• BP Ford World Rally Team driver Marcus Grönholm takes the wheel of Ford's sporty new S-MAX MPV
• Experienced driver and family man Grönholm is impressed by striking design, interior flexibility and advanced safety systems
• Enjoyable 220 PS turbocharged 2.5-litre Duratec engine boasts performance similar to sports cars

Double World Rally Champion and 2006 BP Ford World Rally team driver Marcus Grönholm has been sampling the exciting new addition to the Ford range - the S-MAX. His conclusion: "I'm really impressed!"

Grönholm is no stranger to driving powerful and highly dynamic cars. Since he started his motorsport career in 1987, he has participated in 124 world rallies and won 20 of them. But away from the dirt and gravel of the FIA World Rally Championship, even this professional motorsport driver has to take to the public roads, and often with his family.

With three children between the ages of 9 and 15, Marcus and his wife, Teresa, appreciate the comforts of a family car, and for Grönholm himself, driving dynamics can make the difference for any journey between enjoyment and necessity. This is where the new Ford S-MAX comes into its own.

In the heat of competition, Grönholm drives to the limit, exploring every attribute of his 300bhp, four-wheel drive Focus RS World Rally Car. Meeting the Ford S-MAX, for the first time, he immediately recognised the new vehicle's qualities: "For me, new S-MAX has a really stylish and dynamic look, especially from the side profile. But I am equally impressed with the cockpit-like interior. I'm tall but the driving position is comfortable for me, and there's still plenty of space for the rear passengers."

As well as being the first production vehicle from Ford to highlight the company's dynamic new 'kinetic' design language, S-MAX also features the innovative Ford FoldFlatSystem for the rear seats. This is specifically designed to offer maximum flexibility and ease of use for the many different transportation needs modern families have. Just like Marcus and Teresa Grönholm and their three children: "I'm a family man and perhaps that's why the interior room and flexibility is one of my favorite aspects. Simply fold away the rear seats and there's a load floor big enough to take in anything I can ever imagine wanting to put inside."

The rally driver was equally impressed by the vehicle's precise driving behavior. "Seating up to seven people is great, but the S-MAX really comes alive on the road," he adds. "It feels sporty, handles predictably and is very dynamic, like a much smaller car. I also like the real feeling of power from the 220PS engine."

Grönholm's appreciation for the top-of-the-line S-MAX equipped with its 2.5-litre 220PS Duratec 5-cylinder engine is heightened by its impressive performance. In this guise, the new Ford S-MAX is capable of a top speed of 230 kph. Acceleration is just as powerful, with the sprint from zero to 100 kph only taking 7.9 seconds. These numbers allow S-MAX to compete with more overtly sporty performance models.

Advanced technology is also available to ensure S-MAX sets new safety standards. In addition to a new Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control with Continuously Controlled Damping system, new Ford S-MAX also offers Adaptive Cruise Control with Forward Alert and a new Collision Mitigation by Braking system. This wide range of active driver assistance features combine with state-of-the-art occupant protection systems and clearly demonstrate Ford's no-compromise approach to safety.

"There's plenty of high-tech features on board the S-MAX that make it both reassuring and safe to drive. For me as a rally driver and family man, safety is the most important aspect of driving. I'm really impressed with all the safety measures in place on the S-MAX", concluded Grönholm.

The new Ford S-MAX is currently being launched across Europe. The all-new addition to the Ford range sits between the Mondeo and the all-new Galaxy, has been fully developed in-house and is built at Ford of Europe's Genk plant in Belgium.