News: 2014 Ford S-Max Hybrid Concept Debuts New 1.5-liter EcoBoost

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Remember the days when minivans had both uninspired styling and atrocious fuel economy? Apparently, so does Ford.  They unveiled the 2014 Ford S-Max hybrid concept this past week ahead of the 2013 Frankfurt Auto Show, hoping to change the perception of the classic family hauler.

Wearing a carbon fiber-laden interior and some high-tech LED headlamps, the pre-production S-Max pictured above has a few more bells and whistles than the civilian model will. Unfortunately, we Americans won’t see the S-Max on our shores; it’s slated to be a Euro-only production model. However, the S-Max’s powerplant, a new 1.5-liter EcoBoost engine, will make appearances on many new American Ford products, namely the 2014 Fusion. This new engine will replace the current 1.6-liter EcoBoost while staying somewhere close to its 180 horsepower.

 

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The “S” in “S-Max” may very well stand  for “Safety,” as the pre-production model has a number of impressive, futuristic safety features. A collision avoidance system, executed through the radar and brake systems, will be able to slow the car as much as possible to avoid a collision, while a park assist feature will make sliding into those tough parallel spots a breeze. Most impressive, though, are heart rate and glucose level monitoring systems built into the seats, which are aimed at averting both heart attacks and diabetic shock for occupants.

The S-Max certainly isn’t short on passenger comfort, either. High-grain cuts of leather grace almost every surface in this concept car, while mobile hotspot capability and a second-row tablet plug-in allows for rear passenger entertainment. A split information screen in the front row can even give the driver vital vehicle information while simultaneously playing a movie for the front passenger.

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In fact, through Ford’s SYNC system, the S-Max can seek medical help and even take over control of the vehicle if the driver becomes incapacitated. Ford states that the S-Max can detect unsafe glucose levels for a passenger sleeping in the rear of the car. Quite an impressive feat. These medical monitoring systems simply point toward the future of the Ford technology that will hit American-spec cars in the near future–virtually all that’s left for them to do is fly.

Please enjoy this TFLcar.com video of the C-Max Hybrid, the smaller, American-spec version of the S-Max.