FORD dominates almost every significant sector of the mass market at the moment so there is no reason to doubt that its latest baby, the C-Max, won't do likewise.

It has taken a while for Ford to take the Scenic compact people carrier route, but it has now so don't be too surprised to see it snap up more than a fair few sales.

In a nutshell it is a good car, roomy, high-performing and, importantly, fitted with a choice of engines guaranteeing economical motoring.

Its name goes some way to confirming its credentials. The C-Max in marketing speak stands for Max-imum Comfort, Max-imum Confidence and Max-imum Control. There you have it - C-Max, albeit back-to-front. On top of that, Ford also prefers to call its entry a modern family vehicle or MFV, a friendlier name than the abbreviated MPV (multi-purpose vehicle) adopted by most other manufacturers.

More important, however, is that the C-Max sits on the next generation Focus hatchback platform, and has been built to challenge the market-leading Renault Scenic. And it will, as well as having to take on all the others that have been launched in the last five or so years.

The C-Max is larger and taller than the other cars in the Focus range, and is also longer and wider than others in the compact carrier class, 4,333mm long, 1,595mm high and 1,825mm wide, with a wheelbase of 2,640mm.

Ford marketers say it is their most important new car this year and sing the praises of its elegant and aerodynamic lines. Frankly though it doesn't look that much different from the rest of the pack, that is it is not particularly exceptional outside.

Inside, however, it is a different story. There is plenty of head and shoulder room, five seats all enjoying a nice high see-all positions, and wide open spaces between the driver and the long, sloping windscreen.

Mini multi-purpose vehicles, or, as Ford would prefer, modern family vehicles (MFV), are more about load-carrying flexibility than driving dynamics. There are plenty of systems on the market and Ford's seems to fit in pretty well with them, although unlike some, it has the flexibility to shift from being a full five-seater to an even more comfortable four seater. By sliding the middle seat backwards into the luggage compartment, the outer two seats can be shifted at an angle and back to give more should and leg room. There are also the options of folding and tumbling the rear seats forwards out of the way, collapsing the middle seat and taking any of them out completely.

As a luggage carrier there are 550-litres to fill, increased to 1,620-litre with the back seats taken out. The only disadvantage with taking the seats out is that they are extremely heavy, so Ford really is banking on owners relying on the flexible tip and tumble for extra carrying space.

Altogether there are 11 storage areas dotted about the car, including trays, pockets, and two lidded under-floor compartments under the feet of the back seat passengers, and a lidded compartment on top of the instrument panel. There is also a sunglass carrier for the driver. There are more lidded compartments in the boot, ideal for carrying the car's first aid kit.

The C-Max comes with four trim levels from the basic Studio, through LX and Zetec to Ghia. All models get six airbags and anti-lock braking plus air conditioning. Moving up through the range the specification level also rises until you get to the Ghia with its full climate control, rain sensing wipers, automatic headlamps and cruise control.

Options include leather trim, DVD entertainment system, touch-screen satellite navigation, darkened glass and, by the end of this year, a continuously variable transmission.

Also, as a first for Ford in Europe, some of the models will be fitted with an electronic parking brake which is automatically applied when the car's engine is turned off, and releases when the car is started and moves off. In addition to being hi-tech, the system also frees up the need for a conventional parking handbrake, so providing even more space between the driver and front passenger.

The C-Max provides an inspired drive, particularly with the two-litre diesel engine.

The driving test was held in Northern Ireland where the roads really can get the best out of any car. With 134bhp on tap on the 2.0-litre and an impressive 235lb/ft of torque available from right down at a growly 2,000rpm, all fed through a smooth-operating six-speed gearbox (shared with the latest Mondeo), the experience was exhilarating.

The C-Max felt perfectly tuned to its surroundings, precise steering, comfortable suspension and altogether, totally responsive and stable in acceleration or heavy braking. Whether slow winding or severely twisting country lanes, whether town roads or open motorway, the diesel 2.0-litre is the pick of the bunch, able to whip the C-Max to 62mph in under ten seconds, and the thrust just keeps on coming, even up in sixth gear.

The 1.8-litre petrol engine has slightly less power at 118bhp, but more importantly it has only half the torque of the diesel engine. On the road it feels less inspiring and on paper it takes an extra second to reach 62mph. Rolling acceleration figures are even more revealing, with the diesel climbing in fourth gear from 32 to 62mph in 8.3-seconds, the petrol engine taking 13.1-seconds. Taking a glance at the economy figures, the diesel has an official combined figure of 50.4mpg. The petrol, although very good for its class, can only manage 39.7mpg. There is another engine available from launch, a 1.6-litre diesel with performance figures slightly slower than the 1.8-litre petrol, but a ludicrously low level of thirst, a gallon expected to last for 57.6 miles. A 1.6-litre 98bhp petrol engine will be available in November, giving just under 41mpg.

To establish its family credentials, the C-Max has the corporate headlamp and grille arrangement across the front, and the rear light clusters have been pushed sideways and upwards on to the pillars out of the way of the hatch.

In-car entertainment is high on most people's must-have lists when buying a new set of wheels. The C-Max offers Sony audio systems as well as Ford-branded equipment. The Sony options includes multi-media rear seat entertainment options as well as satellite navigation.

Basic prices begin at £13,175 for the 1.6-litre petrol Studio when it is available, and rise to £18,695 for the1.6-litre diesel with the CVT. The jump from Studio to LX adds about £500 to the price, from LX to Zetec almost £1,000, and again, from Zetec to Ghia about another grand. Insurance ratings range from 5E up to 10E for the six-speed Ghia 2.0 diesel.

Updated: 09:01 Friday, October 31, 2003