11 Jun 07
Obviously, I try to determine what the interrogator's budget is, what they mostly use the car for, annual mileage, etc. But if they've got around £20K to spend, I don't bother going into any great detail about the other options.
Trust me, I haven't fallen victim to some Ford payola, or had my critical faculties bought off by the lure of a free car. It's just that with six months of our allocated 12 under my belt, I'm already dreading the thought of losing the S-Max.
OK, as we've already established in previous reports, it is, with the 2.5 Duratec engine, very expensive to run. Trying to wring more than 25mpg out of it is about as futile as entering Jade Goody in Mastermind, but if you opt for a diesel such as the 2.0-litre Duratorq, you can get another 50% out of it, making it a more realistic proposition for average families.
But petrol-induced poverty aside, the S-Max is an ideal family car. Let's take a few examples. The first one is from a few weeks ago, in the middle of the hot spell we had at the end of April. Swinging by the local B&Q to look for some new garden furniture, we happened upon something of a bargain. There was a lovely hardwood set that consisted of a large oval table, six chairs and a large parasol that was perfect.
Even better was the fact that, even taking into consideration the amount of packaging involved, I didn't need to hire a van: just drop the rear two rows of seats and pile them all in. Yes, the extra weight meant that the S-Max lost a little of its nimbleness, but it still drove far better than any van.
