13 Dec 07
I also never tired of looking at the S-Max. OK, that sounds a bit sad, even for a motoring journalist, but Ford's new kinetic design language, of which the S-Max was the first example, is gradually transforming the range. We've seen it in the new Mondeo this year, the newly refreshed Focus and the Verve concept at Frankfurt. By the time Martin Smith has finished, Ford will have a seriously good-looking line-up of cars.
Of course, the other thing about the S-Max's looks is that it puts almost every other MPV on European roads to shame. And then there's the US.
I went to the land of the free, home of the brave, a couple of times in 2007 and, despite having a good idea of what the American carmakers churn out in the name of automotive design, still couldn't believe just how ugly US minivans (what they call MPVs) are. And they're not going to get any prettier, if some of the concepts at last year's Detroit Motor Show are anything to go by.
So, having accentuated all the positives, I'm duty-bound to address the elephant in the corner: the S-Max's fuel consumption.
