0 useful votes
Review Ford Galaxy 1.9 Tdi 115bhp Manual 2005
Submitted by chelseaboy
Key strengths: Surprisingly fast, roomy, great family runaround
Areas for improvement: Cheaply made plastic interior
The car is not fast, but then again that is not what it is for. My wife has a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Style, and the Galaxy is nippier off the mark.
I do most driving around town & achieve 34 mpg, however once I get on to motorways, this increases. The engine averages between 53 and 55 mpg when doing 70 mph in 6th gear, and in cruise control. I recently drove from Dover to Liverpool, and the average mileage was 49.9 mpg. The air con does not affect the mpg, & if it does, I haven't noticed. It is on all summer, and I get the same mpg as I do in the winter, when the heating is on.
Tyre sizes are 205/16, and I am on my 2nd set of tyres on the front axle. However, I still have the original tyres on the rear axle after 25,000 miles.
My previous car was a 2.0Tdi 130bhp Mondeo (2004), and the ride and feel is not too different.
The rear DVD Multimedia system was expensive, however I got a great deal on the car at the time, & it was take it or leave it. The kids play on their Playstation on it on long journeys, and you do forget they are there at times. When in Paris, FIFA07 had to be paused when parked at the foot of the Eiffel Tower so they could look. They don't remember much of Paris strangely enough?
If you are thinking of a people carrier, you cannot go wrong with the Galaxy. I have driven people carriers in the United States, and they are like being in a space hopper bouncing around. The Sedona and Voyager do not drive the same as the Galaxy, and I can understand why its features are car like.
Never buy a car with beige cloth interior, especially if you have kids. Remarkably the velour trim is not that bad considering the colour, and comes up clean every time the upholstery cleaner is used.
I have had no faults with the car mechanically; however the only problem I can report is the compartment lid in the rear of the car. The hinges have broken after being used by the kids, & the cost of a replacement is £35, as the storage box and lid is one piece. However, I found Velcro works well holding for the lid in place when going over speed bumps.
The running costs for Ford Galaxy 1.9 Tdi 115bhp Manual are normal
Areas for improvement: Cheaply made plastic interior
The car is not fast, but then again that is not what it is for. My wife has a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Style, and the Galaxy is nippier off the mark.
I do most driving around town & achieve 34 mpg, however once I get on to motorways, this increases. The engine averages between 53 and 55 mpg when doing 70 mph in 6th gear, and in cruise control. I recently drove from Dover to Liverpool, and the average mileage was 49.9 mpg. The air con does not affect the mpg, & if it does, I haven't noticed. It is on all summer, and I get the same mpg as I do in the winter, when the heating is on.
Tyre sizes are 205/16, and I am on my 2nd set of tyres on the front axle. However, I still have the original tyres on the rear axle after 25,000 miles.
My previous car was a 2.0Tdi 130bhp Mondeo (2004), and the ride and feel is not too different.
The rear DVD Multimedia system was expensive, however I got a great deal on the car at the time, & it was take it or leave it. The kids play on their Playstation on it on long journeys, and you do forget they are there at times. When in Paris, FIFA07 had to be paused when parked at the foot of the Eiffel Tower so they could look. They don't remember much of Paris strangely enough?
If you are thinking of a people carrier, you cannot go wrong with the Galaxy. I have driven people carriers in the United States, and they are like being in a space hopper bouncing around. The Sedona and Voyager do not drive the same as the Galaxy, and I can understand why its features are car like.
Never buy a car with beige cloth interior, especially if you have kids. Remarkably the velour trim is not that bad considering the colour, and comes up clean every time the upholstery cleaner is used.
I have had no faults with the car mechanically; however the only problem I can report is the compartment lid in the rear of the car. The hinges have broken after being used by the kids, & the cost of a replacement is £35, as the storage box and lid is one piece. However, I found Velcro works well holding for the lid in place when going over speed bumps.
The running costs for Ford Galaxy 1.9 Tdi 115bhp Manual are normal
Safety: 80
Reliability: 79
Equipment: 75
Comfort: 83
Design: 78
Driving: 79
0 useful votes
Review Ford Galaxy 2.3 Automatic 2006
Submitted by shawn22
Key strengths: Spacious
Areas for improvement: AC not powerful enough
We bought this car as we needed something with three individual seats (for child restraints) and boot space (with two rearmost seats removed).
We got a good deal in my opinion, as most people want the diesel manual for economy reasons. As this is a second car, our low annual mileage doesn't justify diesel. The 2.3 DOHC is well mated to the 4 speed autobox. Performance is adequate and the car pulls and cruises well. I get 22mpg on urban running and 28mpg on a motorway run (both with aircon on) Gearbox is nice and smooth with timely changes. Has a tiptronic function for manual changes, but box kicks down when necessary anyway.
Overall we are pleased with the car and its features.
Some minor issues:
No tonneau cover for the boot - it's an optional extra, but the problem is you have to dismantle all the boot trim and cut holes to fit the necessary brackets - these should have been prefixed in my opinion, as it would have meant simply buying the load cover and clipping in.
Aircon not powerful enough for such a large glass cabin. If you set the climate control at say 20 degrees on a reasonably warm day, the compressor and fan is running full blast for ages in order to cool the cabin down - it does get there eventually however.
Middle row outer seatbelts keep getting caught in door frames.
No steering column controls for the stereo unlike Focus, Mondeo etc. Guess this is because the steering column is probably a VAG unit.
Optional Multimedia pack includes DVD player and headrest screens, but the player is mounted in a console on the floor where it is easily kicked by kid's feet.
Ghia trim is nice and plush, but I'm not sure how hardwearing/child friendly it will turn out to be over time eg velour seating showing pilling already, and some fragile looking plastics here and there.
The running costs for Ford Galaxy 2.3 Automatic are normal
Areas for improvement: AC not powerful enough
We bought this car as we needed something with three individual seats (for child restraints) and boot space (with two rearmost seats removed).
We got a good deal in my opinion, as most people want the diesel manual for economy reasons. As this is a second car, our low annual mileage doesn't justify diesel. The 2.3 DOHC is well mated to the 4 speed autobox. Performance is adequate and the car pulls and cruises well. I get 22mpg on urban running and 28mpg on a motorway run (both with aircon on) Gearbox is nice and smooth with timely changes. Has a tiptronic function for manual changes, but box kicks down when necessary anyway.
Overall we are pleased with the car and its features.
Some minor issues:
No tonneau cover for the boot - it's an optional extra, but the problem is you have to dismantle all the boot trim and cut holes to fit the necessary brackets - these should have been prefixed in my opinion, as it would have meant simply buying the load cover and clipping in.
Aircon not powerful enough for such a large glass cabin. If you set the climate control at say 20 degrees on a reasonably warm day, the compressor and fan is running full blast for ages in order to cool the cabin down - it does get there eventually however.
Middle row outer seatbelts keep getting caught in door frames.
No steering column controls for the stereo unlike Focus, Mondeo etc. Guess this is because the steering column is probably a VAG unit.
Optional Multimedia pack includes DVD player and headrest screens, but the player is mounted in a console on the floor where it is easily kicked by kid's feet.
Ghia trim is nice and plush, but I'm not sure how hardwearing/child friendly it will turn out to be over time eg velour seating showing pilling already, and some fragile looking plastics here and there.
The running costs for Ford Galaxy 2.3 Automatic are normal
Safety: 81
Reliability: 71
Equipment: 72
Comfort: 65
Design: 68
Driving: 70
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