S-MAX and Galaxy extended test drive

[LittleDonkeyCarriemumsnet]

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

[nobodysfool]

woo hoo....my vouchers came!John Lewis here i come.Thank you Fords and Mumsnet .

[foxinsocks]

I hope Ford are reading this. I know I wasn't part of the trial but as a new owner of an Smax and a long time driver of FOrd (had a C max before the Smax), I'd like to make some comments...

1. I really don't like the handbrake. It's very stiff and quite a difficult movement to perform (lifting your hand up at that angle). I'm sure I'll get used to it as it loosens but I find it quite strange.

1. This is the MOST important thing. The car is wide to fit the 3 proper seats in but it means it is extremely difficult to drive it through the width restriction poles we have dotted around London. I drove through one yesterday and had to drive slow enough that it tapped a mirror to bend it in. YOU MUST MAKE THE MIRRORS RETRACTABLE WITH A BUTTON that the driver can access. This will piss me off immensely as a lot of my shortcuts involve width restrictions of either 6ft7inches or 7 foot and I now can't use them as the car is 7 foot 1 wide with the mirrors. I don't know why anyone didn't think of this. I think the BMW has the mirror retracting option and I seriously think it's a mistake of Ford's not to put this option on such a wide car. It's almost enough to make me want to take it back lol.

1. It drives beautifully and the space is great. I can see us really enjoying long journeys in it. We are driving the 2 litre diesel engine and it is powerful on the open road but the petrol C max 1.8 had an extremely quick take off speed (so quick that you could easily out do sports cars!) but it struggled more on the long journeys. But I like it and the diesel engine is extremely efficient.

[nobodysfool]

Anybody know when our cringe worthy informative and funny videos are done and where we can steer people away fromsee them?

[foxinsocks]

oh and I see that function (the folding mirrors) is on the titanium and not the other models

[FatSeal]

Just thought I'd add in that we have had a C-Max for over a year now and we love it.

There's lots of room in the boot (it's the first door I opened at the showroom), it's really easy to reach into the back to fit car seats and belt up the sprog, and there's lots of legroom for adult passengers as well.

It's also a comfy drive, which coped very well with the snow this winter with no sliding around. We've got the diesel 1.6 version, which has been fairly economical, if a little slow off the mark compared to our previous (tiny, petrol, fuel injection) car.

Very happy with it and always recommend it to other families.

[PrettyCandles]

We have a 2007 Ford Galaxy, which we're very pleased with. It has several design niggles, though. One is that, despite being fitted with integral sunblinds all round, the one on the rearmost left window cannot be used because there are no hooks for it. Apparently this is because the radio aerial is in that window. So? There's still space for hooks!

The tonneau cover is annoying. Firstly that it does not extend to the back of the seats, even when they are pushed as far back as possible, and secondly that there is nowhere to put it when you change from a two-row to a three-row configuration. Why not have a second set of locking points for it in the sides of the boot right near the tailgate?

But the most annoying niggles are the lack of a tie-down net in the boot space, and the opacity of the vertical cargo-net. Problems which our previous car, a Ford Mondeo estate, dealt with perfectly well.

[MarinerFan]

We have just got an S-Max 1.8 TDCI titanium and I love it. Especially as I am 8 months pregnant its so easy for me to get in and out of. My daughter who is two and a half loves having the space and the panaromic roof. I think it will be alot easier to get my new baby in and out of as I wont have to bend over to do it. So glad we got one hope everyone whos testing them agrees

[Nevergoogledragonbutter]

Er, I haven't recieved my john lewis vouchers. Have they been sent out to everybody else?

[nobodysfool]

Nevergoogle- mine arrived well over a week ago.
Have you heard anything about the video diary?

[Swagger]

Also got mine about 2 weeks ago. Not spent them yet! Thanks to Mumsnet & Ford for the vouchers, lovely treat. Haven't heard anything about the video diary. Was rather hoping maybe they hadn't bothered . Missing the S-Max soooooo much

[nobodysfool]

Maybe if we bribe MN HQ they wont make the videos.....wonder if they would accept John Lewis vouchers

[ruddynorah]

i've been looking at the ford site again, as we are still looking at getting a CMax in the summer. i see there are new models coming out in May ish including a 7 seater CMax WITH SLIDING DOORS! we don't need the 7 seats though, so looking at the 5 seater. love the new shape. definately going for it!

got our vouchers ages ago.. but still no word on the videos.

[Nevergoogledragonbutter]

yay, got my vouchers.
MNHQ contacted Ford. Ford got in touch to say that they'd tried to deliver them but we weren't in and the letter was at the sorting office..DH then confesses to having recieved a card and put it in his 'to do' pile . 3 weeks later he hadn't 'done' it or mentioned to me that a card arrived.


Luckily they still had it, and he picked them up for me today, so YAY!

Off to Edinburgh John Lewis on Saturday!

[ruddynorah]

i have an email from ford linking me to the video diaries! i guess you all do too? so when one of you can tell me how to open the file let me know so i can see it! it's a mov. file and my laptop's having none of it.

[ruddynorah]

OK i've figured it out! and i like it!! thank you ford and mumsnet i love that you've left dd in it in her christmas fairy costume, she will love that. can't open 2nd link though to the 'montage' which i guess is a bit of all of us.

[nobodysfool]

Oh RuddyNorah your little girl is so sweet.

here is ours

MN have done a fantastic job oh editing out all bad bits.I'm sure there were plenty!

My god i felt ill when i did the round up.

Very proud of my little S Max consultant and the harshest baby critic in the world.

Thanks again MN and we are always here if there are any other cars you want us to test drive!

[ruddynorah]

ooh very good nobodysfool. dh is very envious of your action shots in the wing mirror! love the raspberry blowing baby! nice little momento aren't they?

managed to open the montage now. very good..maybe apart from my big moon face in the last shot!

hope everyone else likes theirs too

[Nevergoogledragonbutter]

Aargh, how do i open the file?

[Swagger]

Just managed to watch mine, can I kill myself and my quadruple chins now?

[Nevergoogledragonbutter]

i can only hear them, but can't see anything.

help?

[nobodysfool]

Am i the only mug who is going to post their video???
C'mon i want to see yours as well

[Nevergoogledragonbutter]

Yes you are!

I'm so embarrassed.

I'm the one doing the weird pointy hand dance.

[ruddynorah]

here's mine

i like your dance nevergoogle!

[ruddynorah]

i'm still chuckling that MIL and FIL have made it onto the montage!

[Nevergoogledragonbutter]