Say hello to the Soccer Dad, The New Ford B-Max is in town.

Thought Thursday: The new Ford B-Max is in South Africa

When did practical multi purpose vehicles become deemed as unfashionable? Maybe it was during the first generation Renault Scenic era, a time where MPV’s were dreary, ugly and heavily stereotyped. Each time you would see one you would imagine small kids crying, seats soiled with chocolate, and the fact that you’ve entered a period in your life where your biggest expense is a packets of Pampers. Despite all this, MPV’s are generally very practical cars to own. Many fathers and men in general have loathed the thought of driving around in cars such as these, due to the fact that these cars usually have the same masculinity as a ballet tutu.

Only recently have some brands decided to change this stereotype about MPV’s, seeking to make them more unisex in appeal. There has been a need for this change, because many dads have “pick-up” duty too and they also require space to do this task properly. Besides fathers, some like myself are involved in professions that require a car that can accommodate equipment and other necessary things. As a result, brands like BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen have brought out cars that are MPV’s but still look somewhat appealing. You would be surprised how many surfers I’ve seen use a Volkswagen Caddy Maxi to lug surfboards and wetsuits around. Well now fathers, mothers, surfers and photographers have another option to choose from. This option is the new Ford B-Max which launched this week in South Africa, a name that seems to be calling a younger and wider audience to come check it out.

The new Ford B-Max is a mini MPV, and has the shape of most MPV’s out there. Aesthetically the car looks cool, the design is sleek and it retains the current sharp Ford nose found on its siblings faces too. What makes the B-Max stand out is its sliding doors which give you an opening of up to 1.5 metres when the front door is opened too, giving it a nice streamlined look. The point of the new Ford B-Max is to be as practical as possible, a quality that it leads in the mini MPV segment. The sliding doors are amazing feature since there is no B-pillar in the way to obstruct you loading or unloading anything into the car, whether it’s equipment or a baby seat.

The car is fitted with Fords award winning 1.0l ecoboost engines. With two versions of the engine to choose from, the 74kW in the Ambiente and the 92kW in the Trend version. There’s a third specification to choose as well, the Titanium which is the top specification fitted with the 92kW engine too. All the engines develop the same torque of 170Nm. The car is based on the fiesta which is not a bad thing at all as the fiesta is a fantastic little car dynamically. Inside the interior is typical new age Ford, good quality but can tend to be a bit busy for some. The seats are lovely and the car is roomy too, ideal for those long family holidays or road trips with friends. All models are fitted with the SYNC infotainment system which links with your Bluetooth and has voice command.

What I like most about this growing segment, is the fact that men and even younger people don’t have hide themselves when driving these cars. The B-Max is in no way too feminine, it’s a cool mini MPV that oozes practicality and has the right engines fitted to it too. Slowly but surely, stereotypes in specific cars are dying. A few years ago, an MPV was seen as a “Mommy’s”car and a small engine was scoffed at, now you have cars that are both and look cool doing it. We welcome the change and encourage it. Happy Thought Thursday Motorists.

Prices:

• Ford B-Max Ambiente: R221 900

• Ford B-Max Trend: R246 900

• Ford B-Max Titanium: R271 900