Pillarless Ford B-Max impresses in Geneva
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Ford's small B-Max MPV is wowing visitors to the Geneva Motor Show with two big innovations that are bound to worry competitors with less adventurous designs.
The first and most obvious of these is the elimination of the new car's so-called B-pillars, the structural element that divides the front and rear door openings on most cars. This change gives exceptional ease of access, especially to the rear seats; for good measure the rear doors are of the convenient sliding type. Normally, the B-pillar plays an important part in the structural integrity of a car, but Ford says it has built the required stiffness and crash resistance into the doors themselves, creating a “virtual B-pillar”. The only competing product with anything like as innovative a set-up is the Vauxhall Meriva which has rear-hinged rear side doors. With an overall length of just over four metres, though, the B-Max does take up a little bit more room than Toyota's new, very space-efficient but much more conventional Verso-S.
The second innovation is less visibly obvious but no less significant – a new three-cylinder 1.0-litre turbocharged petrol engine, an addition to Ford's range of EcoBoost power units. The EcoBoost range involves capacity downsizing and measures such as turbocharging and stop-start technology in order to improve performance, economy and emissions. If the new engine is as good as the existing 1.6-litre and 2.0-litre EcoBoost engines fitted to Ford's larger cars, the B-Max should be very competitive indeed.
One final point of interest - the B-Max will be the first Ford to be built in Romania. Car production in that country has previously been focused mainly on the Renault-derived Dacia range.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments