zozzer

hi Scott

not been about much due to work I'm afraid (this will continue for the forseeable)

general consensus seems to be if you go with the 1.8 then get the 6spd box, in my opinion it depends what you are going to use the car for. If its going to be 1-4 up and a lot of motorway cruising with one eye on the wallet then the 1.8 although an older and heavier engine is 'enough'. However if you are going to load it to the gunnals and need it for all sorts then the 2.0 TDCI does have that little bit extra grunt which brings a smile - particularly on 18's - I have left reps in standard German repmobiles standing at the lights in it when needing to get away quickly into filter lanes, the look on their faces is priceless.

best solution - try them

there is supposed to be a 1.6 turbo petrol coming out possibly with a form of DSG box on it but AFAIK nothings been said officially yet.

My Mrs drives ours 80% of the time and I was worried that she would find it 1) too big, 2) its her first diesel 3) not liking the gear box after hondas - shouldnt have worried, shes taken to it like a duck to water and I have to prise the keys from her if I want a drive.

cheers
Z

our non DPF 2.0TDci manual SMAX can come in at 32 mpg in London traffic and riding the turbo to get away cleanly at the lights the torque can surprise some

if you are doing a lot of short trips (sub 10 miles) for school runs I'd seriously consider a petrol or a non-DPF second hand SMAX as there are issues with DPFs not just on Fords but all makes.

anecdotally many salesman dont even know that the new diesel SMAXs have DPFs or that there are problems on short runs with them

hi Ginolard

the first question I would ask is when were these cars built (not registered), as post May 2007 build cars seem to have less manufacturing 'issues'.

second, make sure both have ESP, some of the early ones didnt as its was an option - this is, in my view, a 'must have'.

third, does either of them have an IR windscreen? You an see this as there is an 'IR' in a circle at the bottom of the glass - again I would suggest that this is a 'must have'.

and then if it is a frosty morning, go and see the car and check that all the heating elements are working correctly - you can tell this by switching the heated front wind screen on and seeing if there is any 'barcoding' (striping) where elements are not working correctly.

fourth, when the car is cold, take it for a little drive and leave the drivers window open and see if the steering is overly noisy - this is a known weakness in some cars and is fixable but better to not have it at all.

there are other things to check out but this is a good start in my opinion.

This is not to diminish the car, the SMAX is, in my opinion the best MPV out there, much better value than any X5 or Merc R series and just as reliable if not more so.

keep us up to date

cheers
Z

I think the S MAX with have a face lift next year with the poss of a new engine !

apparently so... I'll b watching with interest

found a picture

very useful, I've seen the Pug version but not a Ford one...

I guess this will be fixed on the update next year?