A hallmark of most growing families is an SUV or minivan in the garage. Hated by most men and those who love to drive, a minivan is seen as an end-of-era vehicle. Priorities change, parents have less free time and cars are chosen, not for their 0-60 times or maximum cornering grip, but for how well a baby seat can fit in the back. Fortunately, there is a solution: enter the Ford C-Max and Grand C-Max.

Until recently, Americans have been left out in the cold in terms of compact, fun family transportation. While the second generation Ford Focus flourished in Europe and Asia, US customers were left with a slightly redesigned, uninspiring heap. With the new global direction Ford has taken recently, most notably with bringing the Fiesta Stateside, Americans will soon be able to buy a car that they can take the kids to school in and then head out to their favorite back road for some spirited driving.

The Ford C-Max family of vehicles is the evolution for Ford Europe’s family cars. Smaller than the Galaxy and S-Max, the C-Max is small enough to be driven in the city easily, but is also comfortable on the highway. Some may balk at its petite frame; in reality, families rarely (if ever) use every last cubic inch of cargo space in their SUVs and minivans. Fitting a husband, wife, 2.5 children, dog and a week’s worth of luggage into the Grand C-Max would be no problem for most families.

Even when the kids and their friends need to be dropped off at baseball practice, there should be sufficient room. The Grand C-Max has maximum seating for seven, but the seating arrangement is where the magic happens. The rear seats can be stowed to give more cargo room, weekend trips fit the need perfectly. If an aisle is needed in the middle row, the usual configuration is three-across, the center seat can be folded and stowed between one of the outboard seats. Truly unique, this allows for easy install of two children’s safety seats or extra room to make two more adults comfortable.

The introduction of the C-Max line to the US would usher in a new era of family transport. Vehicles like these have been around Europe for quite some time. One of the best selling and most comfortable is the Renault Espace. A long-time standard for families, it was a decent driver with a massive amount of space, by European standards. Paired with peppy diesel and gasoline engines and a decent manual transmission, it allowed for some fun on the school run.

At the end of the day, the Ford C-Max will offer something that Americans have never had before: fuel efficiency, decent cargo space, lots of passenger room and a fun to drive, all-in-one, package. What US drivers need to embrace is the relatively small packaging; even though the Grand C-Max is nowhere near the size of a Chrysler Town & Country. However, bigger isn’t always better and there is a ton of fun to be had in the Ford C-Max!

Availability: The Ford C-Max was first revealed at the 2009 Frankfurt Motor Show. The C-Max will go on sale in the United States sometime in 2011.

Source: Second Look: 2011 Ford C-Max (The Detroit Bureau)

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Filed under: Editorial, Product

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