2015 Ford S-Max Review

Given the 1,700 kg (3,757 lbs) weight and the upmarket ambitions of the car, 240 hp seem reasonable. Nevertheless, the inspiration comes from the 2006 S-Max, which borrowed the Focus ST’s 2.5-liter 5-cylinder 220 hp engine.

To keep things simple, we'll start with what you shouldn't expect and that's a hot hatch with much more room. What you get instead is a minivan on which you can rely in just about any situation.

Just like that business partner you call whenever you need to sort things out, the 240 HP S-Max is completely trustworthy. The calibration means the unit is fully relaxed within the city.

And when you're out there willing to pass another car, you'll never have to make a compromise because now you have a family. No. The S-Max simply goes and it does so without breaking a sweat.

The best part about this engine is not the sheer grunt, which is somewhat tempered by the mass of the car. Instead, it's the effortless nature of its work that impresses. Back in the day, you needed a V6 to get this driving comfort sensation.

We wouldn't recommend this engine though. That's not because you wouldn't need the power - such a discussion would make sense from 300 hp onwards. The problem lies within the fact that, at least for now, it is only offered with that slushbox - other two-pedal models in the range get Ford’s updated dual-clutch six-speed Powershift gearbox.

Six-speed limitations aside, the torque converter gearbox seems like it never fully allows the engine to make full use of its resources.

During our drive, we also jumped in the 180 HP diesel, which came with a six-speed manual. The powerplant is generous and refined, whether you make use of it on B-roads or the motorway. As for the gearbox, this could use a little extra precision, but manages to handle its tasks well. As a result, this is the box we'd tick on the order sheet.

Ford has installed aluminum components at the rear to reduce unsprung mass while also investing quite a lot of time in tweaking the chassis.

As a result, the 2015 S-Max offers one of the best mixes we've seen on a car of this kind. We subjected the car to all sorts of road imperfections, from small bumps to serious speed bumps and uneven roads. The ride is supple, with both the body oscillations and the overall reaction of the suspension being exactly what you need to remain relaxed.

We drove the adaptive damper version, but engineers explained that the passive shock absorbers are similar in feel to the default setting of the first, which means you’ll be just fine.

When speeding on less-than-ideal roads, the S-Max always find its way over the issues underneath it, settling in nicely.

As for the handling, we had been warned by locals that a certain portion of the road on the island uses slippery asphalt. That was just the thing we needed, so we headed over there immediately.

Even when using the brakes to unsettle the rear end, the S-Max showed a progressive behavior. The balance of the chassis is the one that impresses the most. We discovered this while simulating an impact-avoiding maneuver - while the back did step out a little, the ESP didn't even have to kick in for the vehicle to return to the grip area.

When Henry Ford founded the company back in the day, his idea was to make technology available to all. This is the principle Ford engineers used when developing the new Adaptive Front Steering.

The S-Max introduces this to Europe, with the main innovation being the steering wheel-mounted hardware. This works to change the ratio between your inputs and the steering angle depending on vehicle speed. The trick here is that the new layout allows for reduced costs, so you don't have to empty your pockets in order to have this on your car.

Many electrically-assisted systems nowadays are too light and, fortunately, this isn't one of them. Torque steer? None at all - there's a compensation system that does its job well, even when treated with the full 340 Nm (241 lb-ft) of the 2.0 EcoBoost engine.

As to why its name includes the "Front" particle, even Ford engineers aren't too sure about this. Guess the modern industry has brought us to the point where we must specify that a steering system is addressed to the front wheels.

When you're out there trying to cover distances rather quickly and enjoy the process, but without putting any strain on your passengers, you'll discover the best parts of the S-Max.

This mature driving character is what ultimately defines the car. And, aside from the obvious extra space, this is one serious advantage compared to the C-Max.

The soundproofing is premium, with the only exception being the door mirror wind noise. Starting from about 100 km/h (62 mph) this becomes present and, interestingly enough, it doesn't grow too much in intensity as you take the car to higher speeds.

Special attention has been paid to the roof area and you can feel no vibration whatsoever on the highway.

In terms of safety, while the Euro NCAP hasn't smashed the 2015 S-Max into its official barriers yet, we'll give the vehicle nine out of ten.

The Mondeo offers a solid base, having been awarded a five-star rating with good scores. Moreover, the solid and predictable on-road behavior of the S-Max is also a precious asset.

This Ford is packed with plenty of new-age active safety solutions. These range from the All-LED headlights that avoid dazzling the car in front of you to the Pre-Collision Assist.

The latter is a bit sensitive, but fully covers its task of warning you when the S-Max is approaching the vehicle ahead too fast. It can even apply braking force if you fail to react, but we obviously didn't test this part of the system.

The S-Max can also park itself, being able to handle both parallel and perpendicular parking situations. However, the current level of the industry means such technologies are still far from the abilities of a good driver.

The Ford S-Max has always been the driver's choice in its class, an attitude it now maintains.

The same can be said about the appearance of the S-Max. This Ford has always had a bit of special eye treatment, but now it's fully accomplished.

The assets brought by the more complex approach of the S-Max don't come cheap though. Given the niche positioning of the vehicle, you can't really compare it to other MPVs.

However, the 2015 S-Max starts at just over EUR 30,000, which brings you the 150 HP 1.5-liter EcoBoost petrol and the Trend equipment line. Climbing to the top of the spec sheet, you'll be looking at a price of almost EUR 50,000. These prices are for the German market, including 19 percent VAT.

As expected, the S-Max is more expensive that competitors such as the Opel Zafira, but doesn’t reach the pricing range of the full-size MPVs like the VW Sharan or the recently-presented 2015 Ford Galaxy.

Speaking of which, Ford is working on a plush incarnation of the S-Max that will be offered under the revived Vignale name. Nevertheless, this might just take the price too far for what this car ultimately stands for. Ford took plenty of risks when it introduced the revolutionary S-Max about a decade ago. The new model has settled for an evolution, but the Vignale will once again play the wild card.

On the technology front, the S-Max borrows the new Mondeo's generous treatment and even takes things a bit further.

The cabin has received plenty of attention and provides a cozy environment. The only issue is that the pair of third-row seats is still reserved to children.

The rest of the S-Max downsides are brought by areas where Ford needs to up the ante at a brand level. The most important tech drawback is the torque converter automatic, which simply isn't up to the job. The same can be said about the Sync2 infotainment system, with the optional 10-speaker Sony audio system being an exception - this provides an enjoyable experience.

As in the past, the S-Max is on a mission to break the sedan tradition. Thanks to its attitude, it has serious chances of achieving its goal.