Hi

My current vw passat is looking a bit small for our needs. We have two 4 year olds and a large dog requiring transport. Thinking of a ford smax so we can occasionally take parents or the dog with us. Can be used for odd bike carrying duties too. Does anyone have any experience?

Rapid Rider

We replaced our 2007 Passat estate with a 2011 S-Max in Feb last year. It’s a lot bigger and more practically laid out inside, has a great driving position and I would go as far as saying it’s better built too. Ours is the 2.0t Ecoboost version, (with dual clutch auto box), in Titanium X spec. It returns approx 31-32mpg. First service at 12K miles was £132, and the second service at 25K miles cost less than £200.

We go to away on trips to Aviemore and Perthshire at least 4 times a year and the S-Max does a great job of swallowing all our kit, although I’m already looking at external bike rack options for it.

Thanks for the response. I have been looking at reviews and most are positive. Now to find a nice 2.0 tdi one 😀