I've owned my S-Max for just over two years and, according to my dealer, mine is one of only two 240PS versions his dealership has sold; apparently most buyers don't want the power or expense of this particular engine.

The headline for this car must be its fuel consumption: I've covered to date 24,700 miles at an average of 19.1mpg. Yes, 19.1mpg (the onboard computer shows 19.9mpg). I don't often drive in towns and cities so most driving is on relatively uncongested A and B roads and sometimes motorways. Even though I was aware before purchase that the car would be thirsty and that I was likely to use all its performance often, 19.1mpg still hurts.

But, even taking into account its fuel costs, 19.1mpg is a small price to pay for such a fabulous car. It's spacious, it's practical, it handles spectacularly well for what is in effect a glorified taxi and child-lugger, and comes very close to achieving the impossible, namely hot-hatch or sportscar handling and dynamics in a family car package. It looks great too and is the first car I've had that draws admiring comments from those who claim to be disinterested in cars. It's comfortable and beautifully finished inside and, except for the most die-hard badge snob, bears comparison with those makes they might consider to be much better or prestigious.

Performance from the 2.0 240PS EcoBoost petrol engine is superb, although there is just a touch too much turbo lag for my liking, requiring very early power application on corner exits so that you’re not left sitting waiting for the turbo to spool up. The lag is no worse than many other turbo cars, and better than a lot, but it’s frustrating none-the-less. It’s also very noticeable that the engine electronics reduce turbo boost for a fraction of a second when the autobox changes gear under full load, probably to aid gearbox longevity.

It's only averagely quick from low speed (0-62mph is a reported 7.9 seconds), probably due to its bulk, but comes into its own at higher speeds, where its brute strength 240PS can often make other supposedly faster cars look silly. For rapid progress on good fast roads it's sublime; its torque, handling, refinement and relative silence make it almost limousine like. Even with the standard 18 inch wheels and 45 profile tyres, ride quality is good on all but the most pot-holed of roads, although if comfort is more important to you than grip, I’d recommend you opt for one of the softer less “sporty” S-Max versions.

Tyres and brakes haven't lasted long, but again this may reflect my specific use. I swap tyres front to rear in order to wear the whole set evenly, and a complete set lasts around 11,000 miles. It's now on its 3rd set of front brake discs and pads, and braking is one area where Ford haven't quite got it right; once the front pads are more than two thirds worn, fade becomes an issue when repeated heavy braking from high speed is required.

Unforgivably - and a major cause of frustration and inconvenience - Ford haven't properly sorted the car's fuel pick-up. The tank has a capacity of 70 litres, but when it contains less than 10 litres the car can't handle prolonged full acceleration from sub 20mph speeds. After a few seconds of full load/acceleration, the engine splutters and dies, only coming back to life after lifting off briefly. Everything on my car has been repeatedly checked at the dealers and no fault found, so I'm left to think that it's a fuel surge problem where, under hard acceleration with an almost empty tank, fuel doesn't reach the tank's pick-up point.

I've had only one fault with this car; a lambda sensor in the exhaust cracked its mounting and blew out, rendering the car undrivable and needing to be trailered back to the dealer for repair under warranty. Other than that, there have been no nasty or expensive servicing surprises and everything has worked perfectly, except the truly horrible rain sensing auto wipers that never sense rain accurately - an unwanted gimmick that I hate. Please Ford, either make these things work properly or give us back a nice simple intermittent wiper setting.

This is my second S-Max (the first was a 2.3 petrol Zetec) and is by far the best and most practical car I've had for many years. The Electronic Stability Program (ESP) was intrusive on the 2.3 Zetec, but on this car it’s well calibrated, only cutting in under severe provocation and the rest of the time leaving the driver to drive the car unhindered.

If, like me, you require the space and practicality of an MPV and if, like me, you'd really prefer a decent hot-hatch or sportscar, give this car a long hard look. If you can accept and afford sub 20mpg fuel economy, I'm pretty sure you'll be as delighted with this version of the S-Max as I am. It really is a brilliant car. I would definitely buy another.