<p>Filed under: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/minivans/" rel="tag">Minivan/Van</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/euro/" rel="tag">Europe</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/ford/" rel="tag">Ford</a>, <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/driving/" rel="tag">First Drive</a></p><em><big>The Blue Oval Boys Bet Big By Going Small</big></em><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="2012 Ford Grand C-Max" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive01opt.jpg" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small>2012 Ford Grand C-Max - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br />
Historically speaking, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/">Ford Motor Company</a> has been successful at a great many things, but building minivans hasn't been one of them. Perpetually mired in the shadow of offerings from <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/chrysler/">Chrysler</a> and Japan's automakers, the Blue Oval folded up its sliding-door tent and went home years ago, killing off its undersized <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/mercury/">Mercury</a> Villager in 2002 and then extinguishing the Windstar-turned-Freestar (and its short-lived Mercury Monterey counterpart) in 2007. Brand supporters will doubtlessly note that the family-ferrying segment was in decline for some years before Dearborn walked away from it, but the truth is that Ford never managed to crack the market's top ranks despite more than 15 years of trying.<br />
<br />
So why, then, is red-hot Ford risking a return to the segment in 2012 with the Grand C-Max shown here - a vehicle that's conspicuously smaller and less powerful than the segment norm? Do they know something that we don't? We hopped a puddle jumper to Nice, France after covering last week's <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/paris-motor-show/">Paris Motor Show</a> in an attempt to find out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/">2011 Ford Grand C-Max: First Drive</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438978"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive01_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438979"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive02_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438980"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive03_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438981"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive04_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438982"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive05_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<em><strong><small>Photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL</small></strong></em><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>First Drive: 2012 Ford Grand C-Max</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/">First Drive: 2012 Ford Grand C-Max</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19664648/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
More...
<br />
<a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive"><img vspace="4" hspace="0" border="1" alt="2012 Ford Grand C-Max" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive01opt.jpg" /></a>
<div style="text-align: center;"><em><strong><small>2012 Ford Grand C-Max - Click above for high-res image gallery</small></strong></em></div>
<br />
Historically speaking, the <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/ford/">Ford Motor Company</a> has been successful at a great many things, but building minivans hasn't been one of them. Perpetually mired in the shadow of offerings from <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/chrysler/">Chrysler</a> and Japan's automakers, the Blue Oval folded up its sliding-door tent and went home years ago, killing off its undersized <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/make/mercury/">Mercury</a> Villager in 2002 and then extinguishing the Windstar-turned-Freestar (and its short-lived Mercury Monterey counterpart) in 2007. Brand supporters will doubtlessly note that the family-ferrying segment was in decline for some years before Dearborn walked away from it, but the truth is that Ford never managed to crack the market's top ranks despite more than 15 years of trying.<br />
<br />
So why, then, is red-hot Ford risking a return to the segment in 2012 with the Grand C-Max shown here - a vehicle that's conspicuously smaller and less powerful than the segment norm? Do they know something that we don't? We hopped a puddle jumper to Nice, France after covering last week's <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/category/paris-motor-show/">Paris Motor Show</a> in an attempt to find out.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="postgallery"><p><strong>Gallery: <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/">2011 Ford Grand C-Max: First Drive</a></strong></p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438978"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive01_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438979"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive02_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438980"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive03_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438981"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive04_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/photos/2011-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive/#3438982"><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.autoblog.com/media/2010/10/2011fordgrandc-maxdrive05_thumbnail.jpg" alt="" title="" /></a></div><br />
<em><strong><small>Photos copyright (C)2010 Chris Paukert / AOL</small></strong></em><p><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/" rel="bookmark">Continue reading <em>First Drive: 2012 Ford Grand C-Max</em></a></p><p style="padding:5px;background:#ddd;border:1px solid #ccc;clear:both;"><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/">First Drive: 2012 Ford Grand C-Max</a> originally appeared on <a href="http://www.autoblog.com">Autoblog</a> on Thu, 07 Oct 2010 11:57:00 EST. Please see our <a href="http://www.weblogsinc.com/feed-terms/">terms for use of feeds</a>.</p><h6 style="clear: both; padding: 8px 0 0 0; height: 2px; font-size: 1px; border: 0; margin: 0; padding: 0;"></h6><a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/" rel="bookmark" title="Permanent link to this entry">Permalink</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/forward/19664648/" title="Send this entry to a friend via email">Email this</a> | <a href="http://www.autoblog.com/2010/10/07/2012-ford-grand-c-max-first-drive-review/#comments" title="View reader comments on this entry">Comments</a>
More...