Ford’s new MPV
Ford will formally unveil the S-MAX - the production version of the SAV concept car - at the Geneva Motor Show at the end of the month, but here are some shots of it, undisguised bar black tape over its badge, out on final testing. The S-MAX will be positioned in the Ford range below the full-sized Galaxy, but as a sporty, roomier alternative to the conventional Mondeo saloons and estates. A new-generation Galaxy, on the same underpinnings, will follow later in the year.
Built on the next-generation Mondeo platform - to be shared with the new Galaxy, new Land Rover Freelander and Volvo XC50 - the S-MAX is a seven-seater with flat-folding rear seats similar to those of the smaller Focus C-MAX. Ford intends it to be sporty, with many details from the SAV making it on to the finished car, including the vents at the rear of the front wheel arches. Given the Freelander connection, it's likely that four-wheel drive versions of S-MAX will eventually be offered. Expected engines include the Volvo 2.3 and 2.4, some turbocharged, plus versions of the 2.0 petrol and TDCi diesel as in the latest Focus, and the 2.7 V6 diesel as in the Jaguar S-Type.
