FORD has unveiled its smart new B-MAX as a production-ready concept at the 2011 Geneva Motor Show.
The car, which shares its platform with the Fiesta, is expected to prove a serious rival for established players like the Vauxhall Meriva.
A new body design which eliminates the traditional B pillar and features twin rear sliding doors has already been engineered for production and promises easy access to the cabin and top notch flexibility.
The B-MAX is slightly longer than the Fiesta five-door and 32cm shorter than the new C-MAX, so it is well placed to meet a growing demand for downsized cars better suited to congested urban conditions.
“With the B-MAX we set out to create a vehicle that captures the spirit of a smaller
S-MAX,” said Ford design director Martin Smith.
“We wanted to show that a small car could be very spacious and practical inside, while still having the sleek, dynamic appearance that has made the S-MAX so popular.”
With 60/40 split rear seats and the front passenger seat folded to create a flat load floor, the side access is convenient to load bulky items and with the front passenger seat folded, the interior is capable of swallowing long loads.
And sitting 11cm taller than Fiesta, the B-MAX also provides generous accommodation – drivers benefit from a higher ‘command’ seating position, while rear seat legroom and headroom is also improved.
On the outside, the car’s front-end features a new interpretation of Ford’s signature trapezoidal grille, and there are strong headlamp graphics, a window line with its kick-up behind the rear doors and prominent wheel lips.
Better still, the three-dimensional surfacing of the body sides helps to avoid that blocky look so common in this class of vehicle.
And with a distinctive window graphic, wraparound tailgate glass and slim tail lamps split by the tailgate, the rear of the B-MAX is closely reminiscent of the larger S-MAX.
The B-MAX is powered by a 1.0-litre Ford EcoBoost petrol engine equipped with the Ford Auto-Start-Stop system.
This three-cylinder unit is the next addition to the line-up of Ford EcoBoost engines and like the 1.6 and 2.0-litre four-cylinder powerplants recently launched in Ford’s medium and large cars, the 1.0-litre unit combines direct fuel injection, turbocharging and twin independent variable cam timing to achieve notable reductions in fuel-consumption and CO2 emissions.