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MNHQ

S-MAX and Galaxy extended test drive

167 replies

LittleDonkeyCarriemumsnet · 22/12/2009 12:17

Hi all

By now you should all have received your new Ford car - hope you are enjoying it. Below are some of the questions we'd like you to cover in your feedback. Don't feel you have to answer them straight away - some of them will make more sense once you've had the car for a week or so. We'd like you to give us your initial thoughts, first impressions - both from you and the rest of the family - and then add feedback at least twice a week for the next three weeks until the car is collected - though please feel free to give more regular updates if you'd like to, and don't feel you have to stick to the questions too rigidly - they are just a guide.

Thanks for volunteering. Safe driving and Happy Christmas!

Here are the questions:

What were you/your partner's first impressions of the car?

What do the children think of it?

Do the children fit comfortably in it?

How easy is it to fit car seats/ adjust seats etc

What's it like to drive?

Is it a comfortable ride?

What's the boot space like?

Does it have any useful extras - cup holders etc?

If it has in car entertainment, what is that like?

So far is it economical to run?

How does it cope with different road conditions eg town, country, motorway

How did it cope with the snow (if you had any)

What do your friends/ family think of it?

Has testing this car made you more or less likely to buy a Ford?

Has testing this car changed your perception of Ford cars at all?

What one thing do you like best about it?

What one thing would you change about it ?

Please add any other comments and don't forget your video diaries!

Any queries please email [email protected]

Thanks again,

MNHQ

OP posts:
AitchTwoOhOneOh · 26/12/2009 19:11

remind me why i didn't do this? was it a 'you must have children of school age or live in surbiton' thing?

ruddynorah · 26/12/2009 20:16

think it was open to all. just had to be over 25 for insurance. still couldn't believe they were letting little me loose with one until the demo man turned up with it! it's going to be just awful going back to the clio and the fiesta. we're very seriously looking into getting a people carrier after this experience (well done ford!), though possibly smaller than an S Max, unless i get more confident with parking it in the remainder of the test. been looking at the C Max..we shall see...

CoqAuVin · 26/12/2009 20:17

i missed ti too aithc but we HAVE an s max that we adore so its a done deal here

AitchTwoOhOneOh · 26/12/2009 20:18

i've got a honda jizz fgs so am deffo the target market. next time.

Swedington · 26/12/2009 20:31

G'waan be honest. Was your first impression "I wish it was an Audi"?

ruddynorah · 26/12/2009 20:42

nope. first impression was oh my good god what are ford thinking letting a potential hairy trucker loose with this very expensive and very large car?! dh kept saying bloody hell you could be anyone and they've just dropped a car off for you to muck about with for 3 weeks..how do they know you aren't a 14 year old school boy?!

ruddynorah · 26/12/2009 20:42

maybe it'll be an audi next time

Swedington · 26/12/2009 20:51
Swagger · 26/12/2009 22:47

Hope you all had a good Christmas Day. We didn't have to do too much travelling. Promised I would pick up my Mum so she could sample the delights of the new car. Rather than have her climb over the children to get in the middle seat she sat in the front and DH went inbetween the children. He has given me permission to tell you all that it was very comfortable and roomy enough for him width ways and for his legs. He is 6ft and 19 stone and to be honest I was surprised he found it OK. Both children are in car seats, one of them was the sort that had a 3 point belt so its much chunker than DD's. So praise indeed for the spacious interior. Have found some nice storage places, a small one to the right of the steering wheel, the middle one goes really deep with a nice bottle type holder in front of it. A really handy one on top of the front dash. Then the normal glove compartment. Door compartments are quite a good space as well.

Have done a bit more motorway driving today. Car handled beautifully at higher speed, was using the 'comfort' setting on the automatic. Am doing more motorway driving tomorrow so may give the other settings a try. Also keen to read up about the cruise control and try that. Came home on my own as I have to work tomorrow. Had a great journey, lovely and cosy and warm, music blaring, this is the life. Am going to seriously weep when the car goes back.

Nevergoogle · 27/12/2009 16:01

Oh god. I think I want to keep the car.

I really really like it.

Have done a couple of long drives in it now and it's so easy to drive.

The DVD player makes the long drive so much easier to do with kids as I'm usually expected to answer continuous unanswerable questions and end up feeling harrassed as I try to concentrate on driving and coming up with answers to, 'If dogs like bones so much why don't they eat their own?'.

The car didn't handle the ice on the drive at my dad's too well and was a bit slippy. Tried it with and without traction control, but I'm thinking this isn't the car for those who live far from the gritted roads.

The seats and driving position are very comfortable. My brother sat in the drivers seat and thought the arm rest in the middle was a bit low for him, but I found it just right.

Family cars need lots of storage and it's got that too. Lots of little cubby holes for all the stuff so I think it'd be less likely to turn into the skip on wheels I tend to drive around at the moment.

I don't seem to be getting through much fuel which is quite bizarre. I hadn't realised it was a diesel until my brother and dad told me. Good job I hadn't filled it up before I found out.

What can I do to convince ford to let me keep it?

The video diary is going ok, but i think the spot on my chin may star in it's own more popular spin off series in the future.

thatsnotmymonster · 27/12/2009 19:02

I'm still worried about the video diary- haven't had much of a chance to do it, partly because of Christmas, partly because the snow is taking up all our free time whenever we want to use the car. We are digging snow instead of filming!

The car is lovely. Longest drive so far has only been about 30 minutes. The children love the DVD though our youngest (19mths) is a bit upset that there are no headphones for her. The other 2 have a set but not her so she can's hear the dvd. I thought I might be able to plug another set in for her but it only seems to be compatible with the wireless ones.

I think we will be going biking later on the week so will find out what it is like to fit bikes too and drive with them on.

I am going to really cry when it goes!!

Are you mainly filming the video diary in the car or in the house and with/without the gorillapod thingy?

ruddynorah · 27/12/2009 19:17

been up to the lakes today in the S Max, 2 hours up the motorway. i drove there, dh drove back. what can i say?! well the journey was an absolute pleasure. dd had her dvd on so peace all the way. ds (5 wks) just slept the whole way as normal. and dh and i enjoyed our music without the usual whinging demand for dd's cbeebies CD! the car was a dream to drive. i really had to keep one eye on the speedo to make sure i wasn't going too fast as it would be sooo easy to, especially in the 6th gear. very different experience for me, going from my normal 1.2 engine to this 1.8. can only imagine what those of you with the bigger engines are experiencing.

on arrival it was fabulous to just hop out of the car, rather than basically uncurling ourselves then having a big stretch to feel normal again. also great to just grab all our kit and caboodle out of the boot, not one thing out the boot, another out of the footwell etc etc.

this experience has most definately changed my view of ford. i did used to think of it as a rather functional, almost boring brand. i have now seen a far more fun and luxurious side. the test drive has also changed my view of large cars. i always felt very happy with my clio. i'm now on my 4th clio! i felt it was comfy enough, roomy enough, met all my needs. but now..!! oh dear, my eyes have been opened!

i still feel the S Max is bigger than we need (not that we could realistically afford one anyway!) however, i do feel we really should upgrade one of our small cars to something bigger, something i'd never have contemplated seriously before this test drive.

by the way ford..my dear grandma did enjoy her fortnum and mason goodies, much appreciated

ruddynorah · 27/12/2009 19:23

for the filming we've done it all in or around the car. i've asked dd lots of questions about it hoping to capture some 3 year old wisdom for ford! then me and dh have taken it in turns to film each other driving/loading up/unloading/fiddling with buttons etc and talking about what we're doing and what we like/don't like. then at the end of each week dh is filming me waffling a bit of a summary of the week straight to camera. i read they're editing us all down to 2-3 minutes though so they aren't going to use much at all.

my favourite clip we've done so far is dd in her christmas show costume (a fairy) dancing around the car shouting S Max. they'll probably cut that out though

nobodysfool · 27/12/2009 20:47

I honestly felt nervous of this new car, i was worried about the sheer size of it and wondered if i would be able to get the hang of it.
In a very short time it feels like it has shrunken, i can not only drive it i can park it (another worry due to the size).
I am so impressed by the response of the steering, it makes driving a pleasure.
Who would have thought, i actually love this beast of a car.

CantSleepWontSleep · 28/12/2009 21:22

thatsnotmymonster - can't you play the dvd through the car speakers so that all of your dc can listen? Normally it can transmit as a radio signal.

thatsnotmymonster · 28/12/2009 22:59

Maybe we can, CSWS, but we kind of like the peace and quiet!! DD2 soon forgets about it but would be nice if she had had a set too. We are just mean parents

CantSleepWontSleep · 28/12/2009 23:06

I remember we drove to france shortly after getting ours, and we thought that dd was too little for headphones, so we put up with about 5 hours of peppa pig!!
I'll ask Dh tomorrow about getting a wired set working at the same time as 2 wireless. He likes a good techie challenge!

thatsnotmymonster · 28/12/2009 23:19

lol that would be great!! I'll be impressed if he can do it!

5 hours of peppa pig, mmm, sounds like a normal day in our house...or dora...now you can see why I don't want to hear it in the car too

lol that makes it sound as if the dc's do nothing except watch tv...mind you it was -5C outside today and I took ds (4) out to test the sledging this morning and he ended up crying as it was so cold and he was wearing a really good snowsuit! It would've been a nightmare if I had had the littlees with me too!!

MrCSWS · 29/12/2009 09:41

thatsnotmymonster

i do not know exactly what the screens look like (not having a ford!), but have you checked for the obvious i.e. if there is a headphone socket. it might be anywhere on the screens or even somewhere else (back of front center console is a common place). it might be near the audio/video inputs (red/white/yellow sockets).

that is where i would look

PrincessToadstool · 29/12/2009 15:20

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

ruddynorah · 29/12/2009 17:05

another trip out today. picked up MIL and FIL and took them out for a meal, taking in a few country roads and small towns.

they were most impressed by the size and comfort, though considering they drive a teeny tiny matiz anything's going to seem huge! they both sat in the back with ds in his car seat, dd sat in the 'boot' while i drove and dh sat as passenger. they said they were very comfy, plenty legroom etc. much better than when we used to all pile in my clio (pre ds) and drive up to see relatives. it was really nice to be able to pick them up and take them out.

on the way back dd wanted to sit next to MIL, and it was dh's 'turn' to drive..so i sat in the boot. and you know what, it was really much more roomy than i expected. to be fair i'm only 5ft2 ish, but there was plenty of space. i wouldn't go so far as to put MIL or FIL in there, but it would be fine for large children, teenagers, and not too large adults. i was most impressed!

i'm getting much more confident with the size of the car too. driving around the towns and through the lanes was fine. it actually felt as nippy as my clio. now if i can just get as confident with parking it..

ruddynorah · 29/12/2009 17:11

oh gosh nearly forgot..when i was in the boot seat, MIL was in the middle seat of the back wearing the extra seatbelt that you pull down from above. well when we got to their house she unfastened the seatbelt and it pinged back so fast and hard it whacked me in the face, right on my lip, not my eye thank god. and luckily it wasn't dd sitting in the boot seat. so watch out for that!

WilfSell · 29/12/2009 17:36

Ooooooh...

Can those of you who have the S-Max and the Galaxy please do me a review of how good it is at Keeping Three Warring Boys Apart And Happy please?

We have three and our much beloved Mazda 5 is going to have to be traded in soon as DS1 has to sit in the middle of what is really a half seat if we don't want him to sit in the boot seats. Which is most of the time as we usually have a pushchair and a Nepalese Mountain Trek's worth of stuff to ferry about.

Feedback, please.

ruddynorah · 29/12/2009 17:44

you'd have to lend me the 3 warring boys to test drive! i only have 3.5yr old dd and 5wk old ds. however, seat wise yes 3 adults can easily fit in the back. and the boot seats are a good size. you can have just one boot seat up at a time, so still have decent boot space. plus with the dvd set up you can keep them quiet. you can even have one watching dvd and the other with a playstation or whatever plugged into their screen.

WilfSell · 29/12/2009 17:45

And, hey, Ford! Put sliding doors on them, and we will buy one in a flash. I know, I know, you say the market doesn't demand them. But like the people on this thread: they don't know what it is like until they have had them. The Mazda 5 is genius. Just too small for 3 big and growing lads.

Until then, we will flirt with your competitors.