When Ford launched its seven-seater S-Max a decade ago – calling it a 'sports activity vehicle' to differentiate it from the larger Galaxy – competing models were thin on the ground. Yet the second and current generation S-Max has lots of contenders with a stadium-style seating design. Continuing QUBE/just-auto's review of interior design and technology trends, we take a closer look inside the ST-Line to see what makes it stand out from the crowd.
Given that MPVs are all about cabin space, let's start on that front. There can be no denying that the S-Max is ideal for the school run, offering seats for seven people with no fewer than 32 seating and load-space combinations. Compared to other MPVs, the seating position feels slightly lower yet it doesn't feel like just another square family minibus.
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The 'Easy-Fold' system enables each of the second row rear seats to be folded flat using a push-button control panel in the boot. The third row seats can be folded flat by pulling a cord on the shoulder of either seat. All told, it took just seconds to fold flat five rear seats and not much longer to fold them back into the upright position. With all the seats down, it makes the perfect partner for a trip to Ikea and more than enough space for a student's clobber for university. Even with all the seats in use, there is still enough room to store shopping bags and the like in the boot.
While the driver and front seat passenger seats are comfortable and supportive, the rear seats feel firm and flat. The thin front seat backs do, however, provide more legroom in the back. Each of the three second row seats recline and slide, making knee room for third row occupants feel tight (hence a space for children rather than adults). They also come with individual Isofix points to tether seats for small children. Second row seat occupants can select their own climate settings with auxiliary controls and a dedicated climate system. Passenger comfort on long journeys is enhanced thanks to rear window sunblinds and seat trays.
Cars used for school runs can take a lot of hammering. Ford claims that the S-Max cabin materials can resist just about anything thrown at them thanks to some anti-stain coatings and durability testing, including soil and coffee applications. The carmaker's engineers have also gone to some lengths to meticulously simulate the punishment car interiors can receive from being snagged by zips and studs. For instance, a metal ball with needle-sharp spikes called a mace, just like the medieval weapon, is used to brush the fabrics 600 times.
"The S-Max interior offers a dynamic sanctuary," said Hak Soo Ha, Ford interior design manager. "It calms occupants with more storage options to keep clutter at bay and reassures with modern, elegant design and refinement, but at the same time stimulates with padded materials and a driver-focused cockpit. Driver confidence also is supported with an interior design that minimises window and mirror reflections for better visibility, and provides intuitive analogue controls."
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By GlobalDataContinuing the space theme, cubby holes are also wide, deep and plentiful. They include a media storage area incorporated into the centre stack, and concealed under-floor stowage behind the third row seats. A neat little cubby ahead of the gear stick is the perfect place to store a mobile phone. A lidded storage area is concealed in the top of the dash and a place to leave your sunglasses flips down from the overhead console. The dashboard itself has a matt-finish hard plastic that gives it a more functional than premium appearance.
Rear visibility is a little restricted although the parking sensors and camera view counter-balance this.
A panoramic sunroof gives the entire cabin an open and airy feel. Forward visibility is also good thanks to the thin A-pillars and extra front quarterlites. Rear visibility is a little restricted although the rear parking sensors and camera view counter-balance this.
Instrumentation
The traditional instrument cluster is replaced by a ten-inch digital screen with animated analogue-style speedometer and rev-counter. Positioned centre stage of the dash is an eight-inch touchscreen that enables drivers to control Ford Sync 3 with voice control to operate phone, entertainment, climate and navigation systems using simple voice commands. The voice control works by pushing a button on the steering wheel. Voice commands are rather limited but seemed to work well, all things considered. The sat-nav is also easy to set up although the mapping detail and graphics are not as crisp as others we've seen in this segment. Another button on the dash opens and closes the powered liftgate. This can also be operated by waving your foot beneath the rear bumper. There is no shortage of USB sockets to power up mobile devices.
Active and passive safety
The S-Max comes bristling with advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS). It uses camera, radar, and ultrasonic devices to provide Pre-Collision Assist (applies braking if a collision with another vehicle ahead is imminent) and makes parking easier. For example, perpendicular parking can detect and reverse the car hands-free into spaces alongside other cars in the same way that Active Park Assist helps drivers to parallel park. Further ADAS tech includes blind spot detection, adaptive cruise control, traffic sign recognition, lane keeping alert, lane keeping aid and driver alert. A front split-view camera also makes negotiating junctions or parking spaces with restricted visibility that much easier.
The S-Max body structure is three per cent stronger than its predecessor through the increased use of ultra-high-strength steel, and offers additional active safety features that include second-row seat side-airbags. Vehicle stability is enhanced with curve control and roll stability control systems that adjust engine torque and braking to help drivers maintain control.
Ford's MyKey technology helps parents encourage teenagers to drive responsibly. It means that parents can allow their older teenagers to drive a car using a special key that can block incoming phone calls; restrict top speed; prevent deactivation of driver assistance and safety features; reduce the maximum volume of the car's audio system and disable it altogether if any of the occupants are not wearing a seatbelt.
Active front steering
Active Front Steering (AFS) was developed and launched by BMW in 2003 and is fitted to a number of models, including the 3 and 5 Series. AFS varies the steering transmission ratio electronically in direct relation to the style and speed of driving and road conditions. Under normal road conditions at low and medium speeds, the steering becomes more direct, requiring less steering effort of the driver, increasing the car's agility in city traffic or when parking. At high speeds, the steering becomes less direct offering improved directional stability. When cornering at high speeds, or when undertaking sudden movements, the steering stiffens up by monitoring increases in the yaw rate.
Way back in September 2015 – during the IAA show in Frankfurt – Ford revealed that its second generation Edge will feature adaptive steering, making it easier for drivers to manoeuvre a vehicle at low speeds while making the vehicle more fun to drive and agile at high speeds. The system – created in collaboration with engineers from TKAG, a German automotive supplier – uses a precision-controlled actuator placed inside the steering wheel, and requires no change to a vehicle's traditional steering system. The actuator – an electric motor and gearing system – can essentially add to or subtract from a driver's steering inputs. The result is a better driving experience at all speeds, regardless of vehicle size or class. After rolling out on the 2016 Edge, the automaker says adaptive steering will be available for other Ford and Lincoln vehicles in the future. It was introduced in Europe, initially on S-Max and Galaxy.
On the road
The S-Max has both design appeal and practicality in spades. The version we took out last week was an ST-Line so fitted with lots of fancy gear to make driving it a pleasure. Despite a flat tyre that took us off road for over 24 hours, a nationwide mobile 'fast-fit' chain got us up and going again for the weekend. The wheel locking nut, incidentally, is concealed in a tray – along with the wheel jack and warning triangle – beneath a floor mat behind the driver's seat.
The S-Max comes with the same engines as the Galaxy, Mondeo and Edge. Ours was powered by a 2.0-litre diesel mated to a powershift dual-clutch automatic transmission. We also found it has a little more spirit than other MPVs, especially while overtaking. The powered, heated seats are heavily bolstered providing good support on twisting country roads. Lots of sound-deadening materials, improved door seals, and magnetic mass damper technology built into the roof to counteract vibration all make for a quieter cabin, too.
Tenneco supplies its continuously controlled electronic suspension system for the S-Max. Other component suppliers include ZF (electric parking brake), Ficosa (rearview mirrors), International Automotive Components (dashboard), Continental (tyres), Faurecia (emissions control system) and Saint-Gobain Sekurit (heated windscreen).
Stop press
Last week, Ford launched enhanced S-Max and Galaxy models. The improved technology offering includes ACC with Stop and Go functionality when combined with the eight-speed automatic; an enhanced version of Ford's Blind Spot Information System (BLIS) that can detect approaching vehicles at greater distance; and a new Ford ClearView Wiper System for improved visibility. Using new Variable Rear Range functionality, BLIS can now detect vehicles up to 18 metres behind. In addition, the new Ford ClearView Front Wiper System helps drivers clear a dirty windscreen more effectively using multiple washer-jets mounted within the wiper arm. For drivers of right-hand drive models, the electric parking brake switch in both models is relocated to the driver's side of the centre console. Drivers can also view vehicle information more clearly with a four-inch, LCD, colour instrument cluster display as standard. A ten-inch, customisable digital screen with animated analogue-style speedometer and rev-counter is also available. Active Noise Cancellation technology is now standard for S-Max Vignale models.
