I never thought I'd see it but here it is. A large MPV people carrier that could conceivably appeal to someone like me who has no need of a people carrier. And doesn't want one thankyou. I would however, be quite happy to be granted the keys, long term, to Ford's S-MAX. Here's why.

Before I get into all the seat folding and luggage stowaging, I'd better explain. This car looks great and drives like a well engineered fast estate car. Yes really. Yet it also does all the things a large MPV is supposed to do. For proof, I checked out FFS (Ford FoldFlatSystem before you attribute a baser meaning to that acronym) which apparently allows 32 different seating permutations. I didn't try many of these but I did note that the second and third rows of seats all fold flat to form a genuinely huge load floor that measures 2.0 by 1.15 metres - about as big as a double bed. My usual issue with all 7-seat MPVs is that with all the seats occupied, you've next to no luggage space. In this respect, this Ford is better than most, offering 285 litres of space with all seats being used. You'll need a roofbox if you want more than that. If you do wish to run the S-MAX in removal van mode, it'll heave around up to 2,000 litres of goods with all the rear seat folded flat. There are also no fewer than 26 different cubbies located around the cabin so you'll need to know where you left that key/credit card/wedding ring or it could be a lengthy search. In total, there's a full 90 litres of oddment stowage in total. My test car had a clever sliding cargo platform in place of the third row of seats. This allows the loading of shopping with ease. The tailgate flips up to reveal a tab that lets the platform to extend by 48cm, it then slides back into the car with a slick motion that will be good news for anyone (like me) who has ever suffered back problems. Leaning into a vehicle and lowering a heavy item is just about the worst 'everyday' action one can put onto the lower back.

I liked the classy fascia design, though thought that some of the silver plastic finishes might be prone to scratching over the longer term. I found that the double windscreen pillar could make three quarter visibility a bit touch and go at roundabouts but aside from that, this is an easy car to drive, even if you aren't used to MPVs. It's a safe one too. An ultra-rigid passenger cell is a good start point, but there's also a recently-developed Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control (IVDC) system that controls all of the other safety systems in a cohesive manner. When those include Continuously Controlled Damping (CDDC), Electronic Stability Program (ESP), Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Forward Alert (FA) and Collision Mitigation By Braking, that's quite some integration task. Factor in the anti lock braking system, Hill Launch Assist (HLA) and a Tyre Pressure Monitoring System and you've a five-star EuroNCAP safety score. Should you get a bit too enthusiastic behind the wheel with luggage on board, you'll be glad that Ford thought to include a number of lashing points that are located across the floor and on the cabin sides, helping to prevent your belongings from destroying themselves.

The question now is not whether there's room for the S-MAX in Ford's line-up but whether it really supplants the latest Galaxy, another accomplished but rather less sporty Ford people carrier. I know which I'd choose.