Ford Galaxy Review

Our family car is a seven-seat Renault Grand Scenic. It’s not new. We bought it second hand about a year ago, so the licence plate says 07 D on it. Honestly, before I had children I wouldn’t have ever considered buying such a vehicle. Firstly, why would I need such a thing? Secondly, it’s not the most stylish looking bus in the world. I’ve found myself since we purchased the jalopy looking at other MPVs in awe as I’m looking for the family parking spaces in the local ALDI. One seven-seat machine which has been catching my eye over the last year has been the Ford Galaxy.

Let’s be fair about the Galaxy. It is actually a stylish-enough looking vehicle. It’s got some fantastic lines, and if you look at a black one it wouldn’t seem out of place even as a limousine carrying dignitaries from meeting to meeting.

A couple of months ago Ford Ireland kindly gave me a Galaxy for a week to test drive and from the moment I had the keys in my hand I was impressed. Sit inside and you are surrounded by a brilliant space – large enough to keep most families happy. Legroom and head room in the first two rows is superb, and even the back row offers more than most competitors.

As should be expected the ride height is pretty high, but the seats you sit in for this view are very comfortable, and the infotainment and dash is laid out better than most other Fords I’ve driven.

This is a very large machine, but it drives like any other car on the road. I drove their 2.0litre TDCi, and despite the size of this car I found it handled surprisingly well. For obvious reasons I was expecting more body roll, but I was nicely surprised. The steering was precise, and the ride was exceptional.

When I dropped back the Galaxy to Ford they arranged for a Taxi to bring me back into the city. The man behind the wheel asked me if I was buying a new car and I explained to him that I was dropping back a test drive. At that point he asked me what I thought of the Galaxy, and instead of saying the usual, “you can find out when the review goes live on CBG.ie”, I answered – “it’s one of the best family cars I’ve been in for a long time”.

The Ford Galaxy has a lot of competition, especially from the aforementioned Renault Grand Scenic – which is a much more attractive machine now in comparison to my 2007 model. Others fighting for the top spot in this segment include SEAT’s Alhambra and its cousin, the Volkswagen Sharan. My experience to date however is pushing me towards the Galaxy.

The CBG.ie Verdict

This machine is not flawless though. What makes it difficult to fall completely in love with it is the price tag. It starts from in and around €10,000 above the Grand Scenic. For your cash though you do get a very luxurious car and it comes at the moment with a 5 year warranty (at participating Ford dealers according to the Ford Ireland website).

Read our other Ford reviews: http://www.cbg.ie/cbg-official-reviews/ford/all-models/new-cars-reviews/