite heavy.

Both front and rear doors lock into the skeleton of the car at the top and the bottom and there’s no feeling that safety has been compromised. In fact, the Ford B-Max has achieved the highest five star Euro NCAP safety rating.

The Ford B-Max is a medium sized five-door city compact, which is based on the Fiesta.

It’s not the prettiest looking car from the outside, but Ford has done very well styling-wise inside.

The cabin in this car feels massive – with a really high roof and great legroom, back and front.

Although the Ford B-Max is a five seater, I think the rear would be more comfortable for just two adults.

The boot in this car is also quite big, and the rear seats can be collapsed to create extra luggage room. The seats lie flat and are very easy to fold and pull back up again.

The found the driver’s seat comfortable and I also liked the nice high driving position.

I loved the curved dashboard in this car, which encased a cockpit that looked a little bit like a spaceship.

The cockpit of the Ford B-Max looks a little bit like a spaceship

The test car had a great Sony infotainment unit, with radio/CD/USB/Aux and Bluetooth. The Titanium model I was driving also had air conditioning, parking sensors, active city stop and auto lights and wipers.

It also featured the emergency calling SYNC system, where in the event of an accident the car will automatically call emergency services via your Bluetoothed phone. It didn’t have cruise control, which I missed.

The B-Max has the lovely heavy Ford feel to it – smooth rather than plodding. Our driving routes took us across the city, along country roads, and on urban and intercity motorway.

I found the Ford B-Max was most at home on city streets – it was easy to manoeuver and handled well.

While it’s not the fastest at the lights, urban acceleration posed no problem for the five-speed manual 1.5 TDCI 75ps diesel model I was driving. I think it could do with a bit more poke for roads with higher speed limits though.

It’s also a lovely motorway cruiser, with a quiet cabin, but it does take its time reaching 120kph.

Overall, I found the Ford B-Max to be a smooth, practical, family car, eminently suited to the city with a lovely stylish interior.

The new Ford B-Max is available in a range of petrol and diesel engines, with prices for the entry level 1.4-litre 90ps petrol model starting from €19,821. The top of the range Titanium model I was driving costs from €23,567.

Tech Spec
Engine: 1.5TDCI 75ps (diesel)
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 16.5seconds
Maximum Speed: 157kph
Fuel Economy: 4.1l/100km
CO2 emissions: 109g/km
Annual road tax: €190

Visit the Ford Ireland website or its Facebook page for further details.

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