Of the two large Fords which were introduced in 2006, the one that attracted by far the more interest was the S-MAX. Fair dos, it's a remarkable car, but it would be a shame if it completely eclipsed the new-generation Galaxy on which it's based.I covered a lot of miles over the course of a week in the Galaxy tested here, and a splendid mode of transport it was too. That's partly because it's a Ghia - the highest trim level in the range - fitted with a great many optional extras which we'll come to later.Only partly, though. Many of the Galaxy's qualities are inherent and do not require extra investment. It's a very big car, easily able to transport seven people, or a monstrous amount of luggage, or - thanks to the FoldFlat seating system - to deal with some compromise arrangement as required.But although there's a lot of it, the Galaxy is not a heavy brute to drive. The S-MAX is, as Ford intended it to be, more carlike and more sporty still, but there is nothing about the Galaxy that should intimidate even an inexperienced driver, except perhaps for the large amount of road space it occupies.In the form tested here, it's also fairly quick if you want it to be, covering the 0-60mph run in around ten seconds. Both this and a combined fuel economy figure on the inexpensive side of 43mpg are due to the two-litre TDCi engine, which remains one of the most appealing turbo diesels of its size on the market several years after Ford introduced it as a replacement for the gruffly agricultural TDDi.An unsuspecting passenger might be persuaded that it isn't a diesel at all, since another thing the Galaxy shares with the S-MAX is an impressive ability to keep mechanical noise out of the passenger compartment. Along with the interior space and the supportive seats, this helps to keep comfort levels high and give the Galaxy a sense of true quality.The Ghia trim I mentioned before is pretty generous. For your £23,995 you get dual-zone air-conditioning, cruise control, front and rear parking sensors (a good idea, since the back of the vehicle is a very long way off), an overhead console for stashing away small stuff, privacy glass, heated and powered door mirrors and so on.There can be more to the Galaxy than that, but only if you start paying. By way of demonstration, Ford supplied an extravagantly loaded model for us to drive, with not far short of £7000 worth of extras. Metallic paint and heated front seats are just the start of it; the best of the sub-£1000 options is the replacement of the standard headlights with bi-xenon ones which include "static bending lights" - extra light units which switch on at the appropriate moments to follow the intended path of the car through a corner.The DVD satellite navigation system costs £1760 - that's about what you'd expect to pay these days for quality satnav, which this certainly is. Slightly cheaper, at £1500, is the DVD entertainment system for passengers in the middle row, who get two sets of headphones and a monitor built into the back of the front headrests.This was the item which caused most excitement among the two youngsters I transported to a pantomime rehearsal while I had the car. I would love to have demonstrated it to them, and the Assistant Editor lost no time in volunteering to try it out during a motorway run while I was in charge of driving duties. Unfortunately, both plans were foiled because I couldn't work out how to load a DVD into the player, but I'm sure it works wonderfully.Of all the options on the test car, the most expensive was the Ghia X Pack (a term which reminds me of dodgy body styling kits for 1970s Cortinas). This consists of 17" alloy wheels to replace the standard 16" ones, leather trim, separate air-conditioning for the rear passengers and a Panorama roof which isn't quite as large as the name suggests because it's bisected by the overhead console.Whether you want to load your Ghia with all this kit, or leave it in its standard form, or even venture further down the price range, is a matter for you and your budget. The more significant point is that, while perhaps overshadowing the achievement by launching the S-MAX at the same time, Ford has quietly produced one of the finest MPVs on the market. Engine 1997 cc, 4 cylinders Power 140 bhp @4000 rpm Torque 251 ib/ft @2000 rpm Transmission 6 speed manual Fuel/CO2 43.5 mpg / 172 g/km Acceleration 0-62mph: 9.9sec Top speed 120 mph Price From £29340.00 approx Release date 01/06/2006
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