Brendan Hughes

Any thoughts?

Focus C-Max or Touran DSG?

Prices; Touran is four thousand quid more than Focus.

Car to be privately owned and kept for 5 years.

Close call, or no-brainer?

Cheeky Jim

Close call, but I guess the depreciation will be less on the VW. Take a look at how much a Focus depreciates in 5 years from new and a VW Golf? Not sure if that helps or hinders to be honest!

Jamie

Good luck!

Scoobybits

the focus sounds a better bet if ya ask me...

Devil Dog

Buy a Scenic, good compromise between the 2.
Better looking than both.

RS Grant

IMO I would go for the Ford Focus, I think it looks nice, its got some absolutely awesome Diesel engines available (VW units are powerful, but 8v and based on old designs IIRC) and are you really going to get all that 5k back re-sale time if you spend more on the VW...

Cheers,
Grant

Stephen Read

I was slightly disapointed with the 1st C-Max's that I've seen as the photoshopped /(beautifully lit) adverts give the impression that the styling is more 'chiseled'. In reality, the front wheel arches in particular are less stiking.

The special rear seat option looks interesting though (it turns it into a very comfortable four seater.) Can you get anything similar on the Touran?

Brendan Hughes

I only saw the back seats of the Focus. The middle removes and they slide slightly together, so you don't have three narrow-shouldered seats that you do in, say, the old Scenic.

Nice, but when it comes to lifting them out, it seems there is a separate button on the left and on the right of the base of each seat - fiddly compared to my RAV, where there is just a central bar to grab and tug.

Touran appears to have 2 kiddie seats in the boot a la Zafira, so can be a 7 seater, unlike C Max.

Depreciation/resale considered, and thanks for the tip on the good Ford engine. How about the fact that VW mechanicals (engine aside) are usually considered better than Fords?

Reffro

The engine in the Focus C-Max isn't the Ford TDCI that most people know about. It will be one of the new Ford/PSA collaboration engines. The C-Max will have a choice of 1.6 110hp or 2.0 136hp diesel engines. In the case of the 2.0 136hp its a very quick car, 0-60mph in 8.8secs vs 9.8 secs for the Focus 1.8 115hp TDCI.

As for your original question I've been having a hard think about it. It is a close run thing in my mind, but having seen both now, I'd go for the Focus C-Max, with one proviso, only if you don't need the seven seats of the Touran. That being the case the C-Max is a superb car, the best built Ford I've seen, excellent to drive and you are better off keeping £4k in your pocket, there is now way in 5 years time the Touran will be £4k better off value wise, plus the interior of the Touran is naff in my mind.