I had a remapped 2.0 TD MK4 Mondeo wagon and much as though I love my current E46 330ci, I do miss the ability to waft along at 80mph getting 45mpg, and to get to 80mph pretty briskly (180bhp and 280lb/ft has that effect). Was a big car but with consideration could be made to go very quickly cross country on backroads, too. Should I get myself into a financial position to justify running two cars again, I think something big, with waft and lazy power (perhaps an E39 six pot diesel wagon with some tweaks to get more power) would compliment something small and fighty that you can drive at wide open throttle everywhere (Clio 182, MK1 Puma, etc) quite nicely.
Blessing is the zafira (at least the mk1) had a bit more legspace in the very back. I guess ford wanted to get away from the "rear seats are the crumple zone" thing with the zafira
My dad had borrowed his friend's zafira and I sat in the back going from Livingston to a caravan holiday in Fleetwood and took one of the back seats out for more boot space the seats were solid but never bothered me we could have done with a 7 seater at the time cos there was 6 of us in the house and cars we had were just 5 seaters
I had a Volvo S60 T5 with a 2.3litre version of that engine. It's an unrivalled masterpiece of reliability, effortlessness, speed and acceleration, and even economy. I could do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds but drive softly and I got about 38mpg. It was nigh-on perfect
A good point about the pull out load cover not having storage. We had the same problem with our Zafira,however we then got a Zafira tourer and that is a much better thought out car and the load cover has it’s own storage compartment. Nobody ever wants cars like these however once you’ve had one it’s hard to find the practicality they provide from anything else.
The camera lady is very skilled, very steady smooth panning and obviously has an eye for framing a shot. All this professionalism makes viewing your videos very enjoyable. ....She warrants a pay rise!
Great to see this review especially now we have Betty to compare it to. Ford really went on a winning run after the introduction of the Focus in 1998. The ride and handling became class leading but I've never sat in a Ford and felt that it's interior was made out of the best materials or oozed luxury and class. Great review as always, Hubnut doing what he does best.
I once rented a S Max in Germany, and the third and second row seats had full power folding, with switches in the rear cargo area. It also had automated self parallel parking.
I hired one of these on a family holiday in France. I’d regularly driven my father in law’s Vauxhall Zafira, & I’d hired various Voyagers, badged variously as Plymouth’s & Chrysler’s in Florida. I can safely say the S Max was the most pleasant to spend time in. Those parking sensors were excellent in the really tight caravan park we stayed in. The beeps came from the speakers in the direction of the obstacle, and helped avoid a few bumps! One of Ford’s best family movers…
The 90s Toyota Previa(Tarago here in Australia)was the last word in MPVs. I got mine to over an indicated 100 mph. And was still going strong at over 400000 km. The back row of seats were completely comfortable for adults and there was still masses of space for luggage.
Thanks for pointing out the left handed biased wipers. I’m currently on my 4th S-Max and have driven approx 80,000 mile in and never noticed. Now I am irritated by this! Seriously though, i am enjoying the content having recently subscribed. Thank you
These were a really nice design, and have stood the test of time. The c- max name was pretty cool too. As a five seater that's one really practical mode of transport.
Tich! I used to dog-sit for a friend's 'broken haired' Jack Russell - Peanut, lovely little fella and the fastest thing on four legs I've ever personally been acquainted with.
Same engine and M66 gearbox as my old V50 T5. Always liked the S-Max - definitely one of the most enjoyable family MPVs. Driven a few and they are really nice to drive. Great review Ian
An interesting review. I’ve always found Fords very easy to drive with good gear changes. They don’t have the character of some makes but they are reliable in my experience.
I had an Escort Mark 5. I found it a good car. And I liked the way you could tilt the angle of the driver seat. I have never found this function in any other car since then.
We have a 2014 S-max 2.0 td Zetec manual which we have had from nearly new which we are thinking about replacing. Teenagers have fledged. But we love the versatility of this car and the space. Total reliability in our ownership. Now at 90k miles. We just went to Norfolk in it and on the way back talked about buying a new or as new as possible S-max. Never tried the 2.5 5 petrol of the older model but these are really well made. I whole heartedly recommend them. Yes wipers are left hand drive but no problem. Excellent and versatile car. Handles ok too. Bit heavy on front tyres, expect 12-15,000 miles. Less probs on the 2.5 petrol.
I used to have a Fiat Stilo Abarth with the 2.4L 5 cylinder 170HP engine. On the rare occassions it actually worked, it had all the smoothness of a 4 Cylinder, and the fuel economy of a 6!
Had a 2.0 TDCI Titanium, covered over 100k in my ownership and I loved it. It did absolutely everything brilliantly. If I was careful it would just manage 60mpg. Imagine how cool they will look in a few years time. Could be a good option for a family man like you, Ian.
If you like these have a look at the Nissan Elgrands and Toyota Alphards and Vellfires. Loads of car for the money, but 3.5v6 petrol motors. Half the price of the alternatives though
I have a MK4 Mondeo TitaniumX with the same engine and love it, despite not seeing 30mpg on the computer. Mr Hubnut, you're welcome for a drive if you want
We've had a Galaxy for the last six years three kids and my old parents fit perfectly in it, the best car I've ever had, 170hp 2.2 diesel, the PSA engine. I don't get on with my local Ford dealer so I've been looking for a replacement vehicle from something that wasn't a blue oval, tried plenty of models and we've ultimately unanimously decided on an S-Max. These are Fords designed by the best Swedish engineers of their day, unlike the lesser C-Max, Torneo stuff.
Back on to autotrader again. Even the slight 5 cyl warble makes everything better. If I ever own a fawd it's going to be getting that badge, cracked me up 🤣
@@rimmersbryggeri between 2007 and 2011 it was a Mazda designed 2.0 indeed, but between 2011 and 2014 Volvo installed a 1.6 litre Ford Ecoboost in the lower range of its models. Arguably that is originally a Yamaha design.
Glad to see you finally driving an smax. The wipers are on the wrong way round the big one should be on driver side I have a 2010 2.0l tdci you should have a go in it
Like the styling, one of the most handsome MPV, even though I used to own a Scenic which I really liked. The neighbour had two in a run as a company car (TDi) so he must have been satisfied. Now his kids are bigger and he drives a Volvo XC60 hybrid.
Smax! The three middle row seats each slide back & forward independently, so you can get 'sufficient' room in the back row... Still a tight squeeze but our kids loved it back there. Also, all the seats fold flat so it turns into a five door van - mine swallowed sofas, cookers, cupboards, anything I could throw at it and even as a lowly diesel drove far better than it had any right to. A magnificent family motor.
Spot on! We’ve had ours since it was 16k on the clock, now getting on for 250k and still no serious mechanical issues. Far better than the Zafira B Sri we had before that, which needed a gearbox rebuild at 63k!
Yup mine has been a van on many occasions helped move houses moved a conservatory so handy. Also perfect car to do tip runs for a bit of cash something I might start doing.
Ah - the mk1 S-max is so cool, just gorgeous in a way only the Renault Espace could match - it could even make me consider buying a non-frech car(!!). This and the Fiesta of the same era are my two biggest Ford favorites of all time. And including the dogs as co-testpilots just made this video even more enjoyable!
Thankyou for tell me all about the car I have just accidentally purchased, I did not realise it was a 5 cylinder engine. I have to say my example is rather loud, so after hearing your report I shall have to check if I have some sort of an after market exhaust fitted to mine. It is quite 'boomy' and after a 10 hour drive in it I must admit to not liking it that much, although it did drive very well however I only got low 30s on fuel consumption. Thanks for the excellent timely video.
I’m almost considering doing it myself with our 250K tdci, it could probably do with a bit of a refresh - an egr and dpf delete would probably do it (and everyone behind me when I put my foot down) a world of good! 😂
I would like to see the pop bang brigade grow up and stop creating noise pollution. I like a sports exhaust as much as anyone but this trend is ridiculous.
I know they are everywhere and very common, but I would love to see you test a 107/C1/Aygo, with the loud and fun 3cylinder Daihatsu engine and one front wiper! That Boeing 747 handbrake is so cool!
I have a HUGE respect for Fords. The S Max was good enough but the 2009 Mondeo after this was fantastic and a real high point. My friends Dad had one in top spec Titanium X, and it was very well built and nice to travel in. Have had a lot of Fiestas, and they always punch above their weight. Personally I think they are hugely underrated, and often better than something from the VAG group of a similar time. 😊
Essex police used these (in 2.5 turbo mode) as traffic cars and dog vans. Great load carriers and superb handling for such a large car good for nearly 140mph . EU08VGC was the one i drove.
I had the same gen but the Galaxy, I've owned all sorts of nice cars but that Galaxy was one of the best, it was only the basic Zetec but it did everything, kids, dogs, house move, tip runs, holidays, I was really sorry to see it go after 5 years. The galaxy has a much better 3rd row of seats. Very well built as well.
I tend to look at anything post- about 2000 as too modern to really be interesting, but these reviews of cars in that sort of grey area between now-historic and "modern" reminds one that there are some more modern things that can be interesting.
Lovely car the S-Max. The newer ones have Dual Clutch box and that's amazing. But I heard they're plagued with reliability issues with the gear box, electrical and parts are quite expensive. The reasons I haven't got my hands on one even though i absolutely like driving it.
As long as you get the transmission fluid and filter changed every 40-60k miles there shouldn't be any reliability issues. £300 at a ford dealer tho 😥 Mine runs great at just over 100k
I believe that this may be the first real world test drive that I have ever watched. I can't remember a test drive in which testing the handling was restricted due to dogs in the back seats. So HubNut.
This car is to new don't get me good video and i love fords . I love seeing the old bangers on the channel especially the Rovers and old vauxhalls reminds me off my my childhood. I been watching a lot of your videos lately kind want a old Rover now lol.
Very useful review and yet another Blue Oval what has become of you? I've been considering one of these for a while and I cant have diesel so thisll be the one for me.
A great car the S-Max. So much better than any SUV out there. The Dad had a 07 Zetec one in Dark blue with the 1.8 diesel engine. He should really have went for the 2.0litre diesel but otherwise it was a great car and could easily carry 7 people as it did many times.
It's the same issue with the Peugeot 308 clap hand wipers, the passenger side blade was bigger than the drivers side, I fitted both sides with the same size as the passenger side and that worked OK
I was dreading this test since my daily is a dirty diesel one of these.... My parcel shelf permanently lives at home, with the factory tinted windows you don't need it really but yes, stupid design indeed! They also have a fun thing called an apple catcher that is essentially a spring loaded bar that goes from one side of the boot to the other because of a poor boot design where when you open the boot lid everything ends up on the road. You are also spot on about the wipers, as standard the longer blade is on the passenger side. It has to be this way also because they need to clear the auto wipers sensor behind the rear view mirror but you can change them to put a long blade on both sides. And with the engines, mine is the 2.0 TDCI, it is indeed a Peugeot as used in taxis, Volvos, Peugeots, Citroens and pretty much everything else haha, it gets it round well enough but sporty at 140BHP it is not. Nice review sir.
Get it remapped, a simple generic map (Celtic tuning, et Al) will get you to north of 170bhp and 270lb/ft, with a far earlier turbo spool up and it makes boost later in the rev range too - giving it about 3000rpm of real, usable shove, not the standard 1500, which makes it significantly more flexible in gear. A few hundred quid to get done, and then just make sure you keep it well serviced as it's running a little harder than standard. Had that engine in a Mondeo and the remap made it far more engaging to drive because you suddenly had more options from the increased tractability of the engine.
@@Beany2007FTW funny the 140ps and the 163ps version of the PSA engines in the Ford will both remap to the same figure. 170ps is good for the 140 the 163 is obviously near its limits already.
I had an S-Max for nearly 7 years 130k on clock when I sold it, absolute brilliant car, I personally think the best MPV. Although mine was the 1.8 diesel version I fitted a tuning box on it to give it more power.
Well done Ian another excellent review I borrowed a top of the range s max titanium x which was the dealer principals car at Bristol street redditch when my focus was in for an extended period due to a clutch issue I agree with you was a lovely spacious cruiser and the engine was outstanding mine had leather and all the toys and I enjoyed driving it not the easiest to park in shopping malls or supermarkets but on a run it was great I would happily recommend one to anyone. The handbrake was a great piece of design I agree with you it was a great era for Ford and some great cars the mk7 fiesta the focus and a massive move away from as you say the mk4 escort I was not a fan either though the mk3 fiesta was a great car
Ian, I think you're recalling the 2.3 liter 20 valve Volvo Turbo engine from the 850 series. At low revs when punched into kickdown before the turbo has spooled sufficiently it was quite chortley. They have a bit of a V8 snarl to them as they climb the revs but it's different sound. I was always surprized how neck snappingly zingy the 240 hp 850 engine was, even when fed through the automatic transmission.
Had a Renault Scenic - very similar idea, incredibly well thought interior, 7 seat models existing bla bla bla. As a bachelor it was still perfect, I could fit everything in it with rear seats removed, just like a van. The fuel mpg wasn't great even on a 1.6L. The real problem was reliability and the amount ££££ it required to pass MOTs every year. Replaced it with a Ka, didn't regret it.
I nearly bought an S-Max in 2011, but discovered there was no spare wheel, and nowhere to put one. I went for a Mazda 5 instead, as it was nicer to drive and had a spare wheel. During the 10 years of owning the Mazda I've never had a puncture, but I have seen 3 stranded S-Maxes waiting for recovery with flat tyres. The Mazda has now done 160k and has proven to be a great car, apart from the annoying DPF. As regular users of the third row seats the load cover was in the house taking up space, so I sold it on eBay.
I worked in a dealership and very briefly drove one, the handbrake certainly is a unique design. Although from my experience it felt flimsy, could have been a result of over enthusiastic use by previous owner.
Had two of the 2.5t, both 56 plate Titaniums, both had oil starvation issues 😵💫, one had to have an engine rebuilt after it sharted its timing belt... still, didn't put me off a third, now got an 11 plate 2.0t ecoboost with 237bhp and all the toys, marginally faster, but I miss the 2.5 sound. As others have said, they're ridiculously practical, I've had full wardrobes, full height freezers, 7 people plus Xmas shopping. Just make sure your front tyres are decent as it'll lunch cheap ones.
And they also put that 5-pot Volvo turbo engine in the Mondeo too, which are very popular with police forces as covert surveillance vehicles... There was a more sporty version of the S-Max 2.5T, which Fifth Gear tested and proved that you can get 7 people in it, drive it at 100mph on a race track, Rockingham if I remember right, and make your passengers thoroughly sick. The second row of seats can be slid and locked further forward to give the third row passengers a decent amount of leg room. This version, however, is the Titanium, which was the top of the range for the turbo petrol unlike the rest of the range where there was a Titanium X, so it is a bit more toned down to focus on the comfort side a bit more. The heated and cooled half leather and alcantara seats, which were standard in the Titanium X, were available on the turbo Titanium as an option, as were the sporty 18 inch wheels which do rather reduce the ride comfort, as memory serves standard fit was either 17, or maybe 16 inch with taller tyre side walls that did make the vehicle ride a lot more quietly and smoothly. The 18s were standard fit on the more sporty version, the Zetec if I remember correctly, which tends to be the most common version of these around now as they were popular with a number of police authorities as traffic vehicles and also with a number of ambulance services as rapid response paramedic vehicles. One of these S-Maxes used to be one of the starring cars in one of the fly-on-the-wall traffic police series until eventually getting written off in a pursuit when far beyond the age that most traffic vehicles get retired. These really didn't sell very well to the general public as they were rather expensive to buy new and, being from the emissions tax era, they are expensive to tax. This car probably started off life as a demonstrator for Hendy Ford, as I remember them having a Colorado Red S-Max Titanium 2.5T when I was doing a bit of helping out for them during operational changes, a vehicle which I drove a fair few times as it was being used by one of the management accountants, and it was a lot of fun to drive for such a big vehicle, though it really did seem to shrink around you when you drove it so it never felt like it was a great big boat of a vehicle, which was a huge change from most 7-seater full size MPVs, and, as you said, despite the power it was very far from having dipsomania in normal use...
My cousin had one but when he changed jobs and was doing more miles brought the diesel both were great cars and is diesel one was no slouch either but 20mpg better on fuel but loved the smoothness of his 5 pot
I had a 1.8 TDCi, the seat belt buckles in the back rattled like castanets over bumps if you didn't tuck them in between the seat cushions. Decent steer and very practical but cost me too much money in repairs in the end.
I had a usa spec Ford Focus with all that silver trim..,i put a wood kit in and it became positively posh! Drove it 13 years and just recently gave it to my nephew who drives it to work every day!
![ARGENTINA vs. BOLIVIA [6-0] | RESUMEN | ELIMINATORIAS SUDAMERICANAS | FECHA 10](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/C3wPtKNbAOA/mqdefault.jpg)
Am I the only one, who doesn't have kids, but absolutely loves big cars?. Just so much space, comfort and practicality.
I once bought a C Max without having kids just for my bikes really, it was just driving a bigger Focus.
no
I had a remapped 2.0 TD MK4 Mondeo wagon and much as though I love my current E46 330ci, I do miss the ability to waft along at 80mph getting 45mpg, and to get to 80mph pretty briskly (180bhp and 280lb/ft has that effect). Was a big car but with consideration could be made to go very quickly cross country on backroads, too.
Should I get myself into a financial position to justify running two cars again, I think something big, with waft and lazy power (perhaps an E39 six pot diesel wagon with some tweaks to get more power) would compliment something small and fighty that you can drive at wide open throttle everywhere (Clio 182, MK1 Puma, etc) quite nicely.
No, not by a country mile.
I completely agree, Baron! - There is no substitue to cubic inches - on the inside ;)
We had two of these in 2.0 TDCi manual form as Motability cars. Fantastically versatile, capable and underrated vehicles.
I sat in the back of a Zafira from West Lothian to Alton Towers. That was exciting. At least I could reach the beer
The Zafira also has that spade handle style handbrake.
Blessing is the zafira (at least the mk1) had a bit more legspace in the very back. I guess ford wanted to get away from the "rear seats are the crumple zone" thing with the zafira
My dad had borrowed his friend's zafira and I sat in the back going from Livingston to a caravan holiday in Fleetwood and took one of the back seats out for more boot space the seats were solid but never bothered me we could have done with a 7 seater at the time cos there was 6 of us in the house and cars we had were just 5 seaters
SMax that I had was a beauty and is still going strong with the guy I sold it to .
I had a Volvo S60 T5 with a 2.3litre version of that engine. It's an unrivalled masterpiece of reliability, effortlessness, speed and acceleration, and even economy. I could do 0-60 in 6.5 seconds but drive softly and I got about 38mpg. It was nigh-on perfect
My brother has one (2L 4cyl.), I also drove a few long distances with that S-Max, a lovely car.
A good point about the pull out load cover not having storage.
We had the same problem with our Zafira,however we then got a Zafira tourer and that is a much better thought out car and the load cover has it’s own storage compartment.
Nobody ever wants cars like these however once you’ve had one it’s hard to find the practicality they provide from anything else.
Yeah, had a Zafira-A 11 years now after "not wanting one"... 320,000 miles and still going strong.
The camera lady is very skilled, very steady smooth panning and obviously has an eye for framing a shot. All this professionalism makes viewing your videos very enjoyable. ....She warrants a pay rise!
Had this engine in my wife's Kuga. Fabulous car...!!!
Well the Zafira did really set the roads alight 😁😁😁🔥🔥🔥
GM are great at creating self igniting cars. Their recent new EV can't even be parked inside a garage as the battery self combusts
A Northern Irish Ford, not long after the Betty videos, you're turning into a Ford fan boy Ian! :D
When we hit rock bottom, there is only one way to go. UP!!!
Wishing you all the best Ian.
So much better than the SUV's nowadays with their tiny boots, a proper family car hey Mr HubNut.
Great to see this review especially now we have Betty to compare it to. Ford really went on a winning run after the introduction of the Focus in 1998. The ride and handling became class leading but I've never sat in a Ford and felt that it's interior was made out of the best materials or oozed luxury and class.
Great review as always, Hubnut doing what he does best.
I’ve owned my ‘06 2.5t smax for 6 yrs now.. love it!! even when it’s broken!!👍
With the sun in front I could hardly see much but still love your videos
I once rented a S Max in Germany, and the third and second row seats had full power folding, with switches in the rear cargo area. It also had automated self parallel parking.
I know a guy who ownes one of these, he loves it.
Seems like ideal Hubnut family transport and the dashboard binnacle and dials looked really cool.
I hired one of these on a family holiday in France. I’d regularly driven my father in law’s Vauxhall Zafira, & I’d hired various Voyagers, badged variously as Plymouth’s & Chrysler’s in Florida. I can safely say the S Max was the most pleasant to spend time in. Those parking sensors were excellent in the really tight caravan park we stayed in. The beeps came from the speakers in the direction of the obstacle, and helped avoid a few bumps! One of Ford’s best family movers…
Nice to see another Northern Irish reg on Hubnut - Co Antrim this time!
The 90s Toyota Previa(Tarago here in Australia)was the last word in MPVs. I got mine to over an indicated 100 mph. And was still going strong at over 400000 km. The back row of seats were completely comfortable for adults and there was still masses of space for luggage.
So, a lot slower than this Ford. How is that ‘the last word’.
The Ford will be rooted after less than 200000 Kms
Thanks for pointing out the left handed biased wipers. I’m currently on my 4th S-Max and have driven approx 80,000 mile in and never noticed. Now I am irritated by this! Seriously though, i am enjoying the content having recently subscribed. Thank you
You need Griff Rhys Jones to demonstrate all the different seat combinations
1980 Metro?
Hi I had a focus c max good cars I use to enjoy driving from London to Wales the best drive anyway great video keep up with the good work
"dribble wipe". I've done it a million times but didn't know there was a word for that.
Thanks Mr. H,never knew these had the 5 pot. Could be a good stable mate to my '97 T5 Wagon. Start the search...
My dad rented one of these a couple of years ago to go to Exeter and it was absolutely lovely spacious as hell could probably sleep quite well in it😂
Brilliant video Ian 👍
These were a really nice design, and have stood the test of time. The c- max name was pretty cool too. As a five seater that's one really practical mode of transport.
Tich! I used to dog-sit for a friend's 'broken haired' Jack Russell - Peanut, lovely little fella and the fastest thing on four legs I've ever personally been acquainted with.
Same engine and M66 gearbox as my old V50 T5. Always liked the S-Max - definitely one of the most enjoyable family MPVs. Driven a few and they are really nice to drive. Great review Ian
An interesting review. I’ve always found Fords very easy to drive with good gear changes. They don’t have the character of some makes but they are reliable in my experience.
I had an Escort Mark 5. I found it a good car. And I liked the way you could tilt the angle of the driver seat. I have never found this function in any other car since then.
Citroen BX has that on most models. C5 too. Which was nice.
Never seen a BMW without seat tilt, has to be a very old or poverty spec one if that would be the case, methinks.
We have a 2014 S-max 2.0 td Zetec manual which we have had from nearly new which we are thinking about replacing. Teenagers have fledged. But we love the versatility of this car and the space. Total reliability in our ownership. Now at 90k miles. We just went to Norfolk in it and on the way back talked about buying a new or as new as possible S-max. Never tried the 2.5 5 petrol of the older model but these are really well made. I whole heartedly recommend them. Yes wipers are left hand drive but no problem. Excellent and versatile car. Handles ok too. Bit heavy on front tyres, expect 12-15,000 miles. Less probs on the 2.5 petrol.
I used to have a Fiat Stilo Abarth with the 2.4L 5 cylinder 170HP engine. On the rare occassions it actually worked, it had all the smoothness of a 4 Cylinder, and the fuel economy of a 6!
Just look at how accessible that engine is! Must be a joy to work on!
Had a 2.0 TDCI Titanium, covered over 100k in my ownership and I loved it. It did absolutely everything brilliantly. If I was careful it would just manage 60mpg. Imagine how cool they will look in a few years time. Could be a good option for a family man like you, Ian.
I'll probably never need a 7 seater, but I love the idea of one of these
Me too! Allthough I might come up with some good excuse to own one.... :D
If you like these have a look at the Nissan Elgrands and Toyota Alphards and Vellfires. Loads of car for the money, but 3.5v6 petrol motors. Half the price of the alternatives though
Same.
You are correct about 2.0 diesel. It is a PSA design and is a good and reliable engine (The same can not be said about the 1.8)
I have a MK4 Mondeo TitaniumX with the same engine and love it, despite not seeing 30mpg on the computer. Mr Hubnut, you're welcome for a drive if you want
We've had a Galaxy for the last six years three kids and my old parents fit perfectly in it, the best car I've ever had, 170hp 2.2 diesel, the PSA engine. I don't get on with my local Ford dealer so I've been looking for a replacement vehicle from something that wasn't a blue oval, tried plenty of models and we've ultimately unanimously decided on an S-Max. These are Fords designed by the best Swedish engineers of their day, unlike the lesser C-Max, Torneo stuff.
Back on to autotrader again. Even the slight 5 cyl warble makes everything better. If I ever own a fawd it's going to be getting that badge, cracked me up 🤣
Remember this. I think the S Max is very cool and underrated
Oooh, a county Antrim reg
didn't expect to see an NI car on your channel
Engine makes sense in a car that big. People carriers have a purpose, unlike SUVs 🙃
A Ford with a five pot Volvo engine, that's better than the other way around. I have a Volvo with a Ford engine...
Not a mazda engine then? That's what they usually were if not peugeot.
My lad had one of they: V70 2.0D. Amazingly frugal, mind. 900+ miles per tank.
I have an LDV Convoy with a 2.4 Ford engine and it destroyed its flywheel and starter motor.
@@rimmersbryggeri between 2007 and 2011 it was a Mazda designed 2.0 indeed, but between 2011 and 2014 Volvo installed a 1.6 litre Ford Ecoboost in the lower range of its models. Arguably that is originally a Yamaha design.
@@volvo480 Ok I see. At least it's not the Mitsubishi GDI they used in the s/v40. I thought all the ecoboost l4 engines were based on the Mazda l.
Much as i like my Fords I always thought the front end of these was too much like a giant mk1 Ka..great vid.."come on the Fords"..Best wishes
Glad to see you finally driving an smax. The wipers are on the wrong way round the big one should be on driver side I have a 2010 2.0l tdci you should have a go in it
Like the styling, one of the most handsome MPV, even though I used to own a Scenic which I really liked. The neighbour had two in a run as a company car (TDi) so he must have been satisfied. Now his kids are bigger and he drives a Volvo XC60 hybrid.
I've got a 56 2.0tdci I love it handles quite well for a big car aswell good fun as dad mobile
Smax! The three middle row seats each slide back & forward independently, so you can get 'sufficient' room in the back row... Still a tight squeeze but our kids loved it back there.
Also, all the seats fold flat so it turns into a five door van - mine swallowed sofas, cookers, cupboards, anything I could throw at it and even as a lowly diesel drove far better than it had any right to. A magnificent family motor.
Spot on! We’ve had ours since it was 16k on the clock, now getting on for 250k and still no serious mechanical issues. Far better than the Zafira B Sri we had before that, which needed a gearbox rebuild at 63k!
Yup mine has been a van on many occasions helped move houses moved a conservatory so handy. Also perfect car to do tip runs for a bit of cash something I might start doing.
Ah - the mk1 S-max is so cool, just gorgeous in a way only the Renault Espace could match - it could even make me consider buying a non-frech car(!!). This and the Fiesta of the same era are my two biggest Ford favorites of all time. And including the dogs as co-testpilots just made this video even more enjoyable!
Yup and as the 2.5 5cyl is cool, I have to say the 350z engine in a Renault Espace is even cooler
Thankyou for tell me all about the car I have just accidentally purchased, I did not realise it was a 5 cylinder engine. I have to say my example is rather loud, so after hearing your report I shall have to check if I have some sort of an after market exhaust fitted to mine. It is quite 'boomy' and after a 10 hour drive in it I must admit to not liking it that much, although it did drive very well however I only got low 30s on fuel consumption. Thanks for the excellent timely video.
I think ‘Titch’ 🐶 appreciated the air-con more than anything else. 😁
The handbrake reminded me a lot of the Alfa 75's handbrake only that the Alfas was placed vertically instead of horizontally as in the Ford
Remember it well from my two.
I would love to see the pop bang brigade put an anti-lag map and straight through exhaust on one of these. Might scare a few ppl on the school run 😂
I’m almost considering doing it myself with our 250K tdci, it could probably do with a bit of a refresh - an egr and dpf delete would probably do it (and everyone behind me when I put my foot down) a world of good! 😂
I would like to see the pop bang brigade grow up and stop creating noise pollution. I like a sports exhaust as much as anyone but this trend is ridiculous.
I know they are everywhere and very common, but I would love to see you test a 107/C1/Aygo, with the loud and fun 3cylinder Daihatsu engine and one front wiper!
That Boeing 747 handbrake is so cool!
I have a HUGE respect for Fords. The S Max was good enough but the 2009 Mondeo after this was fantastic and a real high point. My friends Dad had one in top spec Titanium X, and it was very well built and nice to travel in. Have had a lot of Fiestas, and they always punch above their weight. Personally I think they are hugely underrated, and often better than something from the VAG group of a similar time. 😊
Hi another good review and road test
Essex police used these (in 2.5 turbo mode) as traffic cars and dog vans. Great load carriers and superb handling for such a large car good for nearly 140mph . EU08VGC was the one i drove.
I had the same gen but the Galaxy, I've owned all sorts of nice cars but that Galaxy was one of the best, it was only the basic Zetec but it did everything, kids, dogs, house move, tip runs, holidays, I was really sorry to see it go after 5 years. The galaxy has a much better 3rd row of seats. Very well built as well.
sounds like the perfect van for me
I tend to look at anything post- about 2000 as too modern to really be interesting, but these reviews of cars in that sort of grey area between now-historic and "modern" reminds one that there are some more modern things that can be interesting.
I think you have to have a sliding scale with what constitutes "Too modern" Otherwise you tend to run out of cost effective daily drivers.
I like the S Max, an ex work colleague had one that he loved.
Lovely car the S-Max. The newer ones have Dual Clutch box and that's amazing. But I heard they're plagued with reliability issues with the gear box, electrical and parts are quite expensive. The reasons I haven't got my hands on one even though i absolutely like driving it.
As long as you get the transmission fluid and filter changed every 40-60k miles there shouldn't be any reliability issues. £300 at a ford dealer tho 😥 Mine runs great at just over 100k
Yes, the 2.5T is a great engine, albeit slightly thirsty. My dad has an old XC70 and it just goes in every gear, as you said.
I believe that this may be the first real world test drive that I have ever watched. I can't remember a test drive in which testing the handling was restricted due to dogs in the back seats. So HubNut.
I've got its bigger brother a 2.8 V6 Galaxy. I love it
This car is to new don't get me good video and i love fords . I love seeing the old bangers on the channel especially the Rovers and old vauxhalls reminds me off my my childhood. I been watching a lot of your videos lately kind want a old Rover now lol.
that third row is quite well integrated
Very useful review and yet another Blue Oval what has become of you? I've been considering one of these for a while and I cant have diesel so thisll be the one for me.
Yeah and the 2.0 diesel from 2014 does a real 50+ mpg on holiday runs. Looks great in that red too.
A great car the S-Max. So much better than any SUV out there. The Dad had a 07 Zetec one in Dark blue with the 1.8 diesel engine. He should really have went for the 2.0litre diesel but otherwise it was a great car and could easily carry 7 people as it did many times.
It's the same issue with the Peugeot 308 clap hand wipers, the passenger side blade was bigger than the drivers side, I fitted both sides with the same size as the passenger side and that worked OK
I was dreading this test since my daily is a dirty diesel one of these....
My parcel shelf permanently lives at home, with the factory tinted windows you don't need it really but yes, stupid design indeed! They also have a fun thing called an apple catcher that is essentially a spring loaded bar that goes from one side of the boot to the other because of a poor boot design where when you open the boot lid everything ends up on the road.
You are also spot on about the wipers, as standard the longer blade is on the passenger side. It has to be this way also because they need to clear the auto wipers sensor behind the rear view mirror but you can change them to put a long blade on both sides.
And with the engines, mine is the 2.0 TDCI, it is indeed a Peugeot as used in taxis, Volvos, Peugeots, Citroens and pretty much everything else haha, it gets it round well enough but sporty at 140BHP it is not.
Nice review sir.
Get it remapped, a simple generic map (Celtic tuning, et Al) will get you to north of 170bhp and 270lb/ft, with a far earlier turbo spool up and it makes boost later in the rev range too - giving it about 3000rpm of real, usable shove, not the standard 1500, which makes it significantly more flexible in gear. A few hundred quid to get done, and then just make sure you keep it well serviced as it's running a little harder than standard.
Had that engine in a Mondeo and the remap made it far more engaging to drive because you suddenly had more options from the increased tractability of the engine.
@@Beany2007FTW yeah often thought about it but never get round to it.... had it three years already as well so no excuse ha ha 🤣
@@Beany2007FTW funny the 140ps and the 163ps version of the PSA engines in the Ford will both remap to the same figure. 170ps is good for the 140 the 163 is obviously near its limits already.
I had an S-Max for nearly 7 years 130k on clock when I sold it, absolute brilliant car, I personally think the best MPV. Although mine was the 1.8 diesel version I fitted a tuning box on it to give it more power.
The S-Max was genius. A family car that drives like a sporty hatch. And married to that burbling 5 cylinder, brilliant!
Well done Ian another excellent review I borrowed a top of the range s max titanium x which was the dealer principals car at Bristol street redditch when my focus was in for an extended period due to a clutch issue
I agree with you was a lovely spacious cruiser and the engine was outstanding mine had leather and all the toys and I enjoyed driving it not the easiest to park in shopping malls or supermarkets but on a run it was great I would happily recommend one to anyone. The handbrake was a great piece of design
I agree with you it was a great era for Ford and some great cars the mk7 fiesta the focus and a massive move away from as you say the mk4 escort I was not a fan either though the mk3 fiesta was a great car
Ian, I think you're recalling the 2.3 liter 20 valve Volvo Turbo engine from the 850 series. At low revs when punched into kickdown before the turbo has spooled sufficiently it was quite chortley. They have a bit of a V8 snarl to them as they climb the revs but it's different sound. I was always surprized how neck snappingly zingy the 240 hp 850 engine was, even when fed through the automatic transmission.
I bet Miss Hubnut likes this car!
Had a Renault Scenic - very similar idea, incredibly well thought interior, 7 seat models existing bla bla bla. As a bachelor it was still perfect, I could fit everything in it with rear seats removed, just like a van. The fuel mpg wasn't great even on a 1.6L.
The real problem was reliability and the amount ££££ it required to pass MOTs every year.
Replaced it with a Ka, didn't regret it.
I nearly bought an S-Max in 2011, but discovered there was no spare wheel, and nowhere to put one. I went for a Mazda 5 instead, as it was nicer to drive and had a spare wheel. During the 10 years of owning the Mazda I've never had a puncture, but I have seen 3 stranded S-Maxes waiting for recovery with flat tyres. The Mazda has now done 160k and has proven to be a great car, apart from the annoying DPF. As regular users of the third row seats the load cover was in the house taking up space, so I sold it on eBay.
I worked in a dealership and very briefly drove one, the handbrake certainly is a unique design. Although from my experience it felt flimsy, could have been a result of over enthusiastic use by previous owner.
Zafira mk1 is the best people carrier I've owned, it just never went wrong and was abused daily for years.
Had two of the 2.5t, both 56 plate Titaniums, both had oil starvation issues 😵💫, one had to have an engine rebuilt after it sharted its timing belt... still, didn't put me off a third, now got an 11 plate 2.0t ecoboost with 237bhp and all the toys, marginally faster, but I miss the 2.5 sound. As others have said, they're ridiculously practical, I've had full wardrobes, full height freezers, 7 people plus Xmas shopping. Just make sure your front tyres are decent as it'll lunch cheap ones.
Nice motor, not seen many with the 2.5T engine most are 2.0 diesel. 😯🤔
And they also put that 5-pot Volvo turbo engine in the Mondeo too, which are very popular with police forces as covert surveillance vehicles...
There was a more sporty version of the S-Max 2.5T, which Fifth Gear tested and proved that you can get 7 people in it, drive it at 100mph on a race track, Rockingham if I remember right, and make your passengers thoroughly sick. The second row of seats can be slid and locked further forward to give the third row passengers a decent amount of leg room. This version, however, is the Titanium, which was the top of the range for the turbo petrol unlike the rest of the range where there was a Titanium X, so it is a bit more toned down to focus on the comfort side a bit more. The heated and cooled half leather and alcantara seats, which were standard in the Titanium X, were available on the turbo Titanium as an option, as were the sporty 18 inch wheels which do rather reduce the ride comfort, as memory serves standard fit was either 17, or maybe 16 inch with taller tyre side walls that did make the vehicle ride a lot more quietly and smoothly. The 18s were standard fit on the more sporty version, the Zetec if I remember correctly, which tends to be the most common version of these around now as they were popular with a number of police authorities as traffic vehicles and also with a number of ambulance services as rapid response paramedic vehicles. One of these S-Maxes used to be one of the starring cars in one of the fly-on-the-wall traffic police series until eventually getting written off in a pursuit when far beyond the age that most traffic vehicles get retired. These really didn't sell very well to the general public as they were rather expensive to buy new and, being from the emissions tax era, they are expensive to tax. This car probably started off life as a demonstrator for Hendy Ford, as I remember them having a Colorado Red S-Max Titanium 2.5T when I was doing a bit of helping out for them during operational changes, a vehicle which I drove a fair few times as it was being used by one of the management accountants, and it was a lot of fun to drive for such a big vehicle, though it really did seem to shrink around you when you drove it so it never felt like it was a great big boat of a vehicle, which was a huge change from most 7-seater full size MPVs, and, as you said, despite the power it was very far from having dipsomania in normal use...
My cousin had one but when he changed jobs and was doing more miles brought the diesel both were great cars and is diesel one was no slouch either but 20mpg better on fuel but loved the smoothness of his 5 pot
Great video
I had a 1.8 TDCi, the seat belt buckles in the back rattled like castanets over bumps if you didn't tuck them in between the seat cushions. Decent steer and very practical but cost me too much money in repairs in the end.
These were actually pretty cool cars. Unfortunately all of the people carriers were replaced by hideous SUV's
Cool car, cool video. The 'broken coat hangers' on headrests are for kids tablets to click into
I drive smax myself ..bloody great ol machine ..
Nice interior Ian but I hate the silver trim and buttons, otherwise an interesting car never the less.
I had a usa spec Ford Focus with all that silver trim..,i put a wood kit in and it became positively posh! Drove it 13 years and just recently gave it to my nephew who drives it to work every day!
I had a 20ltr diesel turbo smax .it was the dogs bollox and the proper show off handbrake ha . It was great.
A 20ltr ? Wow what a beast ;)
I had the 2.0 148 diesel not a bad car. Nice to see a Northern ireland car on the Channel
Thats the first thing i noticed as well. Lol
Never realised these were so versatile.
Another classic wiper moment we never saw this car in Australia
Great Content and what a Proper Dark Horse Car 👍