With a footprint no bigger than a Ford Mondeo estate the S Max shares its platform and wheelbase with the new Galaxy but is shorter in height and length. Ford wants younger people to be eased gently into the world of practical motoring via the S Max and judging by the interesting exterior the job is done.
Ford’s new S.A.V. (Sports Activity Vehicle) in standard specification features five seats with the additional row available from the options list. Aimed clearly at the "I haven’t thrown in the towel just yet" brigade, it is a refreshing design that, dare I say it, is desirable to childless motorists!
The car looks meaty, strong and purposeful thanks to flared wheel arches, a purposeful stance and the optional dealer fit body kit and alloys fitted to my test car; as a father-of-three I’m always glad to drive anything that combines practicality with decent looks.
The outside is bold and striking but the big news is inside. With the old Galaxy if you needed to free up some cargo space you would be forced to remove one or more of the full-sized chairs. This always caused grief as the chairs weighed a ton and also had to be stored somewhere!
The big news is that now you won’t have to strain your back removing the seats anymore thanks to clever engineering. A new stepped floor features in the S Max and Galaxy so the middle and third row seats no longer need to be removed and they can be folded flat to the floor. This is a giant leap for Ford and clearly inspired by the XC90 from sister company Volvo.
The S Max is good looking and versatile inside and out but can it deliver the driving performance the racy looks promise? Eh no, only because the exterior promises 300km/h! While you may not be encouraged to rip up the tarmac you still feel very much in control and in charge of a classic Ford driver's car. I took the S Max for a brisk few hundred kilometres through the countryside outside the Spanish city of Seville recently and was impressed by the way the spacious S Max managed to cover the ground.
The S Max will sit below the new Galaxy, and Ford expects a 70/30 sales split in favour of the new S Max. The big seller will be the 1.8 litre TDCi diesel (125bhp), which promises to be friendly at the pumps. Sadly my test car (2.5 litre petrol) will not be coming to our shores but there is a six-speed 2 litre diesel with 143bhp that should provide a bit of craic! Trim levels begin with LX, rise to Zetec, with Titanium versions. The engine range features three diesels and one petrol (a 2 litre/145bhp) unit that will be the entry level.
The S Max goes on sale in June and will be a big hit.
Michael Sheridan
