'Van with seats': I couldn't find it anywhere. Among the extraordinary hyperbole used to describe the new Ford Galaxy, nowhere could I find the phrase 'Van with seats', or even 'Minivan'.
The Americans are quite happy to describe similar products as 'minivans' but in Ford of Europe parlance, we (the press) are confronted with the likes of '...elegant, contemporary silhouette', '...kinetic design language', and '..futuristic modernism'. But van with seats? No.
Yet how else are we meant to distinguish the Galaxy from the S-MAX, Ford's Mondeo-based, seven-seater MPV? According to Ford, it has designed two vehicles '...which, while sharing many of their core technologies, present themselves as individual products with unique appeal'. Fair enough, but what about '...and one costs a lot more than the other?'
 |
 |
the new Galaxy is all Ford's own work |
|
 |
|
I drove the S-MAX in July and noted that it was '...roomy, practical and a doddle to drive'. I also noted that the range-topping model would set you back £21,495. The Galaxy test vehicle, on the other hand, had a £30,000 price tag. Admittedly, that was with a few extras thrown in, but even straight out of the box, the range-topping model costs £23,995.
So it is difficult to compare the minivan Galaxy with the car-like S-MAX without making negative comments. The S-MAX is definitely a better drive, and offers pretty much the same accommodation at a blue-cross price. Where the Galaxy scores is in a comparison with the model it directly replaces: the Volkswagen Sharan,
Never a Ford product from the outset, the old Galaxy was simply a re-badged VeeDub, often powered by VeeDub engines, and distinguished from the German product by a few, minor cosmetic flourishes.
However, the new Galaxy is all Ford's own work, manufactured in Belgium on a platform described by the company as reflecting its 'Global Shared Technologies' initiative. Badge engineering again, but this time kept in the family.
|
