Ghia 1.6 TDCi (DPF) 5dr

best small mpv which is actually not a small mpv...

i bought it in 16th of september 2005 brand new of the lot. its a Ghia model with panther black exterior, camel yellow (beige) linen texture interior. when you compare ford focus c-max with other small mpv's of its time, c-max falls little bit short on comfort. French rivals has more comfortable ride and better interior space. Reliability wise its not a toyota verso either. You cant get away with not doing maintenance on time. Engine bay has a lot of plastics that can wear out after 10 years of abuse.

Where c-max outshines the competition is driving. its so fun to drive. you simply cant tell if its a normal hatchback focus or not and focus already has best in class driving. You get much better interior space then focus and it sacrifices nothing on driving.
if you already looking for normal focus i say you have to try c-max once (good exemple of it obviously). c-max mk1 and mk1 facelift is sweet spot between crossovers and hatchbacks.
1.6 tdci can be little unreliable so eventhough i have one for 16 years avoid 1.6 tdci. 1.6 base petrol engine is dangerously slow. so if possible get 2.0-1.8 petrol engine if you want little more pulling power you can get 1.8 tdci diesel engine too. Avoid automatics in all costs. its a cvt transmission and its a faulty transmission. every single auto c-max's i saw has faulty gearbox. even its best condition its slow and jerky gearbox would not reccommend it at all.
Facelift version (2008-2010) is one to get. Ford fixed c-max's all known issues on facelift so avoid pre facelift versions. if you really have to get pre facelift version get late 2005 model-2007 cars because 2003-2004's are first production models and most of them has a lot factory defects so avoid 2003-2004 models.
model i recommend is 2010 c-max titanium with petrol engine and manual gearbox.
if you get the right version its a really good car. this car has bad versions so try not to listen people who owned those cars. Like i said if you avoid all automatics, 2003-2004 models and PSA engines (1.6 tdci-2.0 tdci) you can get yourself very good family car and unexpectedly good drivers car.
i wouldnt consider this car as small mpv. its more like focus station wagon with taller roof and better interior. most of the small mpvs looks ugly bulky and drives like pig oversteers on corners.c-max almost drives like sedans from upper class.

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