what do you suggest? Status Quo (Just Supposed’, 1980)

Ludovico is not a brilliant pianist, but in his fifties he cannot blame his performances on slippage. As a young man, it seemed that he could become a soloist, but bad decisions in life led him first to bars and then to clinics, ending up free from alcohol ties, but also from the fire of talent that seemed to ignite his hands in his youth. .Friendship and his impeccable reputation led him to become part of more or less important orchestras, until he settled in the national orchestra. It’s cold in Moscow this morning, and he’s taking the bus to the auditorium for a rehearsal of Rachmaninov’s Concerto No. 2, Op. 18. Ludovico takes off his gloves to try it out and taps his fingers on the back of the seat in front of him, as he usually does. Close your eyes and focus on the second movement. He is almost in a trance when he feels a hand on his shoulder. A huge fellow with a bushy beard looms over the back of his aushanka decorated with a red star, above which is a hammer and sickle. “Hush Tavárish,” he says in a deep voice like a Siberian bear. Almost scream. To reinforce the message, he puts the index finger of his right hand to his lips and then sits down heavily. The whole bus fell silent. Two chattering ladies hurry to get off at the next stop. Ludovico is paralyzed, but his mind goes back to Rachmaninoff.

Before you know it, your fingers are tapping the back of the neighbor in front of you again. He’s like possessed, so he keeps playing while his mind imagines a huge bearded guy ripping his hands off. A cold sweat coats him, but he can’t stop his fingers from moving. He can’t help but think that he will die on a dirty bus in Moscow in mid-February, while Rachmaninov could have spent his days peacefully in his Beverly Hills mansion. A huge guy stands up. It’s bigger than it seems. Ludovico’s hands are shaking, but he continues to rattle the rebels on the back. The guy actually grabs the piano player’s arms, but doesn’t rip them off. He drags him to the door of the bus. He demands to be stopped and starts walking on the snow dragging Ludovic. Two blocks later they walk into a house and a huge bearded man drags him up the stairs. He opens the door and enters the room. He throws Ludovic aside and covers himself with his hands, expecting the worst. After a few moments, the notes of Concerto No. 2 flood the room. Some exciting, torn notes, full of passion and feeling, make Ludovic release his hands. Now he sees a huge bearded man who hasn’t even taken off his coat, playing the piano like a creature possessed in the middle of an austere room with no other furniture. At the end, the bearded man suddenly stands up, causing the stool to be thrown. He walks up to Ludovico and says, “That’s how it’s played, you understand?” Ludovico can’t find the strength to nod weakly.

Ford has its own particular path in the minivan market, always with interesting designs in which interior space has always prevailed over other considerations. Models like the C-Max (now defunct), but especially the Galaxy and S-Max, remained in the American manufacturer’s catalog despite competition from SUVs in a market where the best-selling minivans were moderated by the arrival of the new boys in town.

The case of the S-Max is special because it grew only 5 centimeters shorter than the Galaxy, but with a more touristic concept both in the design of the body and in the layout of the interior space. This generation of the S-Max is a 2021 update of the veteran minivan, tweaking some of the car’s elements with respect to the previous generation that has been on the market since 2015.

big ford

The S-Max, the model we had the opportunity to test, is a car that reaches 4.80 meters in length, but has a design that seeks a sporty touch. At the front, a large octagonal grill with a grille with wavy elements stands out, above which the brand shield is located. On the sides, the group headlights have an elongated design and extend far back until they reach the wheel arches. Two side openings located in the lower part place the pilots inside a plastic part with a central grille that ends in a spoiler in the lower part.

On the side, a dynamic design that looks for rounded and aerodynamic shapes stands out, with a very inclined front glass and glass areas divided into four parts of pillars A, B and C. In the rear glass areas, at least in this version, we tried the Vignale finish, they have tinted glasses . The wheels have a multi-spoke design in silver, which gives the whole a somewhat retro touch.

The rear falls more vertically and is crowned by a spoiler at the top, there is a good dimension under the rear window and provides good visibility. A gate takes up a large part of this rear section and divides the light groups into two parts. It is also separated by a bumper that is quite large, something practical for use in the city. The lower section is finished off with dual reflectors and dual exhaust pipes to give it an extra touch of sporty flair.

interior care

The interior of the S-Max is of course spacious and retains the lines that characterized the 2015 model, so some aesthetic elements have become somewhat outdated. The infotainment system has been upgraded, which has an 8-inch screen with good visibility and touch controls, but which is integrated into the dashboard in a rather low position, so you will have to look down a bit to control its operations and information.

The front seats are comfortable and have upholstery, in the tested version pleasant to the touch and with comfortable padding. It has a large number of settings, including an adjustable lumbar support or regulation of the lateral bulge of the benches and backrest, as well as massage and ventilation / heating functions. The backrest can also be configured in three different back heights.

The dashboard has a somewhat dated design as, as we said, it retains the design of the 2015 model. The instrumentation is analog with a small LCD screen in the center of the dials and another in between to provide additional information. The information displayed can be changed, although there are few customization options.

good materials

Materials and finishes are good with the various dashboard elements padded and covered in faux leather material and finished with white stitching. These details can also be found in the door panels and other interior elements. On the center tunnel, there is a console covered in glossy black material, where the gear selector of the automatic transmission is located. In front of it, an opening for placing a mobile phone and two USB-C connectors.

As for the seats in the second row, they are individual and in addition to being able to move horizontally on the rails by up to 15 centimeters, the inclination of the backrest can be adjusted. The padding and upholstery are the same as the front seats with a special hexagonal pattern, so they are also very comfortable and invite comfortable long trips.

They are comfortable seats and quite spacious both in width and leg room. The body structure and its height somewhat limit accessibility, although once inside the car, the height is adequate for people 1.80 meters tall and a little more. Access to the third row of seats is done by tilting the seats to the sides and they leave enough space, although access is not very comfortable, as is often the case with this type of model.

Up to seven seats

The third row is made up of two smaller folding seats than the one that makes up the second, with little legroom, but quite practical for specific cases. They are not suitable for long journeys, especially because of the position of the legs, which have to be tucked in, but otherwise they are perfectly usable.

The trunk of the S-Max is another of the car’s strengths. Its capacity with three rows of seats in operation is 185 liters, which is enough for a short trip. With the available two rows of seats, the capacity increases to 630 liters, which is a considerable value, but by folding down the two rows of rear seats, we can increase it to 2,020 liters.

hybrid engine

With regard to the driving of the S-Max, it should be noted that this model has a single engine consisting of a 190 hp petrol hybrid engine, which gives it the option of being labeled DGT ECO. The block consists of an internal combustion engine with a power of 152 hp and an electric one with a power of 125 hp.

Apart from being a car of a certain size, the S-Max felt quite nimble around town, thanks to the efficiency of its shift, which, despite being of the continuously variable type, behaved very well at low speeds. The smoothness of operation is remarkable and it has sufficient power reserve for trouble-free operation in city traffic. This is not so practical for low speed maneuvers as the turning radius is quite wide.

On freeway and road routes, the S-Max continues to show commendable smoothness and good response throughout much of the tachometer arc. Here, too, the automatic change seemed to us to be set correctly and allows us to handle any situation nimbly. It’s not a car that excels at delivering power instantly, but it’s always there when it’s needed.

It’s true that it’s a car with more touring spirit on the motorway than on more twisty roads. On the highway, comfort is most important, especially the acoustics, as we found the noise reduction to be excellent, but also the suspension settings. On winding roads, despite its height and weight, it behaves with commendable composure and always gives a feeling of security, even when we want to drive at a certain speed.

conclusions

The Ford S-Max is a minivan from before: comfortable and practical, but with a hybrid drive and a modern and very efficient automatic transmission that responds very well in all situations and that surprised us with its low consumption. They have good habitability, a good trunk and quality workmanship, especially in the Vignale version.

As a negative, we could point out that many elements of the 2015 version have not been updated, which is evident in some details such as the instrumentation, but overall this does not detract from the performance or versatility of this model. Of course, it is a very practical and comfortable vehicle that is ideal for many kilometers.