Faults:

Right deep breath, my wife's C-Max kept going into limp mode.

The car would also randomly refuse to start. Took it to a Ford dealer; after taking £330 pounds and two and a half weeks, no joy. After hiring an auto electrician, the error codes made no sense.

On the C-Max there is a known problem with water getting into the fuse box in the foot well, from the condensation from the air conditioning pipes. The only fix is to replace the fuse box, also known as a Gem panel or BCU (£384 to replace it).

Also the instrument panel controls the central locking and can easily fail, and can cause a ton of issues. Again Ford want £400+. Thankfully it can be repaired for around £140 by BBA; it's easily removed as it's held in by two screws.

General Comments:

A great car, but let down by really bad engineering choices by Ford. If you have an automatic and it breaks, the car is a write off.

Practical.

Comfortable.

Faults:

Airbag warning light came on at 1200 miles. Diagnosed as a loose connection. Problem never reappeared. Dealer was superb and turned the car round in under 2 hours for me. Very good service indeed.

General Comments:

Having read some of the comments on here regarding the C-Max, I question some of the faults reported. Some appear over exaggerated, but I guess it's down to personal experience.

My C-Max, my first MPV, was superb. The 2.0 TDCi engine was amazing in its power output. Yet, surprisingly frugal. I regularly achieved 45mpg around town, but on a decent run I easily achieved 57mpg.

Comfort was well above standard, and the Sony CD player, although an option, was worth every penny.

The cabin was extremely roomy, and although the multi-fold seating was unusual, it was very functional. It could be adapted to make an extremely spacious 4-seater by tumbling the middle seat into the boot area.

The C-Max was such a joy to drive; quiet and comfortable. The diesel engine, in my opinion, was better than any petrol, providing so much torque and acceleration, yet inaudible at cruising speed.

When you shut the doors, they closed with a reassuring thud. Paintwork was gorgeous. I found the paintwork (Machine Silver) extraordinarily resistant to chipping. When I sold the vehicle, it still looked like new.

My only dislike on the Ghia version was the Electric Parking Brake. I dislike anything that takes control away from the driver anyway, and although its operation was ingenious, I would have preferred a conventional handbrake.

Ford should be congratulated on building such a great vehicle, especially since it was their first MPV.

So impressed was I with the vehicle, I changed it for a new Titanium C-Max in 2008.

See my review on that elsewhere.