Ford Galaxy (2015 - ) Review

The Galaxy has been around since 1995, but now in its third guise will it still dominate the people carrier segment? The previous generation was released in 2006, however five years on the all-new Galaxy looks set to continue its popularity amongst family buyers with improvements on technology, comfort and fuel economy.

Ford always offer a good choice of engines and the Galaxy is no different with improvements to CO2 emissions and fuel efficiency without them being less powerful.

A 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine is available with 120PS and 150PS offered with a six-speed manual gearbox or 180PS which has a six-speed PowerShift automatic transmission.

The new 210PS 2.0-litre TDCi bi-turbo diesel engine gets from 0-62mph in 8.9 seconds with an enormous 450Nm of torque from 2,000 rpm.

Petrol options include their new fuel efficient 160PS 1.5-litre EcoBoost engine and a 240PS 2.0-litre EcoBoost which gets from 0-62mph in just 8.6 seconds and canters along at a top speed of 138mph.

It may be a large seven-seater but it’s a very comfortable ride due in part to the improved rear suspension which is self-levelling and maintaining optimal ride height. All very active ride ‘90s F1’...

Steering is heavy but feedback is really good giving the driver a greater sense of feel. Ford have added adaptive steering which increases manoevrability at low speeds such as when you’re parking and better and smoother precision at high speeds when steering feel becomes firmer. It makes a large car very agile and nimble out on the roads and Intelligent All-Wheel Drive is also offered for the first time on the Galaxy for when it snows and everyone struggles to get out of that uphill T junction at the end of the road...

Ford have made further improvements to the cabin to keep noise to a minimum, the fabric covering the roof has better noise absorption and this is reduced further by an enhanced body structure and acoustic glass to reduce wind noise.

The Ford Galaxy goes up a notch in the comfort stakes with more comfortable seating tailored to suit drivers and passengers and a new ventilation system is quieter too.

Ford produce highly exceptional interiors across their model range, the Galaxy oozes comfort, quality and the latest technologies.

The sleek console dominates the cabin and benefits from the Ford SYNC 2 system that uses voice control to let the driver operate media, navigation, entertainment and climate settings.

Ford have made away with an instrument cluster and replaced it with a 10-inch digital screen, with plenty of information for the driver including the speedo and rev-counter, but if you’re carrying passengers it will tell you in which seat they are in and if they’re strapped in - ideal for the school run.

There is also the Ford Eco Mode system which will assess your driving and see how fuel efficient your skills are behind the wheel. This makes a great ‘egg shell under the foot’ game.

Another helpful item if you have children in the back is a child-watch mirror, which offers a wide-angle view of the seats and there is even a plug socket in the back and tray tables on the rear of the front seats.

Practicality is where the Galaxy excels with seven seats, the second and third-row can be easily and quickly folded flat and raised at the touch of a button, there are multiple configurations to make the most of the space the model has to offer. With these down boot space is 2,339 litres and there is an additional 20-litres of hidden storage beneath the boot floor.

The boot isn’t that big with all seven seats up, which is to be expected - it’s a car not a minibus!

It wasn’t possible to fit in a pushchair so third-row seats had to be folded flat.

A great addition for parents is a hands-free liftgate which will open and close the boot door using a kicking motion beneath the rear bumper, great if you’re struggling with a child in your arms and bags of shopping.

If you get the two-part, glass panoramic roof in top level Titanium X spec it makes it very light and airy and rear seat passengers can even choose their own climate settings.

The Ford Galaxy starts at £26,445 for the Zetec version with the Titanium X costing from £33,095.

All new Ford models come with a three year 160,000 mile warranty and includes one year’s Ford assistance. Warranties can also be extended with the Ford Protect Classic.

Depending on the engine chosen, CO2 emissions on the petrol engines are as low as 149g/km delivering 43.4mpg upwards.

The diesel range has seen improved CO2 figures with the 2.0-litre delivering 129g/km and 56.5mpg, so running costs will be good.

Ford continue to improve with their interiors, they are done to such a high standard, materials are of a high quality with options including aluminium, charcoal metallic, high-gloss and silk-black finishes and the car feels solidly built.

Ford have struggled with reliability in the past, but the manufacturer has managed to turn that around in recent years. The Ford Galaxy hasn’t had many issues with reliability, it did manage 85th position in the 2014 JD Power survey and took 9th place in the MPV category.

The Ford Galaxy has scored the maximum five stars in the Euro NCAP tests and it now comes with second-row seat side airbags as well as the driver-knee and curtain airbags in the cabin.

Safety technology includes Intelligent Speed Limiter which will adjust the throttle to keep drivers within the speed limit, while to avoid dazzling oncoming drivers at night Ford have added their Glare-Free Highbeam technology. There are a raft of parking aids too to assist drivers with Lane Keeping Alert, Traffic Sign Recognition and a Blind Spot Information System.