ON paper, it looks like an appealing family recipe. Take a Ford Fiesta (based on a platform lauded for its excellent ride and neutral handling characteristics), add a 1,0-litre EcoBoost engine (a powerplant that’s garnered a hat-trick of International Engine Of The Year titles), increase the roof height for more interior headroom and luggage space and, finally, as the icing on the cake, remove the B-pillar and add two sliding doors for easy access to the rear seats. Et voilá! A top-drawer mini-MPV.
As with any recipe, however, the real test is in the taste and the CAR editors took several bites during the standard two-week evaluation period that the Ford B-Max spent with us.
There are, of course, some familiar flavours and we’ll briefly touch on those again. The styling follows the Fiesta’s with a stubbier, double-grilled nose, taller silhouette and a longer roofline being the major points of departure from the five-door.
The only engine Ford offers in the B-Max is the turbocharged three cylinder; much has been said in this magazine about this 1,0-litre EcoBoost engine and all of it positive. Used in a number of models in the Blue Oval’s range, the motor might sound a tad rough at low revs but that’s about its only fault. The little motor punches above its weight, with the turbo inspiring sufficient torque delivery at low revs to give the small hatch plenty of zip. And of course, its excellent fuel efficiency is an added bonus.
If there has been criticism, it’s been in the engine’s application in heavier vehicles such as the Tourneo Connect MPV (tested in August 2015), where the 74 kW engine does occasionally struggle with the Torneo’s 1 559 kg mass.
Which brings us to the B-Max’s Fiesta-sourced platform, which also underpins the Eco-Sport light crossover and, in this guise, weighs 1 335 kg – quite a bit less than the Tourneo, but little over 200 kg heavier than a Fiesta. Interestingly, that extra mass had very little effect on the B-Max’s acceleration figures.
It posted a best 0-100 km/h sprint time of 11,10 seconds, which was negligibly slower than the 11,01 we got from its sibling. The test unit’s in-gear acceleration reflected this trend, too.
The B-Max is offered only with a five-speed manual gearbox, but mated with the 1,0-litre EcoBoost it works well. The clutch has just enough weighting for easy modulation, and the manual ‘box hooks the revs to deliver punch when need.
On the whole, the B-Max’s handling is representative of our experiences in the Fiesta hatch. It offers a supple, composed and comfortable ride; you always get the impression the suspension is rarely taxed and could easily cope with more power. The seating position is noticeably higher than on the Fiesta – the former is 109 mm taller – and that does mean that occupants feel body roll more acutely.
The weighting of the electric power-assisted steering does feel slightly heavier than that of the hatch, but again there’s not much in it and the B-Max remains a cinch to manoeuvre in tight urban spaces.
The proof in this pudding, though, was never going to be the drivetrain and chassis, but rather how functional the larger cabin and those doors really are.
Our test unit is the top-spec Titanium model and the interior drew praise from the CAR team. The level of spec is high, with the standout features being keyless access and start, a multifunction leather-trimmed steering wheel, cruise control, park-distance sensors front and rear, leather seats (heated for the driver and passenger),
a full-length panoramic roof with fixed glass, rear privacy glass roof, climate control, an infotainment system with radio/CD/USB/Bluetooth/aux-in capabilities, eight speakers and a 4,2-inch TFT colour screen.
It is, however, more than just a long list of specified items that impresses with the B-Max’s interior. It’s the attention to detail that give it a premium feel and, to that end, the multi-
panel leather seats with perforated inserts not only look good, but are comfortable and supportive, while classy touches such as soft-touch plastics, considered use of piano-black detailing, a leather gearlever boot and subtle, contrast stitching on the seats play their part.
The first-generation Sync infotainment system is, however, showing its age and against Ford’s own touchscreen-enabled Sync 2 – as experienced in our Ford Fusion long-termer – and other newer competitor systems, it appears complicated and fussy.
Another major change over the Fiesta is the amount of space the B-Max offers – a neat trick given their identical 2 489 mm wheelbase. Rear passengers get 60 mm more legroom and even our taller team members could sit behind the driver’s seat when set to their preferred driving position. The raised roof and boxier profile also provide more headroom.
Another given is that the B-Max offers more luggage space than the Fiesta, but just how much surprised us. Our ISO-standard measuring blocks indicated 272 dm3 with the rear seats up and 1 064 dm3 with the 60:40 split rear seatbacks folded forward. Compare that to the Fiesta’s 248/896 dm3 and there’s clearly a lot more room on the B-Max’s serving spoon. The light MPV’s luggage bay also features an adjustable floor panel that can be removed to create a deeper compartment or left in place to hide stored items.
Which finally brings us to the icing on that cake – the twin sliding doors and B-pillar-less configuration. Designed to make it easier to access the rear seats – and, for example, clip in an Isofix-anchored baby seat – a wider aperture does appear to make sense. However, there are some drawbacks.
Firstly, the lack of B-pillars has meant that the rear edges of the front doors have had to be reinforced (in effect incorporating the pillar) to ensure structural integrity, making them heavy. In fact, they’re so much heftier that they require two latches, one each at the top and bottom. When the front door is closed, a B-pillar is now effectively secured to the chassis.
The sliding doors represent something of a compromise, too. Firstly, they don’t slide back far enough to clear the aperture, which compromises access to the rear seats.
Secondly, each sliding door’s hinge juts out and there’s an unsightly plastic-sheathed cable that rests on the doorsill. Talking of those sills, they’re unusually wide and small kids will need to watch their step when getting in and out.
