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Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

Hi

not sure if I'm in the right place but Ill ask anyway.

I'm looking into getting a 2nd car run around for my wife and young one, it will mainly be used for school runs of about 20mile round trip twice a day and only in unusual circumstances will it be used for long journeys ( long journeys will be in the bigger family car ) .

At the moment ( early stage research ) the car my better half likes is the b-max , but which engine 1.6 , 1.5 diesel or and there seems more about is the 1.0 ecoboost petrol .

The budget is £5k to £7k and one big question I have is how long will a 1.0 petrol last 100k, 150k without being too much of a problem.

thanks for any help

tom

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - Xileno

You are in the right place.

The 1.6 petrol is presumably the Yamaha engine, so a good option. The 1.0 ecoboost does not come with such a good reputation.

Unless you need the sliding doors then look at the Fiesta, there will be more to choose from.

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - Steveieb

I too have been checking out the B Max.

The high seating position is a plus for me and the car is so much better looking than the Fusion which go very cheaply.

Which recommends the 1.0 eco boost engine as perfectly matching the car but readers here will mostly realise that the Zetec engine is the way to go.

But finding one is the main problem. They all seem to be 1.0 or Tdi unfortunately which says it all !

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - elekie&a/c doctor
B max sliding doors are heavy to close. Try it before you buy it .
Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

thanks for the quick reply.

1.6 seems to come only in auto which I believe is not good

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

again thanks for the quick help.

seating position is a (preferred ) bonus but not the be all end all.

fiesta a tad more expensive from what I've seen so far but still looking.

I've looked around one and am happy about the car but not driven one yet, trying to narrow what engine to look for before time wasting the dealers. I like a diesel but seem a little iffy on power output and as has been said lots of 1.0 petrol.

Interestingly looking at reviews on well known sites they seem to promote how nice the 1.0 petrol's are .

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - daveyjp

Cambelt change on an ecoboost is 10 years, 100,000 miles and at that age its an expense many owners may not want, its not a quick job.

There's also an issue with oil cooler drive belt fraying, blocking the oil pick up filter causing oil starvation. Another expensive job.

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - catsdad

If you are reading new car reviews they will often praise the 1.0 eco boost. They are however driving new cars and not paying the bills down the line. I am sure the eco boost is lovely to drive but that’s not the whole story. Unfortunately many reviews nowadays are little more than advertorials.

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - badbusdriver

Unless you have the front door open at the same time (no B pillar), the sliding door opening on the B-Max is quite small. As has been said, the sliding doors are heavy to use, but also, reading owners review, it seems the leading edge of the sliding door has a very sharp corner, which isn't ideal.

The high seating position is a plus for me and the car is so much better looking than the Fusion which go very cheaply.

Beauty is of course in the eye of the beholder, but mine is that the Fusion (predecessor to the B-Max) was a better looking car (with a bigger boot), and yes, we used to have one!. And the Fusion isn't that cheap either, the dearest have prices of around £5k, £2k more than the cheapest B-Max's.

I like a diesel but seem a little iffy on power output

Don't fixate on BHP, more torque will make the car more relaxing to drive though not necessarily quick. Also lower powered cars tend to have lower gearing, so while that will result in slightly higher revs on the motorway, the car won't feel underpowered running around town. But as a second car/runaround, the performance of even the least powerful B-Max will be sufficient for its purpose. Finally, you said this was to be your wife's car, so surely the fact that you want more power isn't important ;-)

At the lower end of your budget, I'd suggest looking at a late first generation Nissan Note (sold up to 2013). Engine choice is 80bhp 1.4 and 110bhp 1.6 petrols and a 1.5 turbo diesel making 85bhp. Both petrols are simple and robust n/a units, the diesel is also reliable though I'd be reluctant unless mileage or towing dictates it. I'd have one any day of the week over a B-Max.

I'd also look at the Kia Venga and its sister car the Hyundai ix20. The n/a 1.4 and 1.6 are plenty reliable and it has a remarkable amount of interior space for its length. The Kia Soul is also worth a look as an alternative. Same underneath as the Venga/ix20 but with tall boxy SUV looks.

Edited by badbusdriver on 19/09/2021 at 16:01

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

thanks for help.

Just to confirm, the 1.0 is a bit of a no no for the longer term ???????

the look of a car is in the eye of the beholder which is the boss.

The power / torque although not the most important given the cars intended use, the more (ish ) the better from my point of view BUT not to much of a concern.

I / we did come across a kia soul which she liked but I know nothing of them so I still need to look into them. The only thing I've seen is the petrol too thirsty and diesel is the usual dpf stuff ( no nothing of the reliability (yet )) also alot od diesels come with auto.

As for the other cars I will look into .

Again thanks for all the help. It gives me options to look into.

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - _

If you are considering a Kia Soul, try a Kia Venga same mechanicals, go for a 1.4 manual 2 spec .

we had one, 5 adults, 3 23 kilo check in bags, 2 carry on bags and the usual ladies stuff, all to gatwick and return no problems.

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - badbusdriver

Just to confirm, the 1.0 is a bit of a no no for the longer term ???????

I have no doubt there are plenty of folk out there who have had a 1.0 Ecoboost engined Ford with no trouble at all. But the way I look at it is that buying a used car, especially outwith its warranty, is a gamble. In order to reduce the odds as far as possible, look at cars with little or no known issues. Its your money at the end of the day, but I wouldn't.

The only thing I've seen is the petrol too thirsty

The term too thirsty doesn't really mean anything without context, too thirsty for what?. Too thirsty for a traveling salesman?, definitely. Too thirsty for the chap on another thread starting a new job with a 160 mile daily commute?, again definitely. Too thirsty for a runabout second car doing less than 5k per year?, no, not really. In that case, the money spent on fuel will be a relatively small percentage of total running costs. Doing little miles, reliability is much more important.

You have not said how many miles this car will be doing, but using the 5k mentioned above I did some calculations. Based on the Real MPG figures posted on this website, a 1.0 (100bhp) Ecoboost engined B-Max would save you a grand total of £2 per week over a 1.6 petrol Kia Soul (second gen).

There are way too many variables to give much credence to the difference in quoted economy between two otherwise similar cars. To my (simple) brain, I feel the laws of physics apply here (loosely maybe!). So two cars of a similar size, weight and power are going to have broadly similar MPG figures if driven by the same person (i.e, your wife), regardless of what the quoted figures suggest.

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

Please forgive my noobness but is the n\a thing

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

Sorry . What is the n\a thing

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - dan86

Sorry . What is the n\a thing

N\a means naturally aspirated meaning no turbo or supercharger. The ecobost engine is forced induction because it has a turbo charger, forced induction basically means the engine has a mechanical device that forces air in to the engine instead of the engine just sucking it in on its own, a turbo worked by waste exhaust gases to turn an impeller that will suck more air in, a super charger wil use a belt attached to the crank to turn it and force more air in to the engine

Edited by dan86 on 19/09/2021 at 22:18

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - SLO76
Forget the 1.0 Ecoboost, they’re notoriously fragile. They’re known as Ecoboom in the trade. The diesels are DPF equipped and unsuitable for short range stop/start use so I’d leave them out too. At this money the priority is reliability not performance so the only one I’d recommend is the Yamaha designed 1.4 petrol. Yes it’s no ball of fire but it’ll be perfectly adequate for local running and the occasional longer journey. This is a very robust engine and the rest of the car is practical and comfortable. They don’t appeal to boy racers so most are family or elderly owned and thus well cared for.

They aren’t around in big numbers however so I’d widen the search to include the C-Max 1.6 petrol also which is a very useful family car and equally robust. It’s better looking and an easy sell when it’s time to offload it.

The kia and Hyundai options are good too but then so are smaller hatchbacks like the Fiesta 1.25 or Mazda 2 if they’re big enough.
Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - tbg

I completely forgot about the real mpg on the site . I'm going to look online a little about the Kia etc.

I presume the 1.6 petrol c max is Yamaha ???

In terms of mileage it will be 20 mile round trip twice a day for school plus odds and sods so at least 8k + most of that trip is 50 mph which is why diesel a possibility.

Thanks for the help , it's helping

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - Xileno

"I presume the 1.6 petrol c max is Yamaha ???"

Only the naturally-aspirated engine is as far as I remember, the old but reliable Duratec engine. The 1.6 Ecoboost don't know who makes that.

Edited by Xileno on 19/09/2021 at 21:42

Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - SLO76
“ I presume the 1.6 petrol c max is Yamaha ???”

You presume right, it is and so there’s a the 1.6 Ecoboost, just to confuse you.
Ford B-MAX - ford 1.0 ecoboost - SLO76
“ In terms of mileage it will be 20 mile round trip twice a day for school plus odds and sods so at least 8k + most of that trip is 50 mph which is why diesel a possibility.”

At the money you’re looking at the diesel will either be older or up in the miles plus it’s a much more complex engine and thus more prone to expensive failures. The couple of hundred quid you’d save in a year will be more than eaten up by repairs. The 1.6 PSA diesel has a reputation for turbo failure among other problems though it is much improved on earlier versions. I’d go petrol here.

Edited by SLO76 on 19/09/2021 at 22:29