Frankfurt Motor Show 2013: Ford unveals sportier more 'premium' S-MAX in concept form

Ford has previewed the 2015 S-MAX in concept form at the Frankfurt Motor Show. It previews a more exciting-looking, sporting car, that's packed with new technology.

The styling continues themes laid-out with the original S-MAX, but with considerable evolution, including a dramatic front end that takes the swept-back headlamps and Aston Martin-style grille of the recently facelifted Fiesta, and extends them back even further. 

Engines will include the new turbocharged petrol 1.5-litre, four-cylinder Ecoboost engine, which is an extension of the family of engines that started with the innovative 1.0-litre three-cylinder. It's unconfirmed whether the smaller three-cylinder will also make it into the S-MAX range to complement the existing range of turbodiesels.

The adaptable interior continues to seat up to seven people, but in concept form, it's finshed in high-quality soft-touch materials including hand-finished suede and leather-finished interior surfaces. There are also a number of carbon fibre inserts in the tastefully coloured interior - and although Ford won't directly speak about chasing buyers of premium-badged models, it's clear that's what the company hopes to achieve with the next generation S-MAX. 

The package of technology features will be extended from the current model and will include much more of Ford's Sync technology. Primary to this will be the connectivity set-up, which will allow occupants' smartphones and tablet devices, as well as laptops, to connect to the car by means of its wirelss hotspot. There will also be tablet and 'phone docking stations and an extended package of smartphone-enabled apps (such as Google maps and Spotify), which will work seamlessly with the car's entertainment and navigations systems.

More intriguingly, the next-generation S-MAX will also feature a number of health-monitoring systems. Driver's heart rate and blood levels can be monitored by the car's seat-mounted sensors - and if any serious irregularities are detected, Ford's Sync system can alert the medical authorities. In extreme emergencies it triggers active safety systems to bring the car to a safe stop.