Ready for take off in the Ford S-Max

The Ford S-Max is a large family car which doesn’t compromise on style

‘Are you dancing?’, my incredulous passenger asks. We’re cruising along an almost deserted M8 en route from Cork to Dublin in the Ford S-Max.

Such is the knee clearance in the driver’s seat that I am indeed tapping my feet along to the music on the radio – albeit with the cruise control keeping me in check speed-wise.

The S-Max is a large family car and is extremely comfortable for a round trip from Dublin to Cork.

A seven seater, legroom is very generous in the front, and can also be in either of the rear rows, but you really need to keep all the tall people in the same row. Both rear rows of seats can be lowered, giving extra cargo space.

Ford has done very well styling-wise with the S-Max. On the outside, there are nice lines at work which break up what could otherwise be a bulky looking car.

The unusual looking handbrake in the Ford S-Max was much commented upon

Inside, the handbrake was a talker with all of my passengers – it’s a rectangular shaped device – almost like something you’d see in a plane.

As I already mentioned, the S-Max is a very comfortable car, with a nice high driving position giving good visibility. The steering wheel, which was slightly padded, also had a lovely feel to it.

The Titanium model I was driving had a cloth interior and the stereo and the gear stick had a glossy black surround. Infotainment-wise, there was good sound from the Sony stereo, which featured a radio/CD/MP3, with Aux and USB ports hidden away in the glove compartment.

There were a lot of buttons on the radio which I found a little bit fiddly if you were trying to work at a glance, however, the basics could be operated from the steering wheel.

The test model also had dual control air conditioning, auto lights, auto wipers, Bluetooth, and parking sensors, back and front.

Our general driving in this car was in city traffic, with our long drive taking us on a round trip from Dublin to Cork on the motorway.

The Ford S-Max Titanium model also has a heated windscreen

The test car was a six-speed, manual, 2-litre diesel.

I’m not a fan of driving in Cork city – mainly because of the many one way streets and indeed, having missed our original turn to bring us swiftly across the River Lee, we eventually arrived at Merchant’s Quay car park.

Quite an old building (in multi-storey car park terms), both access ramps and parking spaces are quite narrow and our S-Max was quite big.

The car park was busy too, but thankfully the drivers to either side of us were good parkers and with careful manoeuvering we were able to avail of the full space allocated to us.

Although I noticed its size in the car park, this was the only place where I really realised the dimensions of the S-Max. In general I thought it was quite handy and it didn’t feel like a big car to drive.

In fact, I really enjoyed my time behind the wheel of this MPV or SAV (that’s Sports Activity Vehicle to you and me). While it’s not the fastest climber, it had no problem reaching 120kph. At the lights, it was actually quite quick as its acceleration is good in spurts, so quick getaways at roundabouts, for instance, weren’t a problem.

Overall, I thought the Ford S-Max was a lovely car to drive and offers the space and versatility of a large family car but doesn’t compromise on style.

The Ford S-Max is available now, with prices starting from €32,334. The top of the range Titanium model I was driving costs from €36,760.

Tech Spec:
Engine: 2.0TDCi,140ps
Acceleration: 0-100km/h in 10.2seconds
Maximum Speed: 195km/h
Combined fuel consumption: 5.4l/100km
CO2 emissions: 143g/km
Annual road tax: €330 (Tax Band C)

Visit ford.ie or the Ford Ireland Facebook page for further details.