There is no tougher test for an MPV than a family road trip. Two weeks with the Sheridans would show up any frailties in Ford's smallest seven-seater, the Grand C-Max.
My 1.6-litre diesel Grand C-Max has the benefit of sliding side doors and a few optional extras like a powered tailgate and parking assist – the latter I didn't use, but the powered tailgate is a real pleasure, if a little indulgent in this class of car.
The seats were best configured in a two-two-one formation for our three kids (13/11/seven) to give maximum separation. The middle row's centre seat is the car's smallest, so folding it into the seat base of the outer driver's side seat was a good idea. The gap left was perfect for stowing a large barrel bag – on top of which the kids' pillows were placed.
The youngest held court in the rearmost seat next to another vast barrel bag, folded duvets and a powered cooler box (there is a 12-volt socket in the boot). The trusted portable in-car DVD player and screens came out and were fitted to the front seat head restraints. The kids made use of the seatback trays for additional books and console games.
Up front, I made use of the USB socket for additional charging and the mini-jack socket in the centre cubby box to rig the DVD sound through the car's speakers – with the fader set to the rear speakers (unless the movie was a good one!).
Cruise control is a vital tool for any long haul, especially if, like me, you tend to add a few more kph to the indicated speed to compensate for any over-estimate of the car's velocity – though I'm not saying for a moment that Ford's speedometer was inaccurate. The six-speed manual gearbox would spend a lot of time in sixth but on more than one occasion the 1.6 four-cylinder engine would struggle on longer hills to maintain the cruise control's set speed, and subsequently disengage. This was a little unnerving at first but I learned to anticipate it.
After a few minutes online I had the travel arrangements sorted. This summer we would take an Irish Ferries' sailing from Dublin to Holyhead, drive down through Wales, into England and then onwards via a Eurotunnel train crossing from Folkstone to Calais. An overnight stay with Keycamp in Guines that night gave us time to catch our breath before heading on for another 700 or so kilometres to a friend's place in Brignogan Plages near Brest.
French traffic law requires that you carry spare bulbs, a first aid kit etc., but the most important bit of kit required are high visibility vests in the cabin for all passengers.
One gadget I have but didn't need in the C-Max was a power inverter that allows you plug domestic three-pin plugs directly into the car, as the Grand C-Max had one installed behind the centre cubby. I had the latest TomTom Sat/Nav for W. Europe on my iPhone, ensuring there would be no arguments with ''She who must be obeyed'' about the route.
A two-night stopover near Calais with Keycamp on our return journey broke the previous day's seven-hour journey from Brignogan and the UK six-hour leg of the drive home.
The result of our 3,000+ kilometre holiday was a thumbs up for the Grand C-Max. Regrets? A roofbox, perhaps. It would have wrecked the car's ability to do the 6.8 litres per 100km we managed but would have allowed more room for shopping. However, as my credit card was melting, this was no harm.
Michael Sheridan
