B-MAX has a 'mini' engine
THE fact that the Ford B-MAX has no B-pillar at the side and a huge door aperture may have grabbed the headlines, but there's so much more to this car than the cleverness of the way you get into it.
Sidestep that distraction and there's a three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbo engine and some very interesting cabin features to take in as well.
The big talking point might well be the doors but under the bonnet, the key story really concerns a very intriguing petrol engine. Displacing just 1.0-litre and with three tiny pistons tasked with moving you and yours down the road at a respectable clip, the turbocharged Ecoboost engine punches above its weight, managing a respectable 100 or 120ps, depending on the variant you choose. The 120ps variant manages rest to sixty in 11.2s on the way to 117mph.
With regard to practicality, the solution Ford's designers have up with combines conventional, hinged front doors and rear sliding doors.
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There is generous access which makes it particularly convenient to load bulky items such as flat-pack furniture or even a bicycle through the side doors.
Though B-MAX pricing starts from just above £13,000, you'll need well over £16,000 to get yourself into the least powerful version of the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol model featured here.
This B-MAX is impressively frugal if you opt for it with one of Ford's newer engines. Equipped with the 120ps version of the three cylinder 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol unit, it can return diesel frugality, managing 57.7mpg on the combined cycle and 114g/km of CO2. T
There's plenty of cleverness to ensure that you're economical on a regular basis. The shift indicator on the dash for more fuel-efficient gear changes you might expect but the innovative Ford Eco Mode system might be more of a pleasant surprise. It's a neat bit of software that continually assesses the effects of your driving behaviour on fuel consumption based on speed, gear shifting, anticipation and the length of the journey you're on.
With all this taken into account, the system will offer advice on how to drive more efficiently.
With its rear sliding doors that reveal no central B-pillars, the Ford B-MAX offers something unique that instantly makes its key rival, the Vauxhall Meriva, appear suddenly off the pace.
Couple that with this eager 1.0-litre turbocharged three-cylinder petrol unit and you have a package that's just too singular to overlook.
Comments
by Nevman
Friday, October 12 2012, 3:11PM
“Here's an idea for the Editor. Take all this marketing cr*p out of the News section and put it somewhere else, where people who are eager to be sold things they probably can't afford can peruse to their hearts' content. Then put some actual news in its place, if you know how to find any.”
by stevodevo
Friday, October 12 2012, 2:49PM
“And with no picture on the website readers go to Google for more information, never to return... well done again, Herald.”