Road Test: Ford B-Max 1.5 TDCI Titanium
Price as tested: €23,050
+ Clever doors, space, practicality, quality, comfort
– Diesel engine lacks punch, ride too firm
= Clever and useful but ride and performance lacking
I cannot hear the phrase “sliding doors” and not think of the eponymous movie of the late 1990s starring Gwyneth Paltrow. It’s about a woman whose future apparently takes two divergent courses, with the dividing line being whether or not the sliding doors close on her as she tries to catch a train. Not sure why such an otherwise forgettable romcom should stick with me, but it’s always at the back of my mind whenever I drive a car with, well, you know.With the Ford B-Max (and its sliding doors) Ford will be trying to both create a new future for itself and erase memories of an unhappy past. That’s because the company’s previous effort in the mini-MPV arena, the little Fusion, was largely critically panned, even if it did have its loyal customers. The new B-Max’s only similarity to the Fusion, thankfully, is that both cars shared their mechanicals with a sister Fiesta. The B-Max is more clearly a junior MPV, though, owing much to the sharp-looking C-Max for its styling. And wait until you see its trick doors . . .
Up front, and behind that beaky nose, is a range of three petrol and one diesel engines, with the highlights being the new 1.5-litre 75bhp TDCI diesel and the brilliant 1.0-litre three-cylinder EcoBoost turbo petrol, which Ford Ireland’s people reckon will prove to be the best seller. The base model comes with a 1.4-litre petrol engine, and you can have the old 105bhp 1.6-litre petrol if you fancy an automatic transmission.
With its sweet-revving nature and 119g/km CO22 emissions, the 1.0 EcoBoost is definitely the star of the range, especially as the new 1.5 TDCI engine is actually a bit of a disappointment. Thankfully, an early cold-start clatter dies away as the engine warms, to be replaced by generally very good refinement; but it’s very short on grunt, lacking the kind of low-down punch we’ve come to associate with diesel engines. The creakingly long 16.5sec 0-100kmh run confirms its gutlessness. It is capable of a claimed 68mpg compared to the 1.0 petrol’s 55mpg, though but the bald fact is that, foot to the boards in third gear, I was really having to wait around and wait for the B-Max to pick up speed. On this brief acquaintance, I'd say that Ford's new 1.5 diesel isn't half the engine the existing 1.6 TDCI is. Which is worrying, as eventually a whole family based on the 1.5 will replace the 1.6...
Ford has slipped up a touch with the driving experience too, for my money. In trying to keep Ford’s now-traditional sporty chassis dynamics, the B-Max has gone a bit too far down the stiff suspension route, and the upshot is a ride quality that never settles down and frequently jiggles. Fine in a sporty, spry hatchback but not what you want in a family-oriented people mover. Yes, the sharp steering and good body control are welcome, but I’d have happily traded both in for a comfier ride.
There's also a sense that the whole car feels top-heavy, which in spite of the too-firm ride, means it feels as if the roof is heading towards the ditch under brisk cornering loads. Not a pleasant feeling and in general I think Ford should be heading back to the drawing board with the B-Max's suspension settings. As a final caveat though, our Titanium model was riding on big-ish rims, so possibly a lesser spec version with smaller wheels might feel a touch better.
The B-Max does have one whizz-bang ace up its sleeve, though: SYNC, Ford’s new phone-friendly infotainment system, which is easy to use, useful and, Ford claims, potentially live-saving, automatically dialling the emergency services if it detects you’ve had a crash. It’ll even read your text messages to you.
It's almost laughably easy to use (albeit we couldn't get the text message reading system to work with my iPhone 4S) and the option to be able to plumb your music into the car either by Bluetooth or USB cable is a nice one.
SYNC on its own is almost impressive enough to warrant a recommendation for the B-Max, and the doors and space are truly family-optimised. Fix the ride and install a punchier diesel engine and you could happily see it in your future.
Ford B-Max 1.5 TDCI Titanium
Price as tested: €23,050
Price range: €19,170 to €26,430
Capacity: 1,490cc
Power: 74bhp
Torque: 190Nm
Top speed: 157kmh
0-100kmh: 16.5sec
Economy: 4.0l-100km (68.9mpg)
CO2 emissions: 109g/km
Road Tax Band: A. €160
Euro NCAP rating: 5-star; 92% adult, 84% child, 67% pedestrian, 71% safety assist
Categories:
1.5 TDCI,
B-Max,
Band A,
compact,
diesel economical,
family,
Ford,
Ireland,
mini MPV,
new,
new car,
people carrier,
Road Test,
sliding doors
