Ford’s newest offering in a long list of newcomers to the local market in the last two years is the B-Max multi-activity vehicle (MAV).
The B-Max will play in the so called B-MAV segment, or the small MAV segment, currently dominated by Toyota’s Avanza, which sells around 5 000 units a year.
The B-MAV segment makes up around 1% of new vehicle sales in South Africa, says Ford Motor Company of Southern Africa B-car brand manager Liz Venter.
The B-Max positions itself as a premium compact MAV, as opposed to the Avanza often used in the general people-carrier, or taxi market.
Venter believes the B-Max will fill the “white space” in the segment, where consumers want modern styling, flexibility and technology.
Ford believes 40% of B-Max customers will buy the vehicle as a downsizing exercise, while 20% will do so as a step up from a B-segment hatchback.
The two target groups are young families with one or two kids and empty-nesters.
The most prominent feature on the B-Max is probably its doors, with standard hinged doors at the front and sliding doors at the rear, and no central pillar.
Safety remains a top-rated Euro Ncap five stars, however.
Seven airbags are standard equipment across the range.
When both the front and rear doors of the B-Max open, the aperture is around 1.5 m, instead of the roughly 80 cm offered by standard hinged doors. This makes attending to children, or loading and unloading shopping significantly easier.
The seating system features 60/40 split rear seats that can be folded flat with a one-hand, one-motion mechanism.
The front passenger seat can also be folded, creating a flat load floor from front to rear.
The B-Max uses Ford’s 1l EcoBoost petrol engine.
The entry-level B-Max Ambiente produces 74 kW, while the mid-range Trend and range-topping Titanium derivatives have a 92 kW output.
Peak torque is 170 Nm.
Ford promises combined-cycle fuel consumption of 4.9 l/100km for the 92 kW models. Just note, however, that this was obtained under laboratory conditions.
The B-Max comes standard with Sync voice control, mobile device integration and connectivity interface.
Pricing starts at R221 900.
Service intervals are at 20 000 km, with the price including a 4-year/60 000 km service plan.