Used Ford S-Max MPV 2006 - 2015 review

Once upon a time, if you had a large and growing family and wanted to transport them all smartly from one place to another, you had no choice but to buy an ungainly looking MPV that would also be deeply unpleasant to drive.

The original seven-seat Ford S-Max changed all that. It was a minor revelation when it was launched in 2006, being comfortable, spacious, good looking and, best of all, great to drive. It set the bar a little higher, and it wasn’t long before its competitors got the message and upped their game, too.

For starters, it comes with a good choice of both petrol and diesel engines, and plenty of differing trim levels. On the road, It's got lots of grip through corners, and body roll is kept in check, making it great on twisty roads. The suspension absorbs most bumps to give it a comfortable ride, yet the steering is sharp and responsive.

If you're looking for a larger seven-seater, then consider the Ford Galaxy, which, although similar to the S-Max, is longer and taller, giving passengers more space.

The first two rows of seats in the S-Max have plenty of leg and head room, but although the third row of seats is fine for kids, taller passengers will struggle. Access is easy enough, however.

All five rear seats fold flat into the boot floor when they're not needed. Plenty of boot space means you can carry bulky loads with ease, and even with all seven seats in place, there's still enough room for a couple of bags.

Its rivals range from the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso and Vauxhall Zafira up to the larger Seat Alhambra and Volkswagen Sharan, but it’s fair to say the S-Max has enough style and all-round driving ability to give them all a bloody nose.

Discounting those cars that are either Cat D or have a mileage on them in excess of 100,000, prices for this first-genertion S-Max start at around £3000, at the time of writing. This should net you a 2006 example with a 1.8-litre TDCi diesel engine and Zetec trim with an average mileage for the year, from a trade dealer. Spend between £4000 and £6000 and you should find a 2007 model with an average mileage, possibly in one of the higher spec trims such as Titanium; up the money further to between £6000 and £8000 and you'll see quite a few 2010 models with the popular 2.0-litre TDCi diesel. If you can up the cash even further, to between £10,000 and £12,000, you'll find a good choice of clean, low mileage 2012 and 2013 cars to buy from a variety of independent dealers.

The diesel models come into their own if you intend to cover some serious miles. The 137bhp 2.0-litre manages an average of 44.1mpg (38.7 for the 127bhp model), compared with 34.8mpg for the 2.0-litre petrol model. The petrol model will be cheap to buy, so think carefully about how many miles you'll need to cover to offset the extra purchase cost of the diesel car, as well as the price of diesel.

Insurance for the range varies between groups 16 and 26, which is about average for this class of car, and Ford dealers are generally one of the cheaper franchised dealers when it comes to service rates. You should still shop around for the best price, though. In fact, servicing costs are generally reasonable, with a service required every 12 months or 20,000 miles, as well as a number of Ford service plan options for used cars, including those that can spread the cost of future services by monthly direct debit.

From the three petrol and three diesel engines available, you're best sticking to the 138bhp 2.0-litre diesel. The 1.8-litre diesel is slightly more economical, but isn't always up to hauling the S-Max when fully laden. There is a less powerful version of the 2.0-litre diesel (127bhp), which is an acceptable alternative, and a 2.2-litre engine with an impressive 173bhp.

Both the 2.0- and 2.3-litre petrol engines are smooth, but the fuel economy may put you off. The 2.5-litre turbocharged engine is fast, but even less economical. An automatic gearbox is available with the 2.3-litre petrol model and 127bhp 2.0-litre diesel models (137bhp from May 2008), but it does hurt economy further.

Along with the LX model, the Zetec is the most common trim on the used market and, as with other Fords, offers the best combination of trim and specification. LX is acceptable if you're on a tighter budget.

On examples sold from May 2008, the entry-level model is badged as Edge instead of LX. Titanium models feel luxurious, but don't pay over the odds for all those extras, as you won't see much extra cash when it's time to part-exchange.

Our Favourite Ford S-Max: 2.0 TDCi 140 Zetec

The most obvious rivals for the first-generation S-Max are the Citroen Grand C4 Picasso and the Vauxhall Zafira and the later Zafira Tourer.

The 2006 to 2013 model Grand C4 Picasso ticks a lot of boxes. It's spacious, for one, and good to drive. It's also stylish and reasonably cheap to run. It's practical, too. You can also slide the rear seats forwards and back to maximise leg room or extend the boot space. The third row of seats is quick and easy to fold into place, and there's still space for luggage when they're in use. For an MPV, it's good to drive, with a soft ride that copes well with bumps. It does lean a little through corners, and the steering could do with more feel. The large windows give good visibility, but generate a fair amount of wind noise.

The Zafira ran from 2005 to 2015, and was based on the then-current Astra hatchback's platform. The reason Vauxhall sold so many Zafiras, and indeed the reason it remained on sale for three years alongside its theoretical replacement, the Zafira Tourer, was that it was so keenly priced when it was new. And that’s an advantage it carries into the used car market, whether you’re looking at an early car or one of the post-2009 facelift models. Being based on a hatchback means the Zafira is also pretty decent to drive, resisting excessive body roll in corners and gripping well.

The later Vauxhall Zafira Tourer upped the good qualities of the Zafira. It was more stylish, better to drive and had a smarter interior.

Slightly larger and, on the used car market, slightly more expensive, but still worth considering as rivals, the Ford Galaxy, Seat Alhambra and Volkswagen Sharan all share a common platform, and their larger dimensions mean even more interior space, useful if you regularly carry seven.

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