Ford S-Max.

A new turbo petrol engine brings out the sporty character of Ford’s S-Max MPV, says Andy Russell.

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When our children were young we toyed with the idea of having a people-carrier… even if it would mean mum and dad ending up as the unofficial youth football team ‘bus’.

That, I suppose, I could have lived with – on the condition I didn’t end up with enough mud off dirty football boots to plant potatoes in the footwells – but the real sticking point was that it would be practical A to B transport, something you had to drive out of necessity rather than wanted to.

That was a long time ago and people-carriers were in their infancy – not particularly attractive and, while they sat seven, the seating was rather cumbersome, and as for driving them, well, fun just went out of the window.

I’d even got as far as going to look at people-carriers but while I was annoyed at the time by the lack of interest from one salesman, in hindsight he probably did me a huge favour.

Thank goodness my sons now have cars of their own, and the days of dad’s taxi are long gone – apart from the odd ‘nightclub run’ – because with today’s sportier people-carriers I could well have been swayed.

And they don’t come much sportier than Ford’s stylish S-Max, which has been given a series of stylish tweaks as part of a mid-life makeover.

But the highlight of the new S-Max is a new range-topping petrol engine. Most owners will go for the turbo diesels but diehard petrolheads will appreciate the new 2.0-litre EcoBoost which also goes into the Mondeo and Galaxy and replaces the old Volvo-sourced 2.5-litre five-cylinder turbo, a victim of ever-tightening emissions laws and the need for more miles per gallon.

It’s a really strong performer across the rev range, pulling cleanly from low revs and, for a four-cylinder unit, exceptionally smooth even when being worked hard although I found a slight whine from the engine on over-run annoying although it was drowned out by the radio. Drive it gently and you can expect 35mpg on a run and 30mpg in mixed driving.

It’s available only with Ford’s new six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission which gives quick-shifting, silky changes and can be used manually in sport mode by simply nudging the lever back and forth when this engine’s sporty nature comes to the fore as you would expect with 203PS on tap.

The new engine also brings out the best of the S-Max’s fine driving characteristics. People-carriers don’t come more entertaining the S-Max which, while sharing its platform with the bigger, full-blown seven-seater Galaxy, is a far more dynamic drive.

It has a tautness on twisty roads that belies it size, cornering nimbly with good body control and excellent from the well-weighted steering. But while the supple suspension does a fine job of soaking up bumps and lumps, the ride feels firmer than more comfort-inspired people-carriers so poor road surfaces are more noticeable, something a couple of passengers in the back remarked on.

The S-Max may seat seven but not in the same way as the bigger Galaxy – to be honest it is more of a 5+2 with the rearmost seats close to the floor and short of underthigh support so they’re better for children than adults. No complaints about the middle row of seats with the three individual chairs each sliding and having reclining backs so long-legged passengers can stretch out in comfort.

Boot space is limited with all the seats in use, enough for soft bags or some shopping, but in five-seat mode you get a huge, well-shaped load bay to rival a large estate car. Fold all the seats into the floor – an easy, one-handed operation – and the S-Max has the carrying capacity of a small van.

It’s hard to find fault with modern Fords’ cabins and fascias and the S-Max is no exception with a quality feel to most of the trim – although some of the lower-level plastics are not quite so enticing, sporty metallic and piano black embellishments and controls and instruments that work well and are equally attractive, apart from the small fiddly knobs to control the temperature.

The EcoBoost engine is available only in range-topping Titanium and Titanium X trim levels with my Titanium test car including 17in alloy wheels, automatic headlights and wipers, cruise control, heat-reflecting windscreen, privacy glass and enhanced interior lighting and trim as well as the standard kit across the range including dual-zone air-conditioning, seven airbags, stability and traction control, electric windows and heated door mirrors, sports front seats, Bluetooth phone connection and front fog lights.

The S-Max is proof people-carriers can be fun and, while diesel power will win over petrol, the new EcoBoost engine brings out the best of its sporty character.

Ford S-Max Titanium 2.0 EcoBoost SCTi

Price: £25,245 (range from £21,045)

Engine: 2.0-litre, 203PS, four-cylinder turbo petrol

Performance: 0-60mph, 8.2 seconds; top speed 137mph

MPG: Urban, 25.7; extra urban 44.1; combined 34.9

Emissions: 189g/km

Benefit-in-kind tax rate: 26pc

Insurance: 23E (out of 50)

Warranty: Three years/60,000 miles

Will it fit in the garage? Length 4,768mm; width (with door mirrors) 2,154mm; height 1,658mm