Hate my Ford S Max - anyone else?

[goingmadinthecountry]

Dh read the reviews and thought it fitted the bill. I really hate it because:

visibility is appalling - through front side windows and in rear - may be because I'm tall? It's scary and the main thing I hate. Moans below I can live with.

Incredibly stupid handbrake design causes pain in my lower arm

It's really really boring. Honestly. So boring to look at.

It's not my old gas guzzling lovely Voyager - it's way way too bumpy a ride

Anyone else, and any other alternatives for a 5 + 2 seater?

I even prefer driving dd1's Nissan Micra!

I hate my c4 grand Picasso too.

Clunky gear changes,stiff clutch, stupid electric handbrake, panoramic windscreen = greenhouse effect, unreliable gas guzzling fucker.

I love my Galaxy, I feel so high up.

The only thing I would say is reversing into a parking space, visibility is a bit crap unless I lower the mirrors. I think it's because I'm a lot higher than most other cars, they seem to vanish iyswim.

The handbrake I like, feels like a space ship. Boring I can deal with, there is so much space in it, it's lovely. We had a low starting point though,our previous car was a Vauxhall vectra from hell, anything would have been better.

I love my s max! I don't have the visibility problem, but I'm short and the hand brake is not an issue. It is the right size car for my family of 5 + dog

Love our S MAX too.

Love it but see what you mean with side visibility at the front.

Love mine.
Maybe spend some time adjusting the mirrors to improve visibility? I do find the rear headrests a nuisance.
How much do you use the handbrake that makes its design an issue?
They do look a bit like a hunchbacked turtle, but I'm inside so I don't have to look at it.
And it goes like a bomb, and does 50mpg

Why does the handbrake cause pain in your lower arm?? Not something Iv'e ever noticed.

I don't have a problem with visibility either and I'm reasonably tall.

I don't think it looks boring either. I mean it's not sexy and gorgeous like a ferrari but its not one of those foul square boxy things.

And I don't find the ride at all bumpy.

Are you sure you have an S Max? :o

"The only thing I would say is reversing into a parking space, visibility is a bit crap unless I lower the mirrors."

In my S Max, you can set the mirrors so that they dip automatically when you put the car into reverse.

Yours is clearly posher than mine soupdragon

I can press a button and adjust them on the door panel, drivers side but normally I can't be arsed!

I hated ours though DH who drove it most ofthe time liked it. We replaced it with a XC90 as it is better at towing the caravan and I love that (uses loads of fuel though).

There's a new ford coming out in sept with sliding doors which looks good. Called the B-max.

Parking is about the only thing that's easier because of the beeper things! My left wrist hurts a bit but quite a lot of the time simply from the odd angle the hand brake is at. I've been driving since 1981 and am not some wuss or just used to one kind of car. I've driven Citroens, Audis BMWs, Vauxhalls, VWs. Even done an off road driving course....... I also drive an MX5 and a Nissan Micra regularly at the moment and prefer both to the SMax. It's nothing to do with the mirrors, there are too many obstructions in the side window with all the bars.

Dh has been to see a Qashquai and Volvo XC90 today - we know we like the Volvo because we had one when our previous car was off the road, but mileage is a deal for us as we live in the middle of nowhere.

I seriously don't understand the handbrake thing. It's just at a right angle to an "ordinary" and brake and not in an unnatural position at all IME.

But this is why there are many different cars out there and not just one :o

Let me know if you decide to sell the S-Max. I have been loooking for second-hand one for a while and if it's in good condition and at the right price, I'd probably be able to give you more than you would get from a dealer or part-exchange. By the way, I am not a dealer myself (Couldn't think of anything worse!!)

I love my SMax.

But I am short.

And the handbrake is the stupidest thing ever.