Korea: Ford releases S-MAX 7-seater

Ford
Korea began sales of the sport multi-purpose vehicle S-MAX on the 22nd
of June. The automaker recently released another European-catered model
- Mondeo - in the Korean market. Featuring the famed Kinetic Design,
the S-MAX packs items that were previously unheard of in MPVs such as
Adaptive Cruise Control and Human Machine Interface.

The S-MAX
is powered by a 130 horsepower 2.0L Duratorq TDCi diesel engine. It
comes with Ford's Durashift 6-speed automatic transmission. The S-MAX
packs a plethora of premium goodies including bi-xenon front lighting
system, Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC), Hill-Launch Assist, seven
airbags, and panorama glass roof. It also comes with Ford's Fold Flat
System, which enables both the second and third-row seats to fold flat
for optimum load capabilities. Also a Ford first is the Human Machine
Interface (HMI), which allows the driver to manoeuvre audio controls at
the flick of a thumb on the steering wheel.

The S-MAX has no direct rivals in the market yet. It is priced at 42.5 million Won ($41 279USD).