... My company car is now a Ford Galaxy and just in order to have my review match the title and avoid the shopping list approach to car reviews I will give it from a potential hitch hikers point of view.
Firstly of course the hitch hiker will notice that the Galaxy is a roomy car. There would ... Read review
Advantages: Roomy,comfortable, good on motorways Disadvantages: Thirsty, high tax, poor on country roads
...company car is now a Ford Galaxy and just in order to have my review match the title and avoid the shopping list approach to car reviews I will give it from a potential hitch hikers point of view.
Firstly of course the hitch hiker will notice that the Galaxy is a roomy car. There would be a seat for you even if the car already 6 people in it. If there were two of you you’d both get in if there were 5 already in it. If there ... ...week in Bognor this year. Ford are practically giving this car to lease companies to try and encourage their use as company vehicles. Low lease costs benefit the company though not the company car driver.
The hitch hiker will soon notice though that the specification is not that good. If you have brought your CDs to share then forget it….no CD player. Be careful not to nudge the wing mirrors , they are not electric either. No ... more
Hitch hiking is getting to be a dying art. As a driver of a company car I know it is actually against the rules of my company to give them a lift. A shame really. In these days of environmental problems and absence of low cost public transport isn’t it a little sad that transport by thumb power is so frowned upon.
Of course safety is a big issue nowadays and picking up strangers can have inherent risk for the hiker and the driver. As TAFKAP might say ‘A Sign Of The Times’. My company car is now a Ford Galaxy and just in order to have my review match the title and avoid the shopping list approach to car reviews I will give it from a potential hitch hikers point of view.
Firstly of course the hitch hiker will notice that the Galaxy is a roomy car. There would be a seat for you even if the car already 6 people in it. If there were two of you you’d both get in if there were 5 already in it. If there were 3 of you…well, you get the picture. Lucky enough to be in the front seat and a huge expanse of dashboard stretches out in front of you. There are two handy boxes on top and a disappointingly shallow glove compartment but as this may be your only Galaxy journey you might not be too bothered. There are 2 handy cup holders if you have brought a can of Coke or two and down each of the wide opening doors are more useful cubby holes. The Galaxy is definitely a comfortable car to ride in, good seats and arm rests for the front seat occupants. The ride is smooth though on country roads it does tend to roll just a little too much for comfort.
Most hitch hikers are picked up near motorways or dual carriageways so the Galaxys tendency to eat up the miles on smooth straight roads will soon be apparent. The wind noise is low and the power from the 2.3 petrol engine makes it relaxing at 70mph. You are not going to be bothered by the fact that the crippling tax on this unfortunately high polluting engine has turned the drivers fortnight in Italy to a week in Bognor this year. Ford are practically giving this car to lease companies to try and encourage their use as company vehicles. Low lease costs benefit the company though not the company car driver.
The hitch hiker will soon notice though that the specification is not that good. If you have brought your CDs to share then forget it….no CD player. Be careful not to nudge the wing mirrors , they are not electric either. No sun roof and the most inadequate air conditioning system imaginable. It does match the heater in winter, its hopeless. The air flow through the cabin is practically non-existent on straight roads. However you turn a corner or go round a roundabout and a blast of air hits you. Why?
Whilst the hitch hiker is comfortable the driver is pretty comfy too. The steering is joyously light and the driving position is one of the best I have known. The brakes are reassuringly good too. Vision from any seat is good and the back passengers all have the benefit of tinted glass. This does not though seem to prevent the cabin getting very hot after it has been parked and as described before the aircon won’t lower the temperature quickly enough at all. Electric windows in the front, the second row have to wind though and the third row have a side opening window.
The hitch hiker will note the athletic physique of the driver due to his regular exercise. Firstly the frequent petrol pump exercise he gets filling the Galaxy up only to look aghast as the fuel gauge returns to zero quicker than the proverbial top of drainpipe bound rat. Secondly huge arm muscles will have been developed if the driver has ever attempted removing and replacing the seats in the Galaxy. This is hard work and you must be absolutely sure you put them back in the right place or the seat belts won’t connect properly. With the seats out though you have a huge amount of space for holidays, runs to the tip with garden rubbish etc.
The new Galaxy looks nice with attractive new clear lights and neat understated cabin. This is a car which a hitch hiker will love to get a lift in. Whether he will ever want the hassles and cost of ownership is another matter.
Advantages: Seats 7 comfortably, reliable engine and good build quality Disadvantages: If driven like a car will be thirsty, can be difficult to reverse without parking sensors
...I class that as pretty reliable and when I replace it at the end of the year I will almost certainly get another - hopefully the latest galaxy as its pure ford but considering its a mixture of vw and ford I think they got it just about spot on. ...
Mr_MH 28.07.2007
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Galaxy 2.3
Advantages: Lots of space Disadvantages: Drinks more than Oliver Reed
Taking delivery of a new car is always exciting and delivery of my first new MPV was no exception.
The metallic silver paint finish is excellent and shines superbly in the early autumn sunshine.
A quick circuit of the beast reveals it's not as big as it looks (shorter than a mondeo estate).
The flexible seating arrangements are not as flexible as they should be with overengineered seating leading to heavyweight removable chairs.Also in this area, ... ...move seats in one row in order to remove the other row.
When seven passengers are loaded, there is minimal space for luggage.
With all removable seats removed the loadspace is good but not quite big enough for a three seater sofa, fortunately a spanner enables removal of the front passenger seat and this problem is solved.
The two children of the household are more than happy with the much improved space after being cramped in the back of a Vauxhall ...
fairenoughclough 27.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Galaxy 2.3
Advantages: apart from brake fault its good. Disadvantages: brake fault.
The Ford Galaxy is the UK’s best selling multi-purpose vehicle (MPV), more widely known as a people carrier. Since it’s launch in 1995, more than 51,000 have been sold. It even has the Royal seal of approval, since both the Queen and Prince Charles have one, and at one point, so did Tony and Cherie Blair.
In December Ford recalled Galaxies after a serious fault with the brakes was discovered. Now Watchdog can reveal another significant flaw. The ... ...it. Ten out of ten Ford dealers told Watchdog they are aware of the problem. Ford have now changed the design, yet there was no admission of a problem, and no compensation for owners after Ford put it right. Alan and Christine Watts bought their Ford Galaxy two years ago - a brand new 2.3 litre Ghia X, for £21,000. They were very happy with the car until last December, when they noticed a few unusual things. The windows of their car seemed to open ...
corkin 13.07.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Galaxy 2.3
I bought our Ford Galaxy Ghia X 2.3 almost a year ago and am still quite happy with it. We have had quite a few problems with the dealership and some with the car, but I am rtying to give the car a fair review. I will mention the dealer problems but they are expanded upon in another review in the Motors -> Suggested Items area. The Galaxy is comfortable to drive, it is a nice spacious compfortable family car. I have two very young children (still ... ...quibble. This is obviously the benefit of a three year warranty. I like the car but I have gone off Ford. I would not buy another Ford in a hurry. Even though there have been problems the car meets our requirements and so we are happy with it. ...
fervicam 14.05.2001
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Galaxy 2.3
Advantages: Engine and transmission ok Disadvantages: Trim and finish poor
I Purchase a Ford Galaxy 4 years ago.
Although mechanically sound in the engine department I
suffered many problems. Initially for the first 5 thousand miles
I only achieved 14 miles per gallon which was added to by the fact that the speedo computer was calculating the consumption in american gallons. the speedo was changed and this improved to 19 miles per gallon. the consumption has crept upto 27 miles per gallon over the 4 year period. This ... ...on the inside of the module view cover. The paint robot missed a 9 inch length on the edge of the door which has laquer over the primer. It is not to noticeable as it is in the gap of the door and the wing. The laquer on the vehicle is all over the rubber trims in the door seals etc....God only knows why....Maybe they forgot to laquer it until it reached the end of the assembly line!!
I have had many occasions with water condensation in my headlamps.
...
laddsds 04.10.2000
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Ciao members have rated this car review on average: helpful Review of Ford Galaxy 2.3
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