Ford S-Max concept's no heart-stopper

Published Aug 28, 2013

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With its 179kW turbocharged 2-litre engine, Ford's first-generation S-Max has forged itself a niche following as an MPV that's not exactly dull to drive.

Now Ford is letting us in on its replacement with this concept car that looks all but production ready and one would think- given the fact that it has a built-in heart rate monitor - that there would be something even more enticing under the bonnet.

Sadly that's not the case with this concept car. Though Ford has not ruled out a performance version further down the line, all they're talking about now is a new 1.5-litre EcoBoost turbopetrol engine, for which they have yet to specify the outputs.

While petrol heads with big families might lose out here, gadget geeks are going are going to have a ball in this one.

Ford's advanced car-to-car communications technology enables the vehicle to 'talk' to similarly-equipped vehicles, delivering warnings in the event of potential driving hazards, including vehicles on the wrong side of the road.

And if the madness out there is getting too much for you, Ford's ECG Heart Rate Monitoring Seat will record your heart rate and it'll even alert remote medical experts if it finds any problems and trigger safety systems to take over if it becomes a medical emergency.

What's more, Sync can connect to Glucose Level Monitoring devices that will warn you if your sleeping child behind suffers a diabetic attack.

This Ford also comes to the rescue of those outside the car, its Intelligent Protection System with Pre-Collision Assist capable of identifying pedestrians and automatically applying the brakes if a collision is imminent.

It's not all about safety however as the car's Sync system delivers wi-fi for passengers, supported by a tablet docking station for second-row occupants.

Front seat passengers can also enjoy a movie thanks to the Dual-View central display that shows different images to the driver and passenger - ensuring that the former only sees the relevant driving information.

Despite its cutting edge systems, the concept won't lecture you for eating a greasy burger nor will it protect you from a nuclear attack, yet it makes a good start on the road to removing the stress from family travel.

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