13 Dec 06
S-Max your life, say the adverts. Have fun; do wacky, extreme sports kinda stuff; get that adrenaline pumping.
Er, OK. So we've just taken delivery of a new S-Max and already I'm feeling a bit inadequate. It's a shame it doesn't come with free gym membership, because I'm already starting to worry that an overweight fortysomething father-of-two isn't the profile those ads - and the promotional films Ford has on 4Car - seem to be aiming at.
Then again, that's the world of marketing, which has about as much connection to the real world as Derek Acorah.
The reality is - extra padding around the midriff aside - I'm probably the right target market for an S-Max: family man, two kids, with the need to accommodate extra bodies (grandparents, children's friends, etc) for one-car journeys on a fairly regular basis. And someone who likes a sporty driving machine.
Because that's the S-Max's USP: it's the MPV with a little bit more TLC shown to its driving dynamics - which is one of the reasons it was recently crowned European Car of the Year.
Having driven different versions over the last few months, I'd got to know what it was capable of - so I'm looking forward to driving it for the next year.
