Ford is keen for everyone to know that it isn’t lagging behind when it comes to automated assistance technologies, as its new Ford S-Max has been unveiled at the Paris Motor Show and it’s just brimming with driverless car features. We’re not quite at the stage where it can take off on its own and find a parking space, but some of the newer assisted features are edging in that direction.
What are these fancy automated features? Well first off the bat is a parking assistant which is now able to handle not only handle parallel parking but also perpendicular. If you’re uncertain about reversing out of a space too, Ford’s new S-Max has a built in traffic warning system, which will let you know when a car’s coming. No more relying on your significant other or children for that important task.
Of course, as you would expect, there’s lane assist technologies built in too, which will give you a notification and physically correct you if you happen to stray out of a lane on a motorway without making a concerted effort to do so. There’s also some automated emergency braking (AEB) to prevent or at least lessen the impact of collisions at intersections, when pulling out and even on the motorway. And on top of that, there’s blind spot monitoring technology to help you avoid any nasty collisions when you simply haven’t seen the other car.
This isn’t the first S-Max of course, so it draw some inspiration from the original for some of its other new, non-automated features. It comes in the same size as its previous iteration but comes with several new practical features, like power-assisted folding seats for the back and far rear rows. There’s also new side airbags to protect those in the back seats and a funny little tech that allows you to open the boot without the use of your hands. Ever find yourself stumbling towards the car with something heavy but you’ve forgotten to open the boot? No problem, just wave your foot under the car and it’ll pop right up.
In terms of the engine, Ford hasn’t spelled it out for us, but AutoExpress took a swing at it and estimates it will come with several different versions of the the two litre TDCi engine, with the lowest of the bunch likely offering 118 horse power with a six speed manual gearbox. More powerful versions are also expected somewhere around 148 and 177 BHP. There’s also the possibility of the much more monstrous 237 BHP two litre ecoboost engine, but we’ll have to wait for Ford to spill the beans to learn much more.
The new S-Max is expected to go on sale sometime in the summer of 2015, with a projected price tag of around £24,000.
