Stop me if you’ve heard this before. A car company brings in a product that is clearly the class of the field and is loved by motoring journalists for the way it looks, drives and makes them feel. Everybody involved is ecstatic and anyone who knows anything about cars recommends it to their friends. Twelve months later, sales have slowed to a trickle and cars are taking root on showroom floors.
It’s a familiar tale to anyone who’s ever been involved in the car industry, yet the scenario repeats itself over and over as product planners and marketers try and fail to ignite the passions of car buyers despite having a good product to sell. What does any of this have to do with the all-new second-generation Ford S-Max? I’ll get to that a little later.
It may look similar to its predecessor but this is a brand new car. Ford has stuck pretty close to the original formula; a seven-seater with sleek bodywork and sporty handling, but they’ve worked on improving the details to make it more appealing. The engine for instance is the new 2.0-litre EcoBoost motor producing 237hp at 5500rpm and 345Nm from 2300-4500rpm, and instead of the Powershift dual-clutch transmission of its predecessor, there’s now a conventional six-speed auto.
Don’t bother looking for a seven-seat rival with similar power figures because even the Golf GTI-powered VW Sharan and TwinPower turbo-equipped BMW 220i Gran Tourer come up short of the Ford’s output. Claimed performance figures are 0-100km/h in 8.4 seconds and a 224km/h top speed which would befit a warm hatch, so performance comes standard.
As with any MPV (or SAV as Ford calls it), the interior plays a major role in attracting potential buyers so the designers have given the S-Max everything and more. There are 32 different seating combinations depending on the people-to-load carrying ratio, with push button fold-flat operation making it easy to configure each row. Those seated at the front can enjoy heated and cooled 8-way power massage seats, which apparently are able to keep your muscles and blood stimulated on long journeys.
Aside from the clever seats, there’s also Ford SYNC 2 with voice-activated connectivity and an 8-inch touch screen to play with that’s combined with steering wheel mounted controls. The system enhances safety by minimising the time a driver takes their eyes off the road and is backed up by active lane monitoring (Lane Keeping Alert and Aid), fatigue monitoring (Driver Alert) and active stability control. The S-Max also comes with seven airbags as standard and safety is further boosted by having ISOFIX mounts on all three second row chairs and a 5-Star EURO NCAP safety rating.
While I haven’t tested the car yet, experience with the previous S-Max as well as other Fords leads me to conclude it’ll be the most fun to drive seven-seater bar the smaller BMW 220i Gran Tourer. It’ll also provide lots of room for five adults (thanks to a 2849mm wheelbase and 4796mm length) with two more able to squeeze in at the back while carrying more than just a loaf of bread in the boot. In short, the all-new Ford S-Max should tick all the boxes an MPV buyer has on his/her list and then some.
But, I can also confidently predict it won’t be adding hundreds of units to Ford Malaysia’s annual sales figures. At RM234,988 it’s pricey for an MPV and almost impossibly so for a Ford not sporting an ST or RS badge. At that level, competition from premium brands is a real threat and while none offer the same level of space and kit, never underestimate the feel-good factor from driving a car with a more prestigious badge. Malaysians also have a love affair with grey-import JDM offerings like the Toyota Alphard/Vellfire and while the same money may get you a used unit with dodgy history and mileage, it’s easy to see the appeal of such a huge premium MPV.
Therefore, while it would be remiss of me to not congratulate Ford on the all-new S-Max and point out it’ll probably win several COTY awards this year for best MPV, in the real-world where real money is used to buy cars, the best way to get into Ford’s newest SAV is to either wait a few years and buy it used, or get one when the inevitable ‘special offers’ appear at the end of the year. At least there’ll be lots of great reviews coming in the next few months, so maybe the Blue Oval can use them as a salve to paint a rosy picture.