SA Road Tests

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This is the home of automobile road tests in South Africa. I drive South African cars, SUVs and LCVs under real-world South African conditions. Most, but not all, the vehicles driven are world cars as well, so what you read here possibly applies to the models you get where you live.

My most recent drive is on the home page. Archived reviews and opinion pieces are in the active menu down the left side. Hover your cursor over a heading or manufacturer's name and follow the drop-down.


This is a launch report. In other words, it's simply a new model announcement. The driving experience was limited to a short drive over a prepared course chosen to make the product look good. We can therefore not tell you what it will be like to live with over an extended period, how economical it is, or how reliable it will be. A very brief first impression is all we can give you until such time as we get an actual test unit for trial. Thank you for your patience.


First Drive: We open the doors to Ford’s MAVellous B-Max

Six in the City

Pics supplied

Posted: 14 August 2015

The numbers
Prices: Ambiente – R221 900, Trend – R246 900, Titanium – R271 900
Engine: 998 cc, belt driven, DOHC, 12-valve, three-cylinder turbopetrol
Specification - Ambiente:
Outputs 74 kW at 6000 rpm / 170 Nm between 1400 and 4100 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 13.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 175 km/h
Average fuel consumption (claimed): 5.1 l/100 km
Specification - Trend and Titanium:
Outputs: 92 kW at 6000 rpm / 170 Nm between 1400 and 4100 rpm
Zero to 100 km/h: 11.2 seconds
Maximum speed: 189 km/h
Average fuel consumption (claimed): 4.9 l/100 km
Tank: 48 litres
Luggage: 318 litres – 1386 litres (to roof)
Warranty: 4 years / 120 000 km; with 3 years’ roadside assistance
Service plan: 4 years / 60 000 km; at 20 000 km intervals


Ford accepts that its new B-Max is a niche vehicle because, at present, “B” market-segment MPVs (Ford calls them MAVs or Multi Activity Vehicles) account for only about one-percent of market volume. The company believes it has a winner though, and hopes buyers will agree, but it’s being cautious for now.

That’s why only three models are being announced; a single engine with two power ratings, one gearbox and three trim levels. The motor is four-time winner of the World’s Best Engine award – the 998 cc, three-cylinder, EcoBoost turbopetrol found in a few other Ford products, and offered for B-Max in either 74- or 92 kilowatt form.

Despite its diminutive size, the power plant offers both lazy pulling power and the verve to excite, while remaining economical – as little as 4,9 l/100 km overall or 6,0 in the city. Power is fed to the front wheels by a five-speed manual gearbox.

If demand justifies supply, the company will later offer other variants; a diesel perhaps, a six-speed manual or even an automatic.

At first glance B-Max looks much like EcoSport, but despite a common platform (Fiesta), same engine, very similar size and probably the same drawing board, Ford points out that EcoSport is pitched as an urban SUV.  Look to its greater ground clearance (200 mm vs. 132 mm) and larger boot (362 litres vs. 318), although part of the reason for that would lie with its door-mounted spare wheel.

B-Max (B-segment with Max-imum versatility), on the other hand, is more a city car with pantechnicon pretensions. Its seats can be rearranged, with single-handed tilt and fold actions, to lie completely flat in a variety of layouts – five, four, three or two chairs upright - or just the driver on her own in a furniture truck with windows.

Then there are the doors. While the fronts open normally, it has sliding rear side gates like Tourneo Connect, Ford’s less-pretty truckling that began life as a cargo van. But B-Max takes the game one level higher. Although those sliders are rather useful in narrow garages or cramped parking spaces, there’s more. Ford took away the intervening pillar so it’s much easier to load and unload bulky parcels, for mums to muscle baby chairs, or older folk to climb in and out without bruising shoulders or hips.

The car comes in 11 colours – three solid and eight metallic – of which five are available on even the basic Ambiente version. Evocative names like Race Red, Deep Impact Blue and Tectonic Silver add to the car’s youthful appeal.

Then there’s connectivity. Because Ford understands that some of us don’t slave away in offices but work at the times, and on the days, we choose and have lives too, we need to stay connected 24-7. That’s why it’s fitted with SYNC®, the company’s patented in-touchware.

It enables connection of mobile phones and music players by Bluetooth® or USB, allows hands-free telephone calls, or controls music and other functions with voice commands – while keeping your eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Entry-level Ambiente offers pollen-filtered single channel air conditioning, powered windows and mirrors, steel wheels, tyre pressure monitoring, fabric upholstery, a six-speaker radio and CD unit with the usual plugs, Bluetooth, satellite buttons, a 3.5” dot matrix screen and SYNC®. Safety kit consists of seven airbags, ABS brakes with EBA and EBD, ESP, traction control, hill launch assist, remote central locking and immobiliser.

As specification levels and prices rise, items like alloy wheels, eight-speaker sound, 4.2” colour screen, leather upholstery, onboard computer, automated air conditioning, MyKey, intruder alarm, keyless access, panoramic roof and pushbutton starting are added.

Because time was at a premium, the familiarisation drive was short and restricted to city and freeway. As always with this engine, performance was suitably brisk for a small city car and the broad torque band meant there was very little need to stir the pot. Our only "moment" happened when we absent-mindedly tried to shift up to a non-existent sixth gear on the first stretch of freeway. It's something we have come to expect from teeny turbo triples, so it was surprising to find that the bean counters had cut back to only five.

Ride quality was moderately firm but not excessively so, the gearbox was as smooth as silk and almost everything was placed for easy access. Our only gripe was that "everybody else" is putting hi-res, 7" touch screens up on the dash these days, so Ford's busy array of buttons felt dated.

B-Max will arrive in South African showrooms around mid-September 2015.

Information gathered at a manufacturer-sponsored media event

What We Do

This is a one-man show, which means that every car reviewed is given my personal evaluation and receives my own seat of the pants judgement - no second hand input here.
Every test car goes through real world driving; on city streets littered with potholes, speed bumps and rumble strips, on freeways and if its profile demands, dirt roads as well.

I do my best to include relevant information like real life fuel economy or a close mathematical calculation, boot size or luggage space, whether the space is both usable and accessible, whether life-sized people can use the back seat (where that applies), basic specs of the vehicle and performance figures if they are published. In the case of clearly identified launch reports, fuel figures are of necessity the laboratory numbers provided with the release material. If I ever place an article that doesn't cover most things, it's probably because I have dealt with that vehicle at least once already, so you will be able to find what you want in another report under the same manufacturer's heading in the menu on the left.

Hope you like what you see, because there are no commercial interests at work here. As quite a few readers have found, I answer every serious enquiry from my home email address, with my phone numbers attached, so they can see I do actually exist.

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