06 Dec 07
We made good use of the S-Max while in France, going on day trips, taking it to the beach or local town and even using it, seats down, to take some of our hired bikes back. And of course, the boot swallowed all our stuff both there and back, including luggage, boogie boards, scooters and all the other paraphernalia involved in taking a family of four to the Continent for a week.
The weather even cleared up a bit and we had a few fairly warm days; the main thing was that we all had a thoroughly relaxing time - who knew that holidays in static caravans could be so enjoyable?
So we said goodbye to the Vendee and headed back to Cherbourg to catch our ferry, eating up the miles comfortably again. A trouble-free motoring experience and a good run-out for the S-Max. Perfect. Until my wife decided to stop at a pedestrian crossing a few hundred metres from the ferry port.
We'd both remarked how random pedestrian crossings seemed to be in France: sometimes drivers stopped, often they didn't. There's certainly no pedestrian right of way. So when she stopped for a pedestrian pushing a bike, literally within sight of the ship, we thought we were home and dry. Until we heard the tell-tale screech of tyres and felt the thud in the back of the car.
Getting out and fearing the worst, we were confronted by the sight of a beat-up old Citroen van and... nothing. No scratch, no dent: the S-Max was completely unmarked. The Citroen, driven by a lovely apologetic middle-aged Frenchwoman, had gone straight into the back of us, but the S-Max's bumper had absorbed the impact. It was a remarkable indication of how strong and absorbent modern bumpers are.
