Is the Ford B-Max good for families? Here's our verdict.

By Chad Lückhoff

We analyse the practicality, safety and running costs of the Ford B-Max and ascertain whether it makes a good family vehicle or not.


Sometimes a clever concept isn't enough to keep a model afloat. The consumer market can, at times, be a fickle one and seemingly ingenious offerings fall by the wayside for vehicles that appear to be less practical.

This was the case with the Ford B-Max mini MPV. It had a brief stint on the market with the global withdrawal of the model taking place a mere two years after its first introduction to South Africa. Admittedly, the model had been roaming the streets of Europe for 5 years before it launched in S.A., but nevertheless, the decision was made to can the project and focus on the alternative, the Ford EcoSport.

As a result, the Ford B-Max is the lesser-seen sibling of the EcoSport compact crossover and while there may only be a handful listed in the classifieds, it's not a model that is high demand, resulting in attractive pricing for the used car buyer.

Let's look at the B-Max as a solution for your family needs:

Practicality

Practicality is the name of the game with the Ford B-Max. Their Ford Easy Access Door System sees the rear doors slide open, rather than hinge open, taking the B-pillar with it. The B-pillar would ordinarily obstruct ingress and egress but there's none of that with the Ford B-Max and you'll get 1.5-meters of the aperture to work with. This makes loading items, including the kids, significantly easier and less cumbersome.

The seating system also allows for flexibility with a 6-/40 split for the rear seats. These can be folded flat using a single hand (great for moms with little ones in their arms) to create a flat floor. In fact, there are seven different seat-folding combinations in the B-Max with the front passenger seat also folding flat to create an even larger load area.

The boot measures in at 304-litres with the seats folded up while this number can increase to 1372-litres with the rear seats folded flat. By comparison, the Ecosport offers 362- and 705-litres respectively.

Despite its generous dimensions, the B-Max has the same wheelbase as the Ford Fiesta MkVI on which it is based and is only marginally longer (10mm) and wider (28mm).


Safety

Safety is or at least should be, the top priority when looking at a new vehicle for your family. Fortunately, the Ford B-Max scores well here, despite the fact that the design is somewhat different from other cars and MPVs. The removal of the B-pillar doesn't affect the structural integrity of the chassis or passenger cell and Ford reinforced the door pillars to ensure maximum safety. As a result, the doors are slightly heavier but the Ford B-Max still scores a 5-star rating in the Euro NCAP testing for occupant safety, scoring a 92% for adult occupants and 84% for child occupants.

The B-Max rolled off the production line with ABS, EBD and Emergency Brake Assist as well as Hill Start Assist. There are airbags for both front occupants, side airbags as well as curtain and driver knee airbags. Child-locks are standard as are ISOFIX mounting points for child seats.


Running costs

While the initial purchase price is one thing, keeping the Ford B-Max on the road is another. The B-Max runs the famed 1.0-litre turbocharged EcoBoost engine that makes either 74 kW in Ambiente trim or 92 kW in Trend and Titanium trims with both outputs producing 170 Nm torque.

As a result, the Ambiente models return fuel consumption figures of 5.1l/100km on the combined cycle with the other two yielding a claimed 4.9l/100km. All Ford B-Max models are front-wheel drive with drive sent through a 5-speed manual gearbox.

The low sales volumes of the B-Max do make it rather scarce and finding replacement parts for model specific items may prove a little more difficult, especially seeing as production ceased in 2017 globally. That said, with the B-Max sharing so much of the Fiesta running gear, finding consumables such as brake pads, filters and the like should not prove difficult, nor expensive at all.


Verdict

We still believe that the Ford B-Max is a great value proposition for families with ample, flexible storage solutions and relatively low running costs. The interior is starting to feel dated with Ford's SYNC infotainment system feeling it the most.

The B-Max is high on practicality and safety with running costs that shouldn't cost an arm and a leg. It's no harder to drive than a Fiesta and is well suited to the daily commute, school run and weekend getaway.

Many will naturally gravitate to the higher driving position and improved ground clearance of the EcoSport but the B-Max still holds a place for those that aren't ready to switch to a crossover.

Top 3 things you need to know about the Ford B-Max: Click here

How much is your used Ford B-Max worth? Find out here