Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT

Honest John Back Room » Motoring discussion
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Sat 23 Mar 2019 09:30
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - Prjpro

Hi All, sorry if my English is nor perfect

I am considering the purchase of a Ford C-Max from approximately 2015-2016 (facelift possibly). I've done my homework and I've looked at the pros and cons of the different engines available, in forums, reviews, etc and I'd like to know if I'm leaving anything behind before making a decision.

Use: Familiar.

Daily use: Very short distances during the week (about 4-5ml, 10-15min) because it is the only way to give us time to leave the children in the nursery/school and go to work without getting up 2 hours earlier.

Weekend: An average of 20-60Miles the weekends, plus trips every couple of months to some further place, around 100-150 miles, mainly to do outdoor activities with the little ones. Last year about 15000miles in total.

Engines, Pros and Cons

1.5 TDCI 120HP

I liked driving it, I come from a 1.8 TDCI 115CV. The issue of the few miles a year I do not care, because with this diesel restriction around, I get the same price as petrol. We are not going to use the car inside big cities.

Pros- Low consumption, low tax.

Cons- I'm afraid of the DPF regeneration. My current car doesn't have it, I don't know if driving on the motorway on weekends will regenerate properly or will drive me mad.

1.0 Ecoboost 125HP?

I think there is some other version of power, but honestly, the power or tri-cylinder I don't care a bit if it takes me from A to B. Prioritizing reliability over everything.

PROS- There are a lot of them, which I don't know if it's good or bad. Adjusted consumption.

Cons- I've read a lot of problems in different forums. Coolant losses, refrigerant pipes cracking, engine changes, etc. A very long list of affected people. Are these Ecoboost problems been resolved after the facelift?

1.6 Ti-VCT 120HP? (I don't remember the HP very well)

Atmospheric petrol. Well, I think it is the most reliable option in terms of engine, but I haven't tested it yet. Perhaps the best option for the use I'm going to give. They say it feels a bit slow as there is no turbo, but that wouldn't be a big problem.

PROS - Reliability. I've looked a lot a lot, and I do not find big design problems, it seems to be a well-tested engine.

CONS - Well the only drawback may be the consumption. Could any user give me some real figures on consumption?

Well, taking into account that the car should last about 8-10 years, And giving preference to 1. Reliability, 2. Consumptions and 3. Driving

Do you think I'm missing something before deciding?

Please, I appreciate anyone who leaves their opinion, but at least explain it a little bit, The comments like, "the Ecoboost is very good" or "it's garbage" without any explanation are not very helpful.

Kind Regards

Edited by Prjpro on 23/03/2019 at 09:32

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 23 Mar 2019 13:22
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - SLO76
If you want a C-Max of this vintage then the only reliable option is the Yamaha designed 1.6 petrol. The 1.0 Ecoboost is a deeply flawed design and the 1.5/1.6 diesel has a previous history of problems which no one knows if they’ve sorted it fully. I’d add the Toyota Verso petrol and Mazda 5 petrol to your search too. All three are good news with few reliability worries in petrol form.

Edited by SLO76 on 23/03/2019 at 13:24

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 23 Mar 2019 19:18
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - bazza

We have the focus1.6 petrol lower power version. Average mpg about 40mpg, urban traffic around 35 to 40mpg, long run about 40 to 46mpg, all gentle to average driving. Reliability at 70000 miles no issues, owned for 7 years. C max will of course be less economical, being higher and heavier.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 23 Mar 2019 22:17
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - Prjpro

We have the focus1.6 petrol lower power version. Average mpg about 40mpg, urban traffic around 35 to 40mpg, long run about 40 to 46mpg, all gentle to average driving. Reliability at 70000 miles no issues, owned for 7 years. C max will of course be less economical, being higher and heavier.

Thanks for your feedback. It is much appreciated.

Do you feel a lack of power in any situation? Or does the car respond when you step on the accelerator?

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 23 Mar 2019 22:12
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - Prjpro

Thanks for the comment.

I checked the models you suggested, but they seem to be slightly more expensive (maybe because both are 7 seats) and the availability is far less compare to the c-max, which is a shame. I will keep on eye in case some of them comes up not too far away.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 24 Mar 2019 08:07
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - SLO76

Thanks for the comment.

I checked the models you suggested, but they seem to be slightly more expensive (maybe because both are 7 seats) and the availability is far less compare to the c-max, which is a shame. I will keep on eye in case some of them comes up not too far away.

Yes and while the C-Max 1.6 petrol is a good car it’s always wise to expand the search as much as possible to buy the best car you can rather than focusing on one particular model. The Toyota and Mazda are often a bit dearer and this is partly because they’re 7 seaters but also because they’ve a reputation for longevity which will help when you came to sell it on particularly in the case of the Toyota which is always an easy sell. I wouldn’t overlook a petrol Vauxhall Zafira either.

Edited by SLO76 on 24/03/2019 at 08:08

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 24 Mar 2019 09:51
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - badbusdriver

Do you feel a lack of power in any situation? Or does the car respond when you step on the accelerator?

Are you now having second thoughts about how much performance you want?, because earlier you said this,

They say it feels a bit slow as there is no turbo, but that wouldn't be a big problem.

The performance of the C-Max with a n/a 1.6 petrol is going to be no better than adequate. It has 120bhp, which isn't too bad in the grand scheme of things, but is no lightweight at around 1374kg and only has 159nm of torque at a high 4000rpm to haul that around. Your 1.8TDCI by comparison packs 250nm of torque at 2000rpm, so you see where the problem is. The car will get up to, and cruise at the legal speed limit, and will do so quite comfortably. But if you want to overtake or maintain a decent speed on a winding or hilly road, you will have to work the engine very hard. As has been said though, the engine was developed by Yamaha, revs sweetly and smoothly, and, is reliable.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 24 Mar 2019 16:04
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - bazza

To answer your question, it's quick enough but needs plenty of revs to really find power, as badbus says. It's certainly not fast in the modern scheme of things and a medium turbo petrol will feel more powerful at lower revs. But it keeps up with the flow of traffic and can overtake without drama using gears and revs properly. It's ok.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 24 Mar 2019 19:47
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - Prjpro

Thanks bazza

Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sun 24 Mar 2019 19:45
Ford C-MAX - C-Max 2016 - 1.5 TDCI, 1.0 Ecoboost or 1.6 Ti-VCT - Prjpro

Well, I am not really having second thoughts about performance. I meant to say, it won't be a determining factor for me when I buy the car, but it doesn't mean that I want to ignore this aspect altogether.

I really appreciate having an opinion from one the owner of 1.6 Ti-VCT engine about performance and consumption.

I find really helpful the torque and rpm information between the different engines, it gave me an idea of what I can expect when I test it.

Reply | Report as offensive | Link

10 warranty myths exposed

Here’s how to sort the fact from the fiction when it comes to car warranties.

Cheap Car Warranties