Anyone got experience of S-Max 2.5t?
Discussion
Dear PH'ers
Considering chopping in my old Landcruiser and an old M5 for something that will better support the family but still be interesting to drive. Be grateful for any shared experiences.
Is the S-Max good to drive? Does the throttle have decent weighting / progressive response? I've read it steers well, how so? Is the ride / road noise good for missus? Any issues in use or reliability (been reading about some of the early Focus 2.5's self destructing)? What is real world fuel consumption?
Thanks very much to anyone who can help.
Anwar
Considering chopping in my old Landcruiser and an old M5 for something that will better support the family but still be interesting to drive. Be grateful for any shared experiences.
Is the S-Max good to drive? Does the throttle have decent weighting / progressive response? I've read it steers well, how so? Is the ride / road noise good for missus? Any issues in use or reliability (been reading about some of the early Focus 2.5's self destructing)? What is real world fuel consumption?
Thanks very much to anyone who can help.
Anwar
Yes have driven a few times.
Excellent seating and driving position.
Great engine (same as ST)
Decent enough handling for something that size.
Very flexible in terms of seating and luggage holding.
Reliability I cannot comment on but would suspect it would be fine.
If it was me - I would get the diesel! It's never going to be a sports car and as you can imagine driving something of that size fast or quickly accelerating although can be fun does feel a little stupid. So although mpg isn't going to be ridiculous I would say early to mid 20s I would say you can get 40s in the diesel. If driven a little enthusiastically.
Ps try to go for the titanium models.
Excellent seating and driving position.
Great engine (same as ST)
Decent enough handling for something that size.
Very flexible in terms of seating and luggage holding.
Reliability I cannot comment on but would suspect it would be fine.
If it was me - I would get the diesel! It's never going to be a sports car and as you can imagine driving something of that size fast or quickly accelerating although can be fun does feel a little stupid. So although mpg isn't going to be ridiculous I would say early to mid 20s I would say you can get 40s in the diesel. If driven a little enthusiastically.
Ps try to go for the titanium models.
My sister has one for her brood and seems to like it. She has had to replace the indicator assembly on the column recently, but has been reliable for the 18 months she has owned it. Bad things is the MPG is not good ( lives in Windsor and sits in queues a lot) and £270 road tax. Other than that, she's happy with it. Hers is a 2008 , I believe.
My wife's got one - an 07 Titanium X which we've had since it was nearly new and it recently tipped over 30k.
It's been an excellent car - mechanically 100% reliable and needed nothing but routine servicing and a set of rear brake pads. The only niggles have been electrical with an iffy rear parking sensor and sat-nav which failed to operate on a couple of occasions. It has an appetite for front tyres though - seems to get through them in about 9k miles, but then it is a big heavy FWD car. Fuel consumption averages low to mid 20's, but that was a price I was willing to pay for it not being a 4-pot diesel.
It's pretty nippy and cruises well. We test drove other MPV's before buying it, and it's very true that dynamically it feels very close to a normal car, whereas many vehicles in this class seem to dive more like a van. However, don't expect it to feel chuckable like a hot hatch: we also have a Focus ST-260 Mountune which has the same T5 engine, and the vehicles are a world apart in performance and agility.
If you go for one I'd strongly recommend going to a titanium X - the panoramic roof, leather/alcantara interior, 18" wheels etc really lift the car. When the time comes to sell we'll get another S-Max, but disappointingly the 2.0 Powershift 240 which replaced it seems to be as rare as hens teeth, which may make the 2.2D the inevitable option.
If you've got any other specific questions feel free to mail.
Regards,
Gary.
It's been an excellent car - mechanically 100% reliable and needed nothing but routine servicing and a set of rear brake pads. The only niggles have been electrical with an iffy rear parking sensor and sat-nav which failed to operate on a couple of occasions. It has an appetite for front tyres though - seems to get through them in about 9k miles, but then it is a big heavy FWD car. Fuel consumption averages low to mid 20's, but that was a price I was willing to pay for it not being a 4-pot diesel.
It's pretty nippy and cruises well. We test drove other MPV's before buying it, and it's very true that dynamically it feels very close to a normal car, whereas many vehicles in this class seem to dive more like a van. However, don't expect it to feel chuckable like a hot hatch: we also have a Focus ST-260 Mountune which has the same T5 engine, and the vehicles are a world apart in performance and agility.
If you go for one I'd strongly recommend going to a titanium X - the panoramic roof, leather/alcantara interior, 18" wheels etc really lift the car. When the time comes to sell we'll get another S-Max, but disappointingly the 2.0 Powershift 240 which replaced it seems to be as rare as hens teeth, which may make the 2.2D the inevitable option.
If you've got any other specific questions feel free to mail.
Regards,
Gary.
Baddie said:
Thanks v much Gary, that was really helpful. The 240 BHP Ecoboost is also 4 cylinders I think and can't be as charismatic as the 2.5 with a T5 warble?
I think one has popped up at a local Ford dealer so will try to go for a spin.
I can confirm that the 2.0t 240hp Ecoboost model is pretty dull in comparison. It's decently quick though and the lack of noise doesn't bother me too much as my wife drives it 75% of the time. We're also managing to average 32-33mpg which I think is pretty decent for this type of car. I think one has popped up at a local Ford dealer so will try to go for a spin.
I too am in the position of looking for an S Max. A third child is imminent and the kiddy seat space necessary for our 5 and 3.5 year old means a 7 seater is inevitable.
Can anyone shed any light on what constitutes a "good deal"? I am looking at 8 - 12 month old dealer cars - 1 owner normally in the £20k range. Ideally I'd like a petrol but such is their rarity I would assume better deals are available on a diesel. I'd like all the toys (so Tit'm X or T X Sport)with Powershift, sat nav, heated seats and xenons as a minimum would be nice.
Do Ford do a service package (and indeed, is it worth it)? The large discounts available on new cars means I'm not really sure what the market price vs the screen price is.
Thanks in advance.
Can anyone shed any light on what constitutes a "good deal"? I am looking at 8 - 12 month old dealer cars - 1 owner normally in the £20k range. Ideally I'd like a petrol but such is their rarity I would assume better deals are available on a diesel. I'd like all the toys (so Tit'm X or T X Sport)with Powershift, sat nav, heated seats and xenons as a minimum would be nice.
Do Ford do a service package (and indeed, is it worth it)? The large discounts available on new cars means I'm not really sure what the market price vs the screen price is.
Thanks in advance.
Where are you located,I work for a dealer and would be happy to help...
Ah I see your in London, my dealer is slightly south of you but not too far! I will see if I have anything. Regarding service plans they are worth having but each dealer group has its own variation
Ah I see your in London, my dealer is slightly south of you but not too far! I will see if I have anything. Regarding service plans they are worth having but each dealer group has its own variation
Edited by AshCos on Tuesday 8th January 13:36
£17,250 secured our 12 month old 9K mile Panther Black Titanium X Sport 240 but that was from Motorpoint, not a Ford dealer. I’m up in Aberdeenshire and when my wife and I were looking last February the only one available within 200 miles was a silver one at a Ford dealer approx. 50 miles away priced at £19,500. No discount was offered at the time because the manager was not in the office that day, but the chap we dealt with reckoned we wouldn’t get much off due to the amount of interest in the car. My wife’s Passat was valued at £4,850. My wife wasn’t overly keen on silver so fortunately for her someone else was ahead of us in the queue and it was sold a couple of days later. We then spotted a lovely Panther Black one online at Motorpoint Derby. They delivered it to their Glasgow facility so we could look at it and take it for a test drive, and although they offered a little less for the Passat (£4,650) we were happy with the overall deal.
They’re great family cars and pretty decent to drive in Titanium X spec. 10 months on we’ve added 15,000 miles without a hiccup and the only cost has been an interim service at £132, although it’s now due it’s 25K service which I think is £165. It would also have needed front tyres a couple of months back (the original Michelins lasted 21K miles) but I fitted 4 x winters instead.
Hopefully this is of some help.
They’re great family cars and pretty decent to drive in Titanium X spec. 10 months on we’ve added 15,000 miles without a hiccup and the only cost has been an interim service at £132, although it’s now due it’s 25K service which I think is £165. It would also have needed front tyres a couple of months back (the original Michelins lasted 21K miles) but I fitted 4 x winters instead.
Hopefully this is of some help.
Thanks for the replies guys - much appreciated.
Ash - yes, I'm in London. I'll probably go to Dagenham Motors in Edgeware to have a nose around one and make sure my wife gets on with it. I'll then look on line and see where the deals are. So maybe I could let you know in a few weeks what the score is, if you can help, that would be great.
Pablo - you have the spec I want! Tit'm X Sport with a petrol engine. There are a few on line and the price you paid seems to be the ball park - thousands less than the equivalent diesel. My wife only does about 6 - 7k miles a year, so petrol is fine for me. Also, it's all city miles so I'd be concerned about DPF clogging on a modern diesel.
I like the idea of sub £200 services - having had an Audi (and previously 2 Boxsters) I'm used to a £500 bill before the bonnet's opened....
On another point, what's the boot space like with the rearmost seats in use? I was looking at a friends Touran and you wouldn't be able to get a wa-ff-er thin mint in there.
The Tit'm X Sport comes loaded and nav is a popular option these days so I'm sure I'll find the right one. Just see who offers the best px on my old but immaculate 55 plate Audi A4.
Ash - yes, I'm in London. I'll probably go to Dagenham Motors in Edgeware to have a nose around one and make sure my wife gets on with it. I'll then look on line and see where the deals are. So maybe I could let you know in a few weeks what the score is, if you can help, that would be great.
Pablo - you have the spec I want! Tit'm X Sport with a petrol engine. There are a few on line and the price you paid seems to be the ball park - thousands less than the equivalent diesel. My wife only does about 6 - 7k miles a year, so petrol is fine for me. Also, it's all city miles so I'd be concerned about DPF clogging on a modern diesel.
I like the idea of sub £200 services - having had an Audi (and previously 2 Boxsters) I'm used to a £500 bill before the bonnet's opened....
On another point, what's the boot space like with the rearmost seats in use? I was looking at a friends Touran and you wouldn't be able to get a wa-ff-er thin mint in there.
The Tit'm X Sport comes loaded and nav is a popular option these days so I'm sure I'll find the right one. Just see who offers the best px on my old but immaculate 55 plate Audi A4.
Dapster said:
Thanks for the replies guys - much appreciated.
Ash - yes, I'm in London. I'll probably go to Dagenham Motors in Edgeware to have a nose around one and make sure my wife gets on with it. I'll then look on line and see where the deals are. So maybe I could let you know in a few weeks what the score is, if you can help, that would be great.
Pablo - you have the spec I want! Tit'm X Sport with a petrol engine. There are a few on line and the price you paid seems to be the ball park - thousands less than the equivalent diesel. My wife only does about 6 - 7k miles a year, so petrol is fine for me. Also, it's all city miles so I'd be concerned about DPF clogging on a modern diesel.
I like the idea of sub £200 services - having had an Audi (and previously 2 Boxsters) I'm used to a £500 bill before the bonnet's opened....
On another point, what's the boot space like with the rearmost seats in use? I was looking at a friends Touran and you wouldn't be able to get a wa-ff-er thin mint in there.
The Tit'm X Sport comes loaded and nav is a popular option these days so I'm sure I'll find the right one. Just see who offers the best px on my old but immaculate 55 plate Audi A4.
Good luck with the search.Ash - yes, I'm in London. I'll probably go to Dagenham Motors in Edgeware to have a nose around one and make sure my wife gets on with it. I'll then look on line and see where the deals are. So maybe I could let you know in a few weeks what the score is, if you can help, that would be great.
Pablo - you have the spec I want! Tit'm X Sport with a petrol engine. There are a few on line and the price you paid seems to be the ball park - thousands less than the equivalent diesel. My wife only does about 6 - 7k miles a year, so petrol is fine for me. Also, it's all city miles so I'd be concerned about DPF clogging on a modern diesel.
I like the idea of sub £200 services - having had an Audi (and previously 2 Boxsters) I'm used to a £500 bill before the bonnet's opened....
On another point, what's the boot space like with the rearmost seats in use? I was looking at a friends Touran and you wouldn't be able to get a wa-ff-er thin mint in there.
The Tit'm X Sport comes loaded and nav is a popular option these days so I'm sure I'll find the right one. Just see who offers the best px on my old but immaculate 55 plate Audi A4.
I think ours was about £4K less than the equivalent diesel and despite averaging around 17-18K miles a year we were pretty much set on the petrol version after our first test drive. It was such a nice car to drive....very smooth and decently quick too. We are averaging 32-33mpg which I think is pretty decent for what it is.
I would have liked Nav as an option but pickings were slim when we were looking so we ended up without. Not a huge issue.
As you can imagine boot space is reduced somewhat when the seats are raised. I've just been out to the car and I reckon there's 18-20" between the bottom of the seat backs and the edge of the boot so definitely room for a few boxes of wa-ff-er thin mints.....or some soft bags and cases, or a couple of weeks food shopping, but not a lot else. Probably a bit more room than a Touran though.
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