Looking at a CMax as my next car, possibly the 1.6 petrol version. Any owners about? Wondering what the “real” MPG is. Currently got a Golf estate diesel (1.6) and I’m aware it won’t be as economical as that, but wondering by how much! Pretty low mileage driver (12K ish), I only use the car for work trips away and those would be paid at 45p a mile anyway. My missus uses the car for local commuting, ferrying the kids about etc mostly. The Golf has probably averaged 52mpg over its lifetime, and surprisingly isn’t hugely economical running about town.

TIA

Which era? I had a 2004 1.6 Focus – never bettered 30mpg.

2009ish Mark

That would be the Mk1 C-Max which is based on the Mk1 Focus. Mk2 C-Max which is based on the Mk3 Focus came out in 2010 I think.

We had a 2005 1.6 petrol (115bhp variant) Focus and would get about 30-35 mpg.

We’ve got a 2011 Grand C-Max (7 seater) now with the 2l diesel engine and get around 45mph.

Not much better but its the drivability that is waaaay better, 1.6 petrol would struggle, and motorway speeds the engine was deafening with something like 4000rpm@75mph. The diesel is so much more refined than the petrol.

We do about 8k miles a year, so not worth the cost on paper but in terms of the driving we do (long distance journeys with kids), it easily worth it!

Real world 37.4 mpg, or 37.6 from the 2010 (onwards) variant.

I clearly drive like a nun.

I’ve the older 1.6 (100ps, non variable valve timeing) which should be 2-3mpg lower than the 115ps version. Bought it with 33,000 miles and it’s now knocking on for 80,000, can’t fault it really, front tyres last 20,000miles, rears started to perrish before they reached the legal limit! Only failures have been a power steering hose, and an air conditioning hose which the garrage broke doing the cam belt.

I get 33-37 on B-roads and arround town just driving normaly, if I leave the MPG indicator up on the display as a reminder (which overreads by about 2mpg like most) getting 40 isn’t difficult, 45’s the target on A-roads.

Motorway at 65-70 on the sat nav is 40-42mpg (and isn’t IMO unnececeraly noisy).

It’s a relatively heavy car with a relatively small engine and relatively poor aerodynamics compared to a saloon. So doing 80 on the motorway isn’t it’s thing, but I did get almost 60mpg once limping home on the spacesaver at 55mph! It likes wafting allong in the slow/middle lane of the motorway and it really doesn’t like stop/start traffic so the trick is to keep it moving and leave plenty of space.

SammyC – Member

Not much better but its the drivability that is waaaay better, 1.6 petrol would struggle, and motorway speeds the engine was deafening with something like 4000rpm@75mph. The diesel is so much more refined than the petrol.

‘Refined’ and ‘driveability’ obviously mean different things to you and me, I found that engine very frustrating to drive.

Nothing…nothing…nothing…TURBO!!!…nothing…nothing…gearchange
Probably be okay as an automatic.

And refined? Round town it sounded like somebody breakdancing in a suit of armour.
Granted it is quieter on the motorway due to reving so much lower, but I agree with TINAS that even at 3750 or whatever 75 MPH is in the 1.6, it’s not unduly noisy. Tyre noise is a bigger issue to me.

Hmm, food for thought. Thanks chaps.

I’m looking at something MPV shaped as I like the 3 “proper” rear seats, they make putting car seats in much easier IMO. Boot looks decent too, though not as big as my Golf I don’t think (Golf is bloody huge!)

That would be the Mk1 C-Max which is based on the Mk1 Focus.

Original and facelifted c-max are both based on the mk2 Focus.

1.6 petrol would struggle

Struggle to do what exactly ? 🙄

Toyota Verso makes an excellent smaller MPV.

Wife had an 08 one with the 1.8 petrol. Used for short trips and school run and over the 3 yrs and 20k miles it averaged 27 mpg. For us it was a crap car, bought ex demo and sold the day the warranty expired as it spend a lot of time in garage. Replaced with a 1.6 petrol Kia Soul which is better in every way and does 36mpg for same driving pattern.

Struggle to do what exactly ?

dunno, towed my boat to and from devon from reading last week and apart from an astronomical decrease in mpg above 70 it was fine (42mpg though if I sat at the 60mph limit for towing).

The 1.6 and 1.8 are different engines entirely. The 1.8 is a duratech, the 1
6 is a sigma (although theyre all called duratech now) and was usualy criticised for having no more power than the 1.6 but wore mpg.

The 1.6 isnt exactly powerfull, not underpowered either though, IMO its all the engine you ever need, it’ll still pull away from the lights faster than is socialy acceptable if you floor it.

Only thing I don’t like about the Mk1 Focus breed is the damm tyre noise from the rear axle,

A lot of the Fords from that era, Mondeo and even the X-type are so noisy!

my c-max is a 2010 1.6 zetec petrol
currently getting about 35.5 – 37.5 mpg
off a full tank (about 55 litres) the range usually says between 487 (the highest i’ve got it to) and 416 miles (the lowest i’ve had)…but again it depends on how hard its been driven

We have a 2005 1.6 Focus estate. I’m a fuel geek and I have just under 50,000 miles of fuel records for it on my phone.
Current average over all that time is 39.33mpg. Worst was 33 in a cold snowy winter, best are several tanks over 45mpg. When I was doing a lot of motorway driving the average was close to 42mpg.

Got a 2008 Cmax 1.8 Diesel which my wife mainly uses for her job as a Community Nurse.
Its currently averaging 40.4mpg and thats mainly short journeys it only gets on the motorway once or twice a week.
Its get around 50MPG on a longer motorway run.

I have a Renault Modus 1.5DCI and my current average is around 60MPG had it up to 64.7MPG the other day cruising on the Mway.

well for a start your onto a winner with the 1.6, we fell under the spell of a dodgy car salesman and ended up buying a 1.8 focus.

the thing drank fuel it was terrible, flogged it after 3 months.

if we’d gone for the 1.6 we’d still have it.