What do you think of the Ford S-Max?

Its time for me to invest. Despite its breakdown in France last year, I'm going to keep my Skoda Superb as the family car and I want to get something similar for work and with extra seats for occasional use. I've decided on a Ford S-Max 2.0 TDCI Titanium Powershift. My budget allows for a two-year-old car with about 40,000 miles. Would one of these be reasonably reliable for another 60,000 miles over two years?

Asked on 23 February 2013 by SW, via email

Answered by Honest John
So far the only problems with Powershift have been DPF related. Drivers clog up their DPFs by not driving far enough often enough, and engine hesitations that result can cause jerks. Powershifts, like DSGs, also require a change of fluid and microfilter every few years at a cost of £200 a time. Otherwise, this is a great car.

The 2.0-litre Ford/PSA diesel has proved itself to be relatively problem free over the years and an S-Max drives like a 7-seater sports car. London private hire firm Addison Lee runs a fleet of at least 3000 Galaxy 2.0TDCI Powershifts with very little trouble. They do change the engine oil every 5000 miles, but that's due to severe driving condition in London traffic.
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