Blue Oval Guide Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Ford B-Max Caught Testing without Camo See more and join the discussion at the Ford B-Max Forum. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 :happy feet: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RangerM Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 Is this coming to America? If so, is there an advantage to this over a Focus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pictor Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 I believe this will be a more direct competitor to the Fit, which is a tall wagon then the current Fiesta hatchback. Versatility in this bugger will greater than in the Fiesta Hatch, maybe some overlap with Focus hatch but not as much as you might think. Is this coming to America? If so, is there an advantage to this over a Focus? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 The Bumper doesn't seem like it works as well as the concepts did.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron W. Posted October 16, 2011 Share Posted October 16, 2011 To me it could be a Fiesta or Focus ( yawn ) , this is going to help how? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Harley Lover Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 To me it could be a Fiesta or Focus ( yawn ) , this is going to help how? It needs to be seen next to a Fiesta to put it in proper context; it's essentially a tall Fiesta wagon, with the added benefit of sliders. This type of product is popular in Europe, which is its target market. I have not read anything about it being offered here - I imagine Ford is not convinced a market exists for it here. Perhaps if its big brother C-Max does well, Ford will look at adding to our product mix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Edstock Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 To me it could be a Fiesta or Focus ( yawn ) , this is going to help how? Ease of access to the back seats blows everything else away, because the "B" pillar is integral with the sliding door, so the whole seating area is open. It may be too small for North America, but, then again, it might do really well in urban markets. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ANTAUS Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I would welcome this to the U.S., although if the question is if it is coming here (with the picture provided), I'm not sure how it could pass bumper testing without some serious damage. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 The bumper test is dead. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 The bumper test is dead. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 ? Correction: The 5mph bumper test is dead. The current bumper test looks to be weaker than the EU bumper test, and the B-max may well be exempt: http://www.nhtsa.gov/Cars/Problems/studies/Bumper/Index.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MKII Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) The above image is photo shopped, hence the odd shaped front end and the rear tail light is incorrect. Original image used by the photo rendering Here are the latest pics from last week from Nurburging testing Edited October 17, 2011 by MKII Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BORG Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) Does anybody here think that fascia looks good? Seriously? Who designed that, approved it, and thought people would love it? It personifies sadness, it's so bizarrely ugly. I have never met a Ford design I like least (well, beyond the MKT). Edited October 17, 2011 by BORG 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2005Explorer Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 That's an ugly little thing in my opinion, but I can see it appealing to a certain crowd. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mettech Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Looks like a perfect taxi cab.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anthony Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Not necessarily ugly, just extremely homely. But I can definitely see the practicality advantages over the Fiesta/Focus. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silvrsvt Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Not necessarily ugly, just extremely homely. But I can definitely see the practicality advantages over the Fiesta/Focus. Yeah its sorta like a minivan without being one....well a really small one LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
weiweishen Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 (edited) Is this coming to America? If so, is there an advantage to this over a Focus? I saw one B-Max without Camo this morning in I-94 near Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport . It was parking on the shoulder. At begining I thought it was a C-max. When I approached it, I realized that it was really a tiny tiny car, cute though. Edited October 17, 2011 by weiweishen Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fordmantpw Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 That's an ugly little thing in my opinion, but I can see it appealing to a certain crowd. Yeah, it's an ugly little bastard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickF1011 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Difficult to get styling details right on a vehicle with such odd overall proportions. They managed to succeed on the Fiesta, but this falls a little short. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jpd80 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 Difficult to get styling details right on a vehicle with such odd overall proportions. They managed to succeed on the Fiesta, but this falls a little short. Basically a box with a wheel at each corner, bette than some of the square monsters out there, I prefer a bit more character, but probably the perfect aspiration to meritocracy needed to woo Korean buyers... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichardJensen Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 YAY!!! The pointless telephone keypad is GONE!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rkisler Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I'm not sure how well the b-max would do with U.S. safety testing that in certain areas is more rigorous than Europe. Yes, I know the b-pillar is integral to the door which is a great feature in terms of access, but in terms of strength, there is no substitute for a welded member. In particular, there will be two tests that might prove challenging. The explanations are "to the best of my knowledge" and I am by no means an expert: 1. Roof crush -- In the NHTSA test, a force is applied equal to 3 times the vehicle's weight and the roof can't touch the head of the dummy. As best I recollect, there is a double push of a plate on the roof on the left side and the right side. The IIHS test is a bit different. They apply pressure until 5" of crush, measure the peak force, calculate a strength to weight ratio, and assign a R/Y/G rating. Even without a welded b-pillar, the b-max might be OK for the Federal test due to the high roof and lots of headroom, but I don't know where it would end up in the IIHS ranking. 2. Side Impact -- The IIHS side impact test is more rigorous than the NHTSA test and is the de-facto standard. The ram on the IIHS test is higher than NHTSA to simulate an SUV, and it also has a sweep which results in a more concentrated application of force. Depending on where the ram hits, this test could be challenging for the b-max. We can be certain that Ford has run simulations for both of these tests, and has very likely run physical tests. And I would assume these tests were taken into consideration as part of the design effort. That would be true whether or not Ford intends to sell the b-max in the U.S. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Biker16 Posted October 17, 2011 Share Posted October 17, 2011 I'm not sure how well the b-max would do with U.S. safety testing that in certain areas is more rigorous than Europe. Yes, I know the b-pillar is integral to the door which is a great feature in terms of access, but in terms of strength, there is no substitute for a welded member. In particular, there will be two tests that might prove challenging. The explanations are "to the best of my knowledge" and I am by no means an expert: 1. Roof crush -- In the NHTSA test, a force is applied equal to 3 times the vehicle's weight and the roof can't touch the head of the dummy. As best I recollect, there is a double push of a plate on the roof on the left side and the right side. The IIHS test is a bit different. They apply pressure until 5" of crush, measure the peak force, calculate a strength to weight ratio, and assign a R/Y/G rating. Even without a welded b-pillar, the b-max might be OK for the Federal test due to the high roof and lots of headroom, but I don't know where it would end up in the IIHS ranking. 2. Side Impact -- The IIHS side impact test is more rigorous than the NHTSA test and is the de-facto standard. The ram on the IIHS test is higher than NHTSA to simulate an SUV, and it also has a sweep which results in a more concentrated application of force. Depending on where the ram hits, this test could be challenging for the b-max. We can be certain that Ford has run simulations for both of these tests, and has very likely run physical tests. And I would assume these tests were taken into consideration as part of the design effort. That would be true whether or not Ford intends to sell the b-max in the U.S. If ford intends to sell the EcoSport here, the B-max should also pass US regs. Also assume that the B-max may represent alot of what next generation global B platform could be. I can't imagine Ford would exclude North America, unless they feel 100% sure there is no market for it here. it is cheapest to meet global regs early in the design phase, than to wait like they did with the fiesta. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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