Ford S-MAX
SMAX DOWN
Ford has decided that larger MPVs don’t have to be boring. Andy Enright takes a look at the S-MAX
I’ll be honest with you here. Most MPVs bore me to tears. Yes, I can appreciate how many hours, dollars and skinned knuckles must have been expended on developing another form of novel flipping seating system but I have no kids, I get a kick out of cars that handle well and also have an aversion for anything that closely resembles a fenestrated burger van. All the more reason to sit up and pay attention when Ford started making some big noises about its S-MAX MPV model.
This is the sort of MPV I’d design if I had any design talent whatsoever. For a start it’s got the right sort of shape. There’s room inside for seven people but it’s a radically sportier vehicle than the latest Galaxy model with which it shares the same underpinnings. Ford point to the fact that the S-MAX in fact shares just a handful of exterior parts with the more conventional Galaxy, the headlamps and bonnet having the same part numbers. The comparative height of the vehicles (1676mm for the Galaxy and 1607mm for the S-MAX) shows that the sleek, hunkered down appearance of the sportier S-MAX is not merely down to clever penmanship. This is a vehicle that is the sleekest people mover this side of a Mercedes R-Class.
Recent improvements include the addition of a 130bhp 2.0-litre TDCi 130bhp model with Ford’s 6-speed Durashift automatic transmission, plus the fitment of the ESP stability control system as standard across the range.
This is a crucial time for Ford’s big MPV portfolio. It has taken command of development and production of the Galaxy – previously a job shared with Volkswagen and SEAT – and hopes to eradicate once and for all the nagging quality problems that plagued this family of cars. Then there is this S-MAX, a model that takes the company into uncharted waters. Just when we thought there were precious few niches left to plunder, Ford have come up with another. Think of it as a full-sized, sporty MPV that’s at the affordable end of the market and you’ll see why, at this level of specialisation, the market has so far gone untapped.
Let’s get to the heart of any MPV style vehicle – the seats. Ford’s designers appear to have become fed up with Vauxhall taking all the plaudits for clever seating solutions and have come up with a system of their own. FFS (Ford FoldFlatSystem before you attribute a baser meaning to that acronym) allows 32 different seating permutations. The second and third rows of seats all fold flat to form a genuinely huge load floor that measures 2.0 by 1.15 metres which is about as big as a double bed.
"The best looking MPV money can buy? Look no further"
In addition to the Ford FoldFlatSystem, a number of lashing points are located across the floor and on the cabin sides, helping to prevent your belongings from destroying themselves if you do fail to resist the Ford’s sporty character. The perennial complaint of seven-seat vehicles, namely that there’s no room for luggage when all seven seats are occupied, is partly addressed by the S-MAX which offers 285 litres of space with all seats in place. This is up 18 per cent over the old Galaxy. The answer to this question is staring buyers right in the face. Buy a decently sized roofbox for those rare occasions that you are going to be loaded to the gunwales by seven people and their tat. If you do wish to run the S-MAX in removal van mode, it’ll heave around up to 2,000 litres of goods with all the rear seat folded flat. There are also no fewer than 26 different cubbies located around the cabin so you’ll need to know where you left that key/credit card/wedding ring or it could be a lengthy search. In total, there’s a full 90 litres of oddment stowage in total.
In some markets Ford also offer an innovative sliding cargo platform in place of the third row of seats. This allows the loading of shopping with ease. The tailgate flips up to reveal a tab that lets the platform to extend by 48cm, it then slides back into the car with a slick motion that will be good news for anyone who has ever suffered back problems. Leaning into a vehicle and lowering a heavy item is just about the worst ‘everyday’ action one can put onto the lower back.
The fascia design of the S-MAX reflects the exterior lines in its calm maturity. The riot of bisecting lines, angles and arcs that used to typify Ford dashboards has been replaced by a quietly-styled dashboard with classy materials and no outrageous gimmicks or cheap attempts at creating showroom impact. Some of the silver plastic finishes may be prone to scratching over the longer term but overall the cabin is a step removed from the ‘mainstream’ norm. The double windscreen pillar can make three quarter visibility a bit touch and go at roundabouts but aside from that, Ford have really committed to safety with this model. An ultra-rigid passenger cell is a good start point, but there’s also a recently-developed Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control (IVDC) system that controls all of the other safety systems in a cohesive manner. When those include Continuously Controlled Damping (CDDC), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Forward Alert (FA) and Collision Mitigation By Braking, that’s quite some integration task. Factor in the anti lock braking system, Hill Launch Assist (HLA) and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and you have a wide array of available safety functions.
Prices start at £17,495 for a 2.0-litre LX with a pair of diesel engines just above that, the 1.8 TDCi 125bhp LX starting at £18,295 and the 2.0-litre TDCi 140bhp LX opening at £19,995. You can also get Ford’s 6-speed Durashift automatic allied to 2.0 TDCi 130bhp power for £21,495. The 2.5-litre engine is quite a tool, in effect being an almost direct transplant of the unit found in the Focus ST. This is good for 220bhp and looks good value at £20,995 in Zetec trim or £22,495 in range-topping Titanium guise.
Most MPVs are enough to put you to sleep. In the S-MAX, Ford have developed one with a bit of personality. Let’s hope they’re rewarded for doing so.
