Ford S-Max gains hybrid tech for 2021

The Ford S-Max people carrier has gained hybrid drivetrains for 2021. They aim to offer the same level of value as the car’s diesel variants and Ford claims it will be the most affordable hybrid MPV on the market.

Here’s what you need to know.

It might not look like it on the outside, but the S-Max hybrid is a completely new platform for this model. Using the basis of a 2.5-litre petrol engine combined with an electric motor and 1.1kWh battery, it produces 190hp – that’s a similar amount you’d get from the EcoBlue diesel option.

As standard, the hybrids come in Titanium guise. That means you get a 10in driver display, front and rear parking sensors along with 17in alloy wheels. The S-Max remains one of the better-looking MPVs available too, and it’s even quite fun to drive for a car this size.

The hybrid system is self charging, meaning that this is not actually a plug-in model. Instead, the battery is charged through a combination of regenerative braking and the petrol engine.

The result is an electric-only range of around 20 miles and a combined fuel consumption figure of 43.5mpg. It’ll produce 147g/km of C02. This compares favourably to the diesel option which musters around 40mpg and produces 167g/km of CO2.

Thanks to clever packaging, the battery packs to not impede on boot or passenger place, meaning that even if you have all rear seats in place, you’ll still have 285 litres of luggage room. This increases to 700 litres if you have the car in a five-seat configuration.

With a list price that’s just £625 more than the equivalent diesel model, the Ford S-Max Hybrid will be available to lease shortly with orderbooks now open.