Most normal cars offer...
Most normal cars offer five seats. Anyone who needs more has been limited to vans with windows (MPVs), hearse-like wagons (estates) or boxy trucks (4x4s). But now, thanks to the Japanese, buyers wanting extra accommodation have another solution; sleek looking six or seven-seat cars. And their arrival is contributing to the slow death of the traditional family hatch which, due to its lack of flexibility, has had its day. These tired old driver-plus-four mobiles will limp on for many years, but wouldn"t you prefer up to 40 per cent more chairs in an equivalent-sized model for little extra cash?
But the significance...
But the significance of the picture goes further than simply looking inside the new people carrier. The S-MAX is the first Ford to be based on the platform of the next-generation Mondeo, and the top-selling family hatchback will have a very similar dashboard design to that seen in the mag.
Revealed in concept form at last year"s Geneva expo, the S-MAX will be available in five or seven-seater guises. The stylish interior features a dashboard dominated by a bold centre console, trimmed here in aluminium.
As with the smaller Focus C-MAX, the S-MAX has a gearstick mounted higher up the dashboard than on a conventional hatchback, and Ford has made a real feature of the handbrake. It"s the first time the blue oval has fitted an aircraft-inspired handle - something Renault drivers will be familiar with.
The steering wheel buttons visible in this spy shot are also a new design, giving the driver fingertip control of the in-car entertainment systems. Due to go on sale in the UK at the end of the summer, the S-MAX will cost from around ÷£17,000, with flagships priced nearer ÷£23,000. The engine range will be shared with the new Mondeo, but a hot version of the MPV will be powered by the Focus ST"s five-cylinder unit.