Ford C-MAX Owner Reviews: MPG, Problems & Reliability

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An excellent all rounder. Comfortable, reliable, economical and good to drive. Normally I change my car every 3 years but I have yet to find anything better for the money, and I have owned BMW and Mercedes before. Your review claims space is tight but I have never found this a problem. Rear seat adjusts to increase passenger or boot space as required

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Love this car, our second Cmax, first diesel though. Smooth auto box, plenty of punch when needed, handles like a dream. Interior comfort and room great, plenty of storage. In Moondust silver with titanium spec chrome grill, looks like the dogs danglies!!. Simply love the car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very good car. Pros: computer systems such as bluetooth and cd, radio work really well, engine is very powerful, loads of torque throughout gears, the gearbox is really smooth, the best gearbox I've seen in a manual car. The power steering has to be the best thing, you can really throw this car into corners and forget you're driving an MPV. Cons: Very low mpg compared to figures, achieves only 44mpg on shell v-power and about 40 mpg on normal fuel (go for v-power if you own this car). Hard plastics all around cabin( not nice), also a lot of flimsy bits of plastic all over the place even on the steering wheel the plastic silver bit (looks like ford trying to copy Mercedes) is very flimsy and will flake off on edges. Also our car is on 15k and still mpg is not good, only 50mpg on motorway at 65mph in 6th gear. Best to buy this car second hand as the first 10k miles will be of very few mpg, maybe only 40.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Had our C-MAX for around 8 months so far, it is a company car from new. The 1.6 TDCi has lots of torque and has quite a pull in 2nd and 3rd.. Nice to have 6gears on motorway. I have found the actual MPG to be a way off the advertised figures though, constantly getting around 40mpg around town, and only hits 50-55 on motorways.. nothing like the 60-65 book figures I saw! Driving position is good, but I am tall and tend to hit my left knee on the centre console though.. The audio and hands free system is good and the voice recognition works reasonably well.. Also I am annoyed by the fact the A/C comes on automatically if you put the temp dial all the way to cold, or put the direction to windscreen only, or the fan speed to anything over 2... gets very annoying!! So far only done just over 6k, and no problems or breakdowns yet, reliability seems ok.. Plenty of storage room, and lots of legroom in the back for the kids... We took the family pack which had integrated window blinds and seat back trays in the back which the kids love, and also went for privacy glass.. A good all round family car!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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My version has cruise control fitted, which allowed me to test the stated MPG figures, and I've found that in 5th gear, at 55mph on a motorway the MPG in that scenario was pretty much exactly what the manufacturer stated, 53MPG for open-road. Obviously, how you drive will affect the figures, so I just wanted to debunk others who claim lower mpg figures.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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Never had a major problem. The only exception was the air con which later turned out to be a leaking pipe. Best car i have ever had.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Only had new battery, tyres, alternator, plugs since having car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Hasn't broken down but brake discs and pads replaced on front

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No issues in past 12 months

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No Red thumbs down

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good after ERG valve was replaced

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No Red thumbs down

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great, can't fault it so far.

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No Red thumbs down

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no problems at all in the time i have had the car

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Total reliablity - no breakdowns or unexpected problems

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No problems during first 14000 miles

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No Red thumbs down

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Would not buy another as fuel economy not as good as my last focus but according to ford this one has a better engine

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No Red thumbs down

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Average sort of car much as i expected. Useful for carrying diy items.

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This is the ideal car for a family of 4. Not to good on petrol around town. Has good room and boot space.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent handling , economy and comfort

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It is a good family car, but now bigger than i need.

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No Red thumbs down

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Excellent for the family which is why i bought it

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Yes Green thumbs up

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This is probably the most badly assembled car i've owned. It falls short on luggage space and the back seats cannot acccomdate three booster cushions. I think these are most important for this class of car.

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No Red thumbs down

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Does what it says on the tin. Wouldnt get this car again but like the brand

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No Red thumbs down

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Gone through a complete set of tyres in about 12months, and seems to take ages to change into top gear ( auto ). Just pleased i don't have to pay for tyres motability car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Practical

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very good, spacious and easy to drive apart from moving off from standstill when the clutch is snatchy. Handling very good but ride a bit firm.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I am very pleased with it, and i would like to buy The same car but with the 2 litre diesel engine.and auto box. They are too pricey at present..PITY

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent

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Yes Green thumbs up

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C max is a nice car but themain issues for me are the headlights which i think are very dim and selecting reverse gear which can take two or more attempts to engage

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Yes Green thumbs up

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My C-Max has plagued with constant electrical problems. I've had central locking problems, hill start warnings, traction control warnings, service lights coming on and low washer fluid warning lights. The car has been been back to the main dealer several times and I'm now absolutely fed up with it. Today I took it back again with the washer bottle emptying itself over night, as well as yet another warning light, a service light and the hill start light fault on again. A phone call later from the Ford main dealer stating no faults were found and these faults are not stored on the cars fault list. As for the washer bottle again no fault found yet fill in the evening it's empty again the morning after with water running down the road. I've had several ford cars over the years, no more after this.

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No Red thumbs down

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Car drives well, good fuel consumption though its a noisy diesel engine, I was told by Ford that it's normal. Still better than the 2009 Nissan Qashqai 2.0-litre petrol automatic I had before. The automatic gearbox is slow at changing gears so the car vibrates, there was also very loud drumming noise at speed, i.e. above 40 mph coming from the rear. My dealer suggested that I turn the radio up. Make sure you test drive on a motorway. I didn't, I got stuck in rush hour traffic.

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No Red thumbs down

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Brilliant in every respect. Well put together and pleasure to drive. Fuel consumption is bad. Round town you expect and get high 30s to 40 but on a run, motorway or A road you will not exceed 42mpg. Took it to the local dealer who said all was OK and fuel consumption would improve in warmer weather. Did not see that little caveat in the brochure.

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No Red thumbs down

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Moved over from a VW Plus (both cars have higher profile, so easy to get in and out) but have been disappointed with the MPG which is no-where as good as claimed. The gear change is also very clunky (6 gears) and feels like gear changes were about 15 years ago. Also the ride is a bit hard (not uncommon in this day and age in my opinion).

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No Red thumbs down

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Only owned a short while - it's been fine, other than the reverse lights packing in

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No Red thumbs down

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always starts, no overall problems apart from wear and tear

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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Just replaced EGR valve. First major repair in 5.5 years.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No defects in 6 years of ownership - excellent

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Yes Green thumbs up

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All equipment on the vehicle has always operated first time without fail. Engine is snmooth and has plenty of torque

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No Red thumbs down

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I've only had the car 4 months. It has been reliable apart from a continual whining noise coming from the turbo, which is appallingly bad and incredibly annoying. Ford say its 'normal'

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No Red thumbs down

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No Red thumbs down

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very relaible car

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Never had a problem, apart from with the built in sat nav and that doesn't really count

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Teething problems with the onboard computer

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Absolutely excellent. No problems except for blocked fuel filter.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No problems at all.

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No Red thumbs down

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had no problems at all

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent car. No problems so far. Comfortable and very stable on the road.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Good allround practical vehicle

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Overall good

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No Red thumbs down

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Great, it does all i want

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Good value, basic motoring in reasonable comfort

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No Red thumbs down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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I love it!! This is my second c-max and i would recommend it without hesitation - it's everything i wanted and more.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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A brilliant, economical car which is superb to drive but could do with a bit more family practicality eg rear cup holders.A Minor detail compared with all the good points but only get the diesel versions.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Great car, does everything i need, very comfy and great on the motorway

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No Red thumbs down

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A few very minor design issues but generally well made excellent to drive and very reliable.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It has been surprisingly good and would reccomend it to anyone

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It has proved to be a competent if a little anonymous vehicle which does all that i need of it without exciting the blood or causing concern

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Love the car and spec. - disappointed with gearbox failure (£3000 to replace); egr failure; tailgate lock failure; gearshift failure; parking sensor failure; alternator failure.

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No Red thumbs down

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An excellent car which has gone on and on with the minimum of fuss, which is just as well, as the after care by the dealers is still poor. We are a necessary evil it seems.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very good vehicle, probably as good as is available, of its type.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Reliable, good to drive

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent driver's car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Over many years I've had new and older cars, according to work needs. Now retired my wife and I were finding her small car and my Freelander satisfactory for joint us. Both were difficult to get into (hers is too low for me and vice versa), so we looked around for something likely to see our motoring days out. After considering a Merc B class we opted for a low mileage, ex-Motability C-Max; 7,500 miles and 15 months old. We've covered almost 2000 miles in the 6 weeks of ownership and are delighted with almost every aspect - comfort exceeds any other cars except when we had Wolfrace Captain's seats! We've used it for all weekly shopping trips (30 miles or so) and 200 to 400 a day on longer ones, all without aches and pains or fatigue. The only gripes have relate to the owner's manual (it tries to cover all variants but to my mind, doesn't make it clear to which parts refer to which model), and the computer display is confusing to a simple mechanical engineer... Overall though, we love it. Some owners reckon the suspension is firm, maybe it is a bit when compared with some others but the lack of body roll inspires confidence around our lanes and on the motorways. Cruising at "70" mph for over 6 hours achieved 54 mpg.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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No issues so far

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Yes Green thumbs up

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It has not let me down

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Yes Green thumbs up

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VERY RELIABILE INEED, IT'S 5 STAR.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Had a major problem with a fuel valve failing three years ago, and have a bit of a niggling problem with aircon but otherwise no other significant problems in last five years.

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No Red thumbs down

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Dealer unable to find a fault which results in poor running. Four attempts at a warranty repair in three months and yet still the fault persists. Car off the road for repair for 72 days out of 143 since Sept 2012.

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No Red thumbs down

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A good car well worth recomending to others

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very practical, comfortable, easy to live with, reliable, quiet. I have enjoyed owning this car and will probably look for a similar car next time.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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As i am now retired i needed to downsize the car and at same time choose one that was easier to get in and out of so the c-max type of car was ideal. The car is also very economical now that my income is less.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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We love the space in it, and the cheap running costs parts, and servicing are the cheapest we've found, drives nice, looks ok (not an eyesore at all), very happy with it, wont be changing car for a good while yet.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent young family car. Lots of storage, warm and safe, with just the right set of features for it to feel sporty!

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No Red thumbs down

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Perfect family car with everything you need to keep your family safe and all the right toys for dad.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Very good overall

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Practical and does the job, fuel economy in town could be much better

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No Red thumbs down

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Generally good at what it is required to do.however a 6 speed box would be better

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No Red thumbs down

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Very happy comfortable economic good performance and practical one problem with leaking injector [50,000] miles ?bad Luck!!! Will certainly have another c max.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent comfort, driveability & space for passengers, dogs & luggage. Petrol consumption much less than manfacturer's brochure says. All cars should have a heated windscreen!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Reliable,comfortable,enjoyable to drive

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Excellent car. Will definitely buy latest model.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Generally a good car with just a few minor problems

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No Red thumbs down

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Versatile, spacious, economical, safe and reliable. Who'd have thought a ford could be all this!

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Yes Green thumbs up

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The c-max has been a very good car ease of getting in and out, no major problems apart from a oil leak in the engine which was sorted out under warranty, this is a motability car.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Bought it pre-registered with 4k on the clock. Very pleased with comfort and quiet(er) road/wind noise. No problems to report; just replaced the front tyres at 24k miles. MPG is not as good as I had hoped - 44mpg, driving with care. I like the heated front screen, but wish it had keyless entry. I'm looking for a replacement but nothing looks/drives as well to my mind.

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Yes Green thumbs up

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Upgraded to current version last year because the dealer offered me a no-brainer deal. More economical in and around town when engine cold than previous models. I have this model to tow my caravan which it does admirably. The fact that I can outrun most people in it when there is just me on board is, of course, irrelevant. The only downsides of the new model is that it doesn't have a spare wheel (marginally improves economy I guess, but useless otherwise) and there is less storage space, probably also to save weight. On the other hand it is great fun to drive, has immense chuckability, goes round roundabouts at, well I'm not prepared to say, and stops on a sixpence. Not quite enough poke to outrun the big Beemers (mine is the lower powered 2.0 version) if they push hard but I'm usually long gone by the time they realise what they need to do. Why drive anything else?

Would you recommend the car to a friend?

Yes Green thumbs up