Auto Driven: Ford S-Max car review

A friend of mine has had two new additions recently: a Renault Megane and a son, in that order.

One he wanted, the other he needed - after all, the Megane does well in all the crash tests. Trouble is, Renault's hatchback fails to press his buttons.

In fact, the only car which sort of solved his dilemma was the Vauxhall Zafira GSi. Trouble was he hates the Max Power-influenced bodykit and 20 miles to the gallon around town.

So what he really wants is a sensible but fun MPV.

Something like the Ford S-Max.

It might look pretty similar to its slightly larger, slightly more grown up brother, the Galaxy, but the 7-seat S-Max makes a lot of sense.

For one, it's far more involving to drive. Where the Galaxy has been tuned for comfort, the S-Max offers precise steering and makes turning corners a joy.

With a slightly lower roofline than its bigger brother, the S-Max feels less bus-like and more connected with the road.

The Zetec model we tested came with sports seats and 16 inch alloy wheels, which added to the feeling we were piloting a huge hot hatch. More expensive models get even more serious, with bigger wheels, more leather and plenty of toys.

All of the controls were sensibly laid out, and we particularly liked the curved centre console which gently drifts down between the seats. The odd parking brake - reminiscent of an airliner's throttle control - took a little getting used to though.

As a device to lug as many people or as much luggage as possible from A to B, the S-Max is slightly compromised. Its sloping rear roofline means the third row of seats are only really suitable for kids.

There isn't that much luggage space either. With the rear seats up, there's just 285 litres - little more than most superminis. Once the seats are down, there's enough room to hold a party, or to haul around any number of bikes, surfboards or whatever else the core twentysomething audience consider to be cool these days.

And you could take this gear to the other end of the country with ease - the ride is excellent and there's very little in the way of intrusive noise.

We tried the 145bhp, 2-litre petrol engine but far preferred the punchier 1.8-litre TDCi diesel in the Galaxy.

Despite just carrying one passenger, the 1.8 felt lifeless, while the diesel would accelerate away on a wave of torque (pulling power).

Unless you compare the S-Max and the Galaxy side by side, it can be difficult to tell them apart. Aside from the lowered, sloping roof, the subtle changes include a different rear side windows, rear lights, front fog lamps and a cool-looking 'grille' behind the front wheels; there's not much difference.

If you're adept at picking stuff off the options list, and want to stand out from the crowd, then we'd recommend the 18 inch alloys from the Focus ST. Don't be surprised if the ride suffers, though.

At £18,495 our mid-range S-Max test car was £1,000 cheaper than the most basic model in the Galaxy range, and will lose less value over time than any of its rivals.

So if you're looking for driving thrills; and still need space for the kids, the S-Max may well be the car for you.

Rivals:
You might also want to consider the following

Citroen C4 Grand Picasso
Vauxhall Meriva
Volkswagen Golf Plus