06 Dec 07
A couple of weeks after getting back from France we used the S-Max on another long journey, this time to Cornwall. Some friends were having a big party in Falmouth to celebrate their quiet wedding a few weeks earlier, but it unfortunately clashed with the week of Falmouth Regatta, which made accommodation hard to come by. Luckily, I was able to borrow a Volkswagen California that we could park up on a nearby campsite, but the S-Max would still be handy for getting around when we got there.
And so it proved. After all, when you've got a camper van all hooked up, with your gear all spread out everywhere, the last thing you want is have to pack everything up just to go on a beer run or a trip to the local Asda for BBQ comestibles.
So that was a few summer holiday miles chalked up. The S-Max is definitely a ready cruiser, painlessly transporting the whole family in comfort and responding positively to everything we ask of it. And being a seven-seater, not only can the adaptable interior take four of us with loads of space for ourselves and our stuff, but when you get to the destination and unpack, there's room for a couple more friends or family members to join us on day trips.
Of course, it ain't cheap to run. That 2.5-litre petrol engine, even under my wife's light touch, is a thirsty beast. We managed to get a shade over 24mpg on some of the longer runs, but that soon disappeared when I started to exercise its engine at the higher end of the speedo.
It was interesting to compare the fuel economy (or lack of it) alongside the California, with its 2.5-litre TDI. The figures worked out to be pretty similar, but when you consider the huge weight disadvantage of the California, it throws the S-Max's figures into stark relief.
That said, if I ever get that lottery win I dream about every week, I'd still take one of each for my fantasy garage.
