Ford Galaxy 2.0 TDCi 140PS 6sp Ghia

Model tested: Ford Galaxy 2.0 TDCi 140PS 6sp Ghia
Price as tested: £23,995
Range price: £19,495 – £24,995
Insurance group as tested: 11
Insurance group range: 10 – 11
Date tested: January 2008
Road tester: Stuart MilneAuto Trader Ten Point Test rating: 85%

The Ford Galaxy has been one of the most popular seven seaters on the road since its launch in 1995. It brought seven-seat practicality to the masses, and thanks to frequent updates, is still loved today.

This, the second generation Galaxy (the first major revision was a far-reaching facelift) spawned a sporty brother, the Ford S-Max. That car might grab the headlines for its ‘daddy-cool’ image, but the Galaxy is the more practical sibling.

1. Looks

The Ford Galaxy looks like a big car from the outside, but has an immediate consistent look with the smaller, Focus-based C-Max and sporty S-Max. Its front is as sleek as Ford’s other MPVs and its rear lights give a nod to the Mondeo saloon. It looks as through the Galaxy will be huge inside, with its boxy rear three-quarters maximising interior room.

8/10

2. Looks inside

The Galaxy is built alongside Ford’s Mondeo saloon and S-Max sporty MPV, with all three models sharing the same dashboard. It’s well designed and has a genuine premium feel, worthy of a badge from the most highly regarded German manufacturers. The red trip computer is reminiscent of those installed into VW and Audi vehicles. A u-shaped handbrake which lifts vertically is a nice touch in a centre console which sweeps between the two front seats. The view from the second row of seats is equally pleasant, with a table to occupy the outermost two passengers. The third row of seats lifts out of the floor. Our test car was fitted with optional £1,500 leather upholstery, which although costly, oozed quality. This is the MPV to show its rivals the way when it comes to interior style.

10/10

3. Practicality

Seven seats might steal the headlines, but it’s the amount of storage space in the cabin which really impresses. A row of cubbyholes running along the centre of the roof provide front and second row seat passengers access to oddments, while on the range-topping Ghia model, these stretch almost the full length of the car. There’s yet more storage on top of the dash, in the centre console and doors and even in the passenger-side armrest on the third row of seats. Unlike the original Ford Galaxy, which required seats to be removed to expand interior space, the latest model’s fold into the floor – although not completely flat like the Vauxhall Zafira. Boot space grows from 367 to 2,095 litres depending on the number of seats folded.

The third row lacks the ‘one-touch tumble’ offered by some other rivals, with the seat base and backs having to move separately. While not requiring the same level of manhandling to remove the seats as the original model did, it is still hard work.

9/10

4. Ride and Handling

The Galaxy shares many major components with the excellent Mondeo saloon, so inherits a good chassis. There’s less bodyroll than you’d expect, and the steering offers a good level of feedback. Our test car was fitted with the optional IVDC with Continuously Controlled Damping, which is a clever piece of kit that adjusts the firmness of the suspension through three settings, and changes the damping every 0.2 seconds for an optimum ride. Even on ‘Sport’ mode, the ride was good, but ‘Comfort’ felt a little bouncy at speed. ‘Normal’ was an excellent compromise.

8/10

5. Performance

Ford offers six engine choices: 2- and 2.3-litre petrol, and a choice of two 1.8-litre and two 2-litre diesels. The petrols offer some of the best performance, with 0-62mph times of 10.7 and 11.1 seconds and top speeds of 121mph and 118mph respectively. Oddly, the larger 2.3-litre engine is the slower of the two.

The diesels will make up the bulk of sales. The 1.8-litre comes in 100bhp and 125bhp flavours, and the latter is also available with a six-speed manual gearbox which marginally improves performance. Headline figures for these are 0-62 in 13.8 or 11.4 seconds (11.2 for the six-speeder) and top speeds of 106, 114 and 116mph. The 2-litres come in 128bhp and 138bhp guises offering 0-62mph in 11.8 and 9.9 seconds and top speeds of 116 and 120mph. The later, the high-power 2-litre diesel is the fastest, and as our test car pulled well in any of its six gears.

8/10

6. Running Costs

Starting at almost £20,000, there area cheaper seven-seaters on the market. And what the car will be worth after three years/36,000 miles depends on which model is chosen. The 1.8 TDCi 100 LX retains an impressive 51 per cent of its value, while the 2-litre petrol in Zetec and Ghia trim keep just 43 per cent.

Ford says the diesels offer average fuel consumption figures from 38.1mpg (2-litre 128bhp) to 53.3mpg for the 1.8-litre models. That’s good for a car with seven seats, making the emissions per occupant competitive. Insurance groups of 10 and 11 are average for this class of vehicle, and CO2 emissions ranging from 166 to 197g/km place the cars in tax bands E and F, costing £165 and £205 respectively.

8/10

7. Reliability

This incarnation of the Ford Galaxy hasn’t been around long enough for many common problems to emerge. It feels like a premium product, and vastly improved over Fords of old.

8/10

8. Safety

The Ford Galaxy scored a full five stars in the EuroNCAP crash test programme, and offers the full range of airbags, including driver, passenger, front side, 2^nd and 3^rd row side curtain and driver’s knee ‘bags. Additionally, all seats have full three-point seatbelts and a collapsible steering column. A deactivation switch for the front passenger airbag is a dealer-fit option.

10/10

9. Equipment

There are three models in the Ford Galaxy range; LX, Zetec and Ghia. The LX features air-con, heated electric wing mirrors, electric front windows, electronic stability programme and a heated front windscreen. The Zetec adds 16-inch alloy wheels, dual-zone climate control, electric height adjustment for the driver’s seat, electric front and rear windows, front and rear park sensors and a child observation mirror in front of the main rear view mirror.

The range-topping Ghia adds indicators and ‘puddle lamps’ in the wing mirrors, a Sony CD player, automatic headlights and rain sensing wipers, auto-dimming rear view mirror, cruise control and the full-length overhead storage bins.

8/10

10. X-Factor

It’s the MPV which feels like a quality saloon car with massive levels of storage space. There’s little to rival it for everyday usability for large families.

8/10