Ford F-Max: Reliability and economy

Reliability and economy, these are the strengths of the Ford F-Max, now also available in Italy, in its 2021 version.

Ford F-Max has demonstrated its skills of reliability and economy of exercise on the Eastern Europe market, where it has been produced and marketed for about two years. Thanks to a scrupulous design, which lasted 5 years, with a dedicated team of 500 engineers, he was awarded in 2019 as International Truck of the Yearrecognition that we find reported with a sticker on the driver’s side door. We tried version 2021, finally also available in Italy, Spain and Portugal. The updates concerned the headlights, steps and lateral compartments increased and accessible also by the cabin. In addition, on the version with a 3600 mm step (there is also the “L” of 3750 mm with increased tanks at 1350 liters for 5000 km of travel) it is possible to install the C4AS pneumatic suspensions with 4 foils on the rear axle, in addition to the precious stationing conditioner of the 1400 W Dern-Bergstrom, with installation directly in the factory.

Versatile and handy

As a guidance the F-MAX is a lot soft and handy. However, unlike other means, the assistance of hydroguide is less intrusive, requesting greater effort to the driver. This can be seen less in the quarry, the undisputed kingdom of Ford’s Construction series, which focuses on the robustness, while on the road, in maneuver or at low speeds it is felt. For this reason, an update from Ford Trucks should arrive to make the F-MAX steering softer. The engine is the 12.7 -liter ECORQ approved Euro 6D with 500 HP (368 kW) paid at 1800 rpm and a torque of 2500 Nm between 1000 and 1400 rpm, coupled to the valid ZF Traxon 12 TX 2620 gearbox with 12 gears forward and 2 back, which has a very reactive operating logic, adjusting in a few moments based on the pressure on the gas pedal aside of the driver. The F-MAX has a nice recovery, but the 400 kW engine brake is also interesting, which can be set on three levels, and the slower of 1000 kW.

Reinforced frame

We close by mentioning the reinforced frame, another point in favor of this truck, with its 8 mm thick directly derived from the Construction series. The F-Max is a very valid product, especially for those who need a robust vehicle and do not need who knows what frills, like soft internal plastics or a few more finishing. Here we above all pay attention to substance and reliability, with a very competitive price price/equipment.