News: Ford claims B-Max MPV is child-proof

Ford is claiming that its newly-launched B-Max MPV has a child-proof interior. They obviously haven't met my kids...

Every parent is familiar with the challenge of keeping a new car clean in the face of everyday use by children and pets. Ford has now tried to make that job easier for mums and dads by “child-proofing” the new B-MAX.

Engineers subjected the new B-MAX to laboratory tests that simulate the toughest treatment that children and pets can dish out, including soaking materials in milk and fizzy drinks; testing fabrics 0with a “mace”; and pounding plastics with a heavy rubber ball.

“By testing for everything from soft drink spills to muddy boots, we’ve made sure the B-MAX interior is ready for anything,” said Mark Montgomery, senior materials engineer, Ford of Europe. “I’ve got young children myself, so I’m very familiar with the mess they can create.”

Samples of all leathers and fabrics used in the Ford B-MAX’s interior were tested for stain resistance and ease of cleaning after being soaked for 24 hours in the liquids and being smeared with soil and grease.

Engineers also tested resistance to damage that can be caused by abrasive zips and fasteners found on children’s clothing and bags. The “mace test” used a metal ball with needle-sharp spikes to brush fabrics 600 times and replicate the effect of snagging zips and studs. Engineers also carried out a special test to repeatedly rub the seat material with Velcro.

Impact tests – conducted at temperatures as low as -30 degrees Centigrade when plastic is more brittle – used a rubber ball 10 times heavier than a regulation football to ensure that plastic parts could withstand bumps and knocks. Fabrics were also rubbed 60,000 times in a 17-hour non-stop wear test; metal spikes were scraped across plastic parts to test scratch resistance; and carpets were checked for durability on a special test rig fitted with rough abrasion wheels.

“These tests make sure we’ve done everything possible to make sure the car looks as good the thousandth time that families sit in it as it does the first time,” added Montgomery.

News: Citroen knows your most precious motoring memories

Driving the family home from hospital following the birth of a child is the most memorable driving experience for parents, according to results from new research by Citroën.



The survey, which polled more than 1,000 parents aged between 25-75 years, found the cautious drive home from the maternity ward with a new family member was the single most memorable car journey for more than a quarter (26.9%) of all parents. Second was the anxious drive to the hospital for the birth; the most vivid memory for almost one in five (18%).

Both male and female respondents voted the drive home from the hospital as their number one driving memory, though perhaps unsurprisingly over a quarter (27%) of fathers admitted the fraught task of safely navigating their partner to the hospital in time for the birth of the child was the more memorable. Only 8% of mothers thought the same.

For one in seven parents (14.6%), the first family holiday was the most treasured car journey. Third overall in the list of ‘most memorable drives’, it was voted number one by respondents aged 45-54.

The inaugural school run also proved a trigger for parental nostalgia. One in six mums found the emotional experience of dropping their child off for the first day of school as their most unforgettable journey. Moving the child out of home into University or their first house was also a significant emotive drive for 6.5% of mums, but only 2.1% of dads.

Most memorable drives:
Driving your new family home from the hospital following the birth of your child    26.9%

Driving your partner to the hospital for the birth of your child    18%

Setting off on your first family holiday    14.6%

Taking your child to their first day of school (Infant, Junior or Secondary)    12.7%

Driving your family to pick up the first family pet    6.6%

Taking your child to their first sleepover (e.g. Grandparents, friends, Brownies or Scouts)    5.9%

Moving your child out of home to University or their first home    4.2%

Taking your child to the church/venue on their wedding day    3.7%

Taking your child out for their first driving lesson    3%

Other    2.9%
Driving your child to their first date    1.5%

The survey also found 3% of parents had very individual ‘most memorable drives’ that included taking children to sporting competitions; picking up a newly adopted child or driving the family home safely following a weather related incident. A bad snowstorm and a 360-degree skid on ice during the school run were two examples cited.

Marc Raven, Communications Director at Citroën UK said; “The family car is an important touch point to some of our most treasured life experiences. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and go through so many individual experiences, but the results of this survey show just how much in common parents have with each other and the significant role the family vehicle plays in our lives.”