Focus vs C-Max vs Mondeo

Lum

So it's time to pick my next company car, replacing my Mondeo, and the decision is proving a lot harder than you'd think.

Requirements:

• Needs to be able to carry two people and my partner's wheelchair. On this particular chair the back folds down and the wheels come off. Currently I put it sideways on the back seat with one wheel removed, the less assembly/disassembly the better.
• Cruise Control
• Aircon
• Aux line in for an MP3 player
• Tall enough for a 6 foot tall woman who usually wears 3-4" heels to get in and out of easily.

Really really nice to haves:

• Climate control - I have a tendency to run out of energy/concentration much quicker with a few degrees variation in temperature away from the ideal, so I'd really not want this creeping up on me and then have to fiddle with the temperatures
• Ability to get the wheelchair in the boot and so carry more people
• As above but also get those people's luggage in the boot too!
• Decent MPG

Nice to haves:

• Dual zone climate control
• Parking sensors
• Ability to fit a roof rack
• Estate

Don't care about:

• DPF or DMF - not my problem if they break
• Alloys, spoilers, appearance, bling, perceived status
• Built in satnav - I'd rather use my phone.
• DRLs
• Servicing costs
• Road Tax
• Company car tax (within reason)
• Voice control - it never works for me anyway
• Performance beyond being reasonably quick off the line in 1st & 2nd.
• Being a fun back-road toy. I have the Cefiro for that!
• Purchase cost, other than as noted below

Cars I can choose from for free:

• Ford Fiesta 5DR Hat 1.6 TDCi Ttnm Econtic S/S
• Ford C-MAX 5 Door 1.6 TDCi 115ps Zetec
• Ford Focus 5 Door Hatch 1.6TDCi 115 Zetec
• Ford Fiesta 5 Door Hatch 1.5 TDCi 75ps Titanium

Cars I'll have to pay extra towards:

• Ford Focus 5 Door Hatch 2.0TDCi 163ps Zetec S
• Ford Focus 5 Door Estate 1.6TDCi 115 Titanium Navigator
• Ford C-MAX 5 Door 1.6 TDCi 115ps Titanium
• Ford Mondeo 5 Door Hatch 2.0TDCi 140 Zetec Business Edition
• Ford Mondeo 5DR Est 1.6TDCi Eco Zetec Business Edition St/Sp

Obviously that last one will do everything and then some, but it's also the one that's going to take the biggest chunk out of my wages.

Any thoughts? Hopefully this post has a lot more useful info than the usual "what car do I buy" type threads?

motorguy

I would have thought the C-MAX

custardy

I would have thought checking how easy the wheelchair is to put in/remove would be the main check.
once you see that,you can look to specs/equipment

Lum

The C-Max is certainly tempting, in both the Zetec and Titanium trims, my biggest concern though is that it might end up just being a slightly taller at the back Focus, and vertical space is less important to me than horizontal space.

I guess I'm going to have to turn up at a Ford dealer and pretend like I actually intend to buy and am not just blagging free test drives before leasing from elsewhere.

You're right about getting the wheelchair in and out, but at the end of the day I do mostly drive alone so the specs and equipment do matter a hell of a lot.

I doubt the wheelchair will be a problem in any of those cars with the possible exception of the Fiesta, so a tradeoff for nicer specs vs more hassle packing away the chair is valid.

Zero_Gravitas

Does it have to be a Ford?


If yes - what about the B-max?


If no - I've just been through the same process, and I've decided to get a Skoda Superb estate to replace my existing Volvo V70. Saves me £170 per month compared to replacing with another V70!


Best Regards,


ZG.

Lum

It has to be one of the cars from the list I posted. The only other options I was given are ones I excluded already (e.g. base model Fiesta for people who care about company car tax) the B-Max is not an option which is a shame as I was originally looking at one of those as the sliding rear doors would have made it much more convinient when removing the wheelchair from the rear seat and dropping it by the passenger door.

Zero_Gravitas

Lum wrote: »

It has to be one of the cars from the list I posted. The only other options I was given are ones I excluded already (e.g. base model Fiesta for people who care about company car tax) the B-Max is not an option which is a shame as I was originally looking at one of those as the sliding rear doors would have made it much more convinient when removing the wheelchair from the rear seat and dropping it by the passenger door.

Which is what made me think of the B-Max... If that's the list, then I think the C-Max would be the one to try first. Can your company's fleet manager not arrange a 24-hour test drive for you? Might be worth asking...


Best Regards,


ZG.

Lum

C-Max doesn't have sliding doors though, therefore if the only other differences are the height then it has little to offer over the Focus.

JonathanA

We've had a Focus and a Mondeo Estate (old shape) and our second car is a CMAX. Check the boot space on the CMAX, it has height but not necessarily depth (not sure how deep you need it to be though.

The Focus estate might be worth a serious look based on your criteria but personally I'd be looking at either the CMAX or the Mondeo. Is seating height a requirement as obviously that is higher in the CMAX which may also make entry / exit from the car easier.

Not sure whether the Grand CMAX was an option on your list, but that does have sliding doors, height and a decent sized boot!

Lum

Grand C-Max wasn't an option otherwise I wouldn't have even posted this thread

Is the Focus (Estate) longer than the C-Max then? It's hard to find actual useful specs like that on Ford's site!

It's going to sting a little that to get the Focus Estate I'll be paying extra for the navigation package that I don't want >.<

JonathanA

I'm fairly certain that the Focus Estate is longer than the CMAX, but you'd need to double check the brochure to be 100% certain. It's probably worth trying to check them out side by side. Don't know whether it is still the case, but Ford used to offer 24 hour test drives to company car drivers to help them decide - might be worth exploring with your local dealers business centre, or whoever the lease company is with the company you work with/