[EagerDinosaur]

Hello -

I currently own a 6 year old 3-door Fiesta, which I'm considering replacing with a slightly larger car, for the occasions when I need to carry multiple passengers or cargo. Has anyone directly compared the B-Max and the Focus? I would probably be buying new, with the 125 PS 1 litre engine. Do you agree with my comparisons?

Ease of entry:
I guess the sliding doors make the B-Max easier to get in and out of, particularly for those with limited mobility.

Ability to carry 3 people in the back:
The Focus looks a bit wider, so am I right in thinking 3 people will be slightly more comfortable in the back?

Headroom:
Better in the B-Max. Does the lower ceiling in the back of the Focus make it more oppressive for rear-seat passengers?

Rear leg-room:
The Focus is longer, so I guess it should win, but does it?

Parking:
The Focus is about 30cm longer, and looks a bit wider as well, so will be more difficult to park.

Cargo capacity:
Broadly equivalent I guess.

Fuel consumption:
Given the same engine, the Focus is slightly more fuel efficient.

Purchase price:
Given the same engine, the Focus costs about £2000 more.

Speed/acceleration/handling:
Given the same engine, the Focus is slightly faster. Being lower, it probably goes round corners a bit better as well.

Weight:
For the same engine, the weight is almost the same. I guess the sliding doors in the B-Max must add a lot of weight.

Rarity:
I guess a lot more Focuses than B-Maxes will be sold, so servicing and spares availability might be better and cheaper for the Focus, particularly in 5 years time.

Visibility:
My current 3-door Fiesta has poor rearwards visibility, I'd like the new car to have better visibility. Some people say that the B-Max has a blind-spot due to the door join by the driver's shoulder. Has anyone compared the B-Max and Focus in this area?

Fashionabilty:
OK, this is a very shallow criterion, but do people consider the Focus to be "normal" while the B-Max is a bit "odd" ?


Edited by: EagerDinosaur

 

[jackkook]

Just test drive a B-Max, you will see at once it is a far better car than your present Fiesta.

 

[Geriatricus]

Hi and welcome,

My son-in-law has had a Focus, so this is slightly old information, but may give some ideas:

Ease of entry: Super in B-Max
3 in back: B-Max is slightly cramped if large people, but OK if smaller.
Headroom: Infinitely better in B-Max, both back and front.
Rear legroom : Actually no real difference as the lower seating in the Focus means that the seats are tilted slightly and push the legs forward.
Parking: get a model with sensors, then the lock on the B-Max means good 'parkability'
Cargo: Have to say this is not as good when seats up, the extra width of the Focus and a slightly longer boot meaning it is larger. With the seats down, the B-Max can take a huge load. The B-Max does seem to have a lower sill however.
Fuel: can't really comment as I appear to suffer from a leaden foot and never get good consumption, and son-in-law likes to make the tank last as long as possible!
Cost: Ford prices are known to be made up on the fly: so on any given day you may be lucky for either model. Best chance is a dealer at the end of the month who needs to meet a sales target, or on line.
Performance: As I have had 2 x 1.4's this is a black hole as far as I am concerned, but there are those on the forum who will be able to comment knowledgeably.

cheers,
Geri

 

[Nick]

I also looked at Focus but didn't like the interior - cabin was way too small for the size of the car (I was driving Berlingo at the time, so my opinion on the interior space may be slightly biased

).
Anyway, B-Max has much better space utilization, at least for passengers, if not for cargo, so I made my mind.
And yes, for casual observer, B-Max is an odd car and it has lower reselling value than Focus.
I wouldn't worry about parts availability, unless you plan to keep it for 30 years, in that case interior trim bits will be harder to find on the junkyard

 

[KeithW]

The B-Max is much easier to get in and out of if you have arthritis. I had real problems ducking my head low enough to get in the Focus but the M-Max is easy.

 

[Ryder]

Depends on how often you need to carry extra passengers, more cargo etc. If its just the odd few times a year buy the car you like the best to drive and own.
The Focus is a very nice and decent car, I would say the B-Max is not as desirable but that should mean bigger discounts and deals can be had.

 

[TheInstructor]

Trying to think of some of the comparisons you ask about but not nesicarilly in order that you ask them(I own a Bmax and regularly drive a Focus at work).The rear seats for passengers, the focus is slightly wider but a lot lower down so getting in and out for rear seat passengers can be an issue, as can getting out of the front door when the rear door is open, the B post you come to rely on so much without realising it, suddenly isn't there.
The blind spot on the passenger side, where the B post is, is considerably larger that any other car I have driven, that isn't too say that you don't get used to it because you do.
The cornering/driving, you have to remember that the Bmax is based on a Fiesta, which is highly rated for drivability, so if you want fun the BMax can give you it, with a little more roll than a Fiesta or Focus but you still get the feeling.
If your going down the new/pre registered route then look at reversing sensors or better still, like mine, get the reversingcamera.
Lastly, Fashion???? I am assuming that you are reading this whilst not dressed in some high end fashionista's clobber that is overpriced? Apologies if you are. But let's be honest. Do you really buy a car for what other people percieve it to look like? If so, go Focus. For everyother reason go test drive the BMax and let us all know what colour and spec you order.

 

[makem]

ThaInstructor, if you have the rear view camera and front sensors do you have self parking?

If not is it just down to missing software?

 

[TheInstructor]

Makem... You make me excited.... I do have the rear camera plus sensors and front parking sensors, however, I didn't realise that self parking was an option on the BMax. Although to be quite honest I would rarely use it as I do prefer to drive myself, but for $hits and giggles why not. There has to be a hard button somewhere though, doesn't there? Where, if I wanted it would I look for the software? Any ideas.....

 

[makem]

Well, I also looked into the self parking thing and trialled it. I found that it passed spaces I could have parked in, presumably it has a fixed minimum space size it can park in without extra backwards and forwards we do to park in a tight space. I decided not to take it as an option, but in your case you seem to have all that is needed except software.

Ford quote the system as a extra so may charge for the software. I would inquire at the dealer who supplied that car and would ask the question, " Dear dealer, why didn't you tell me all I needed was software to have assisted parking available?"

That will put them on the back foot and you will lose nothing lol. I would be interested to hear how you get on and whether is does only lack software and maybe a button in a preexisting hole somewhere. I forget how I initiated the parking and remember worrying about cars behind wondering if I was or was not going to park in a particular space. I also wondered what would happen if I found a space on the other side of the road.

Good luck m8


Edited by: makem

 

[pegleg]

I also did the 'Focus v B max' thing. I almost bought a 1ltr 125 Focus and to my horror discovered that the six speed gearbox manual uses the dreaded DMF.Having owned a vehicle which needed the DMF replacing (1250 quid), I didn't want to go down that route again. Having said that, a DMF with a petrol engine should last much longer than with a diesel.
The five speed gearbox as used on B max and Fiesta is a conventional solid flywheel/clutch.
That's the most singular reason why I bought a B max.
Peace of mind!

 

[Ant]

How many miles / age was it before you needed to change the DMF?

 

[KeithW]

Life of DMF's varies considerably with driving style. They seem to be very sensitive to the shock loads of suddenly dropping the clutch and the overheating caused by riding or slipping the clutch.Typically this would cause early clutch failure but with a DMF this can also cause separation of the two halves of the flywheel.

I talked about this with my mechanic and he says he has seen some that failed within 30,000 miles and others that are still good with 150,000 miles on them. Given the number of after market replacement parts available this must be a fairly widespread problem.

 

[TheInstructor]

Makem. I have looked into the self park assist techno thing and it would appear that(so I have been told) the vehicle needs to be fitted with the front collision sensor thing. Which automatically brakes for you if you aren't paying attention to the road. The mechanic I spoke to seemed to think that this is much more than a software upgrade, he also said the technology for front collision is located behind the interior mirror, of which I am unwilling to try and see if I have this fitted...... For obvious reasons.

 

[Hywel S Wales]

Yes the laser sensor is located near the interior mirror - you'll see it if you look through the windscreen from outside the car. Also if you have it fitted it'll be listed in the "Vehicle Settings" menu from the information display. ( it's called Active City Stop" ) - haven't tried mine yet either !!

 

[pegleg]

Ant,Firstly, the DMF was fitted to a 2.2 ltr diesel which has a much higher torque than most petrol engines.
Peak torque was around 2000 rpm and despite driving in a lower gear at this rpm to reduce torque, the clutch started slipping in high gear with only the slightest increase in throttle at 25k miles. A new DMF/clutch was fitted which failed again at 55k miles. This time, an 'uprated' DMF was fitted and all is still okay at 84k miles.
DMF's don't like torque; it's this that causes the springs to weaken and the clutch to slip,which is why when fitted to a small petrol engine it should last much longer.
All VM's are having similar problems and some deal with it in very different ways. For example, providing the vehicle is still under warranty with main dealer stamped service book, Land Rover with fix it without quibble. Even out of warranty, Land Rover will provide a large contribution. Similar applies to Mitsubishi. Less can be said of Peugeot who often state that it's all down to driving style which is oftennonsense to a 60 year old driver whose never worn out a clutch their entire motoringlife.
What is interesting, that many VM's require their suppliers parts (clutch and brakes not included) to last around 15 years or 100k miles. The difficulty can be proving that the DMF is at fault and not the clutch friction plate. This is a gearbox off job.However, if you have to pay to have the DMF replaced because you're out of warranty, it's highly lightly that theVM will claim the cost of the parts plus labour backfrom their supplier, thus getting paid twice!
I knew a fella who owned a Nissan Navara manualand his dealer held up their hands, said they knew of the problem and suggested they fitted a solid flywheel. The thing drove like a tractor afterwards and two months later the crankshaft sheared off!!