I'm contemplating buying one or other of these mini-MPVs. They both seem to find favour with HJ in their different ways, but I am particularly inclined towards the 2.0 litre auto Picasso and in either case it would be a petrol engine.
The Back Room's collective wisdom and experience would be most welcome, please. What would be your vote?
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I have always liked the look of the Picasso, and in general I like French cars. But I have only travelled in the back of one, where I found the ride disappintingly hard and the seats uncomfortably firm. Have never been in a C-Max.
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If I was torn between the two on price, equipment, performance, comfort, running costs et al, I'd go for the Ford, simply because the Picasso is only slightly less ugly than the C5. I'm sure it's mother loves it though.
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In which case, you would probably have to ignore the price, because the Picasso would almost certainly be available for much less money.
Looks, well they are a matter of opinion. I know of people who think an Alfa 156 is ugly, so there is no accounting for taste.
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In which case, you would probably have to ignore the price, because the Picasso would almost certainly be available for much less money.
Looks, well they are a matter of opinion. I know of people who think an Alfa 156 is ugly, so there is no accounting for taste.
Which is why I added the price/comfort/performance disclaimer.
If I was buying one of these I'd probably end up going for the Citroen. I just don't really like the way it looks. Along with the Beetle it's one of the two cars on the road where you can't tell if it's going forwards or backwards. But I'm sure you get a lot more car for the money by comparison.
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This is enormously helpful, and I\'m obliged to you all. I have read the road tests etc., but the gut feeling of this group is invaluable.
Two points:-
a) (I\'ll be burned at the stake for this). When it comes to choosing a car, looks are totally unimportant for me. I really do never take appearance into account. I\'ve even considered a Fiat Multipla ...
b) I have a Very Silly Reason for just preferring the Picasso at the moment. I drive a lot in France, and the Picasso has a digital speedo which, I believe, is switchable from miles per hour to kilometres per hour and vicky verky (not been able to verify the switchability yet). I know my conventional analogue dial has kilometres in small type, but changing me glasses or doing the sums in a hurry can be a when the gendarme\'s pointing a hair dryer.
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I would say if you're considering the Picasso over the C-Max purely for a digital speedo then you should know that technically speaking, the Ford has one as well. Don't know if it switches to km/h though.
Adam
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How do you keep the inside of the windscreen on a Picasso clear of gunge and breath grease My arms aren't long enough.
And this is an obsession of mine sorry to say.
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How can you pick a Picasso and choose the frankly average 2.0 petrol engine over the astoundingly brilliant 2.0 HDi?
Go on, get the HDi. In the real world its quicker, the low down torque suits a car like the Picasso (Taking a trip to 6krpm every time you need peak power is a pain), and the fuel economy is better. Plus, better residuals.
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The diesel Picasso is not available with an automatic gearbox.
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>>I have a Very Silly Reason for just preferring the Picasso at the moment. I drive a lot in France, and the Picasso has a digital speedo which, I believe, is switchable from miles per hour to kilometres per hour.
Yes, you can do this easily - very useful. Not sure what spec level you're considering but there's also a speed warning buzzer you can set to stop you inadvertantly going over the limit. More practical than cruise control around towns. Also next time you're in France check out the cost of servicing. For the Picasso you should find it quite a bit less than half UK main dealer pricing.
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Hang on a minute. Can someone explain to me what the advantages of a mini-mpv are? Are they not just a tall car? 5 doors. 5 seats. Handles like a van. Why would I pick a Focus Cmax over a standard Focus, or a Mondeo?
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Yes, it is the requirement for an autobox that restricts things to petrol. I take the point about the need for an MPV in the first place, but height (we miss the view from our old Land Rover Series II) and better ccessibility are plus-factors in our case -- a couple of codgers. Lady Stripey loves cows, and if she can't see a regular dose of French cows over the hedges then things can get difficult.
Thanks for the info about the Focus speedo. Could have sworn I saw a dial on Mr Ford's forecourt, but there you go.
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Should have said we STILL miss the view from our old Land Rover. It's a seven-year old Renault Mégane 2.0 RXE these days.
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IIRC the C-Max is available with the 1.6TDCi engine and CVT autobox. HJ to confirm? or try Ford website.
--
Espada III - well if you have a family and need a Lamborghini, what else do you drive?
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>>Yes, it is the requirement for an autobox that restricts things to petrol...
On what basis are you given to understand that you can't have an automatic/diesel combination?
For instance, I've driven both the diesel and petrol versions of the Mercedes S-Class C320 - it's virtually impossible to tell the difference, especially as the diesel is only about half-a-second slower for 0-60mph, whilst oil-burner in-gear performance gets a tremendous boost from such massive torque levels.
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Both cars, of course, were automatics....
There are probably dozens of similar examples from various marques.
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Why would I pick a Focus Cmax over a standard Focus, or a Mondeo?
Just one example, but try putting a child into a child seat in a "normal" car, then try with a mini MPV. The difference will quickly become obvious. Most notably, neither your lower back nor your head will suffer as much. As for handling like a van, well it seems to me that along with hire cars, vans are the fastest vehicles on the road.
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Stripey - you do have a normal dial as well for speed but there's a little trick to get up the digital speedo in the odometer display. I do it all the time now as it's far more accurate.
Adam
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I was surprised to read in this week's Saturday DT that the 2litre TDCi in the C-Max has a belt and no chain. Isn't this a backward step for Ford in terms of future reliability issues - an area they have made considerable progress in recent years IMO.
Splodgeface
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I'm overwhelmed by the varied and useful response to all this. Thanks everyone.
About the points raised:-
I am not suggesting that a diesel engine/autobox is not a sound combination -- I'm referring to availability on two specific models. Thanks, StuartLi, but perhaps you missed my opening post.
Why the MPV versions? As well as the practicalities referred to, the Focus C-Max does seem to be a different animal from the Focus car -- see HJ's post. The Picasso is based on the Xsara (innit?), but the auto version has a better, Tiptronic-style box as used in the C8, in place of the Xsara standard box which I understand can be a bit dodgy.
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