THE DISHWASHER'S days were numbered. It had stood in the utility room mocking my inability to haul it off to the tip ever since we moved house, when it decided to break.

For six long months I hadn't managed to test a car capable of swallowing the massive metal chassis and all the plumbing that went with it. But now I had a shiny Ford S-Max 2.5T on the drive and the dishwasher was about to be history.

These days people-carriers are shrinking down from the Mondeo class to the sector below, which is populated by Focus-sized hatchbacks.

Clever design means many of them can still seat seven people but, inevitably, compromises have to be made and for these midi-sized MPVs it is usually the boot.

The S-Max is a full-fat people-carrier.

It is based on the same platform as the even bigger Galaxy and the new Mondeo, so with seven people aboard there is still a useful amount of boot space.

And if you look beneath the boot itself there is a storage compartment big enough for a large overnight bag. In fact, with a bit of thought you could probably cram in enough for a family holiday.

For my trip to the tip I didn't need seven seats so they folded neatly into the floor, releasing even more room.

The S-Max comes in several flavours ranging from tepid to hot.

There are diesels, petrols and, at the top of the tree, a 2.5-litre turbo fivecylinder packing a mighty 224bhp punch.

It is a strange one, the 2.5T. Petrol heads will recall that it started life as a Volvo, where it carved itself a formidable reputation powering several very fast swedish saloons.

Nowadays it is used in the Focus ST, a car that is not exactly known as a shrinking violet.

But when I tested the ST I found the 2.5 curiously laid back. Despite having the power it just didn't feel as fast as the on-paper figures suggested.

So what can it do in a bulky people- carrier where outright power isn't always what you want?

With seven people aboard what an MPV really needs is torque to make it easy to drive and flexible in stopgo traffic.

So the good news is that the 2.5 delivers strong power with no hint of dreaded turbo lag (the delay you sometimes get when you put your foot down in a turbocharged car) so it is just as happy cruising the motorway as it is on a country lane.

There is not a hint of peakiness or histrionics about the performance.

In sixth gear, at 70 mph, the cabin is a peaceful place - at that speed the five-cylinder feels almost mellow.

Ford's claimed 0-62mph time is 7.4 seconds but the engine's relaxed power delivery means the S-Max doesn't feel as quick as the Vauxhall Zafira VXR, which has similar power and an almost identical 0- 62mph sprint time.

So it is not really a hot' MPV, more a long-legged cruiser, where the engine's power reserves make light work of carrying seven people and all their luggage.

The driving experience is out of the top drawer. Ford says the S-Max is an MPV for owners who love driving and I have to agree.

It has that responsiveness that marks good Fords, like the Mondeo and the Focus, out from the mundane.

The power steering has plenty of feedback, there is a stack of grip from the front tyres and a surprisingly lack of body roll, the bain of (almost) all people-carriers.

You don't fling the S-max through a sinuous series of bends, it is too big for that, but it can be hustled with a remarkable degree of finesse. Except, of course, your kids would be gagging in the back.

Overall, however, the big Ford feels much more controlled than the wild Vauxhall VXR, which threatens to head for the nearest hedge when you plant it in the low gears.

Even more remarkably, Ford has achieved this without stiffening the suspension to the point of harshness. Passengers in the back didn't complain about the ride over poorly-surfaced roads.

The cabin has lots of head and leg room - at least for passengers in the front two rows - and 26 different cubby holes for the usual family junk.

It is 50mm shorter than a Galaxy, so folk in the third row of seats don't get as much room but it is still perfectly OK for young travellers.

The Ford FoldFlatSystem works very well. To drop the third row into the floor all you have to do is pull a red belt and the backs tumble and fold forward.

There is a small hump in the floor but in this configuration the S-Max was well up to the job of swallowing a dishwasher. If you need even more carrying capacity the second row of seats also fold up individually.

The view from the driver's seat is excellent: sporty dished steering wheel, stubby little gearknob sprouting from the dash and a proper driving position instead of the usual horrible MPV feeling of being in charge of a double-decker bus perched on top of everything.

So you get all this and it even looks good, too.

Stand back and take in the 18- inch alloy wheels (same as the Focus ST), the steeply-raked windscreen and the sloping roofline. Even the fake vents in the front wings don't strike a discordant note.

So even in petrol-guzzling 2.5T guise, the S-Max maintains its position as my favourite full-sized people-carrier.

Anyone expecting a boring econo-box is surely going to be surprised. It is good to look at, better to drive and excellent value for money.

And the dishwasher? Well let's just say it is finally shining dishes in the great big kitchen in the sky.

SPECIFICATION

Engine: 2,522cc five-cylinder turbo
Max power: 224bhp
Max torque: 236lb/ft @ 4,800rpm
0-62mph: approx 7.5 seconds
Fuel economy: 30mpg combined
CO2 emissions: 194g/km
Equipment: Electric windows, climate control, panoramic sunroof with blinds, alloy wheels with low profile tyres, seven seats, CD autochanger, automatic lights and windscreen wipers.
What the papers said: "The S-Max offers sharp handling and a comfortable ride..." What Car.