Ford Galaxy

A sophisticated upgrade incorporates a larger glass area and a segment-first. Keep reading to find out what it is! 

The Galaxy has always been a really practical 7-seater people carrier, so I can see why they've gone for the luxury upgrade as opposed to trying to offer more space.

It's all about safety too. And helping you. And your pockets. The Intelligent Speed Limiter scans traffic signs and adjusts the throttle to prevent you from speeding (when activated) so that you can avoid fines. The Glare-Free Highbeam technology makes the Galaxy a more pleasant car to drive towards too. The adaptive LED headlights detect when a vehicle is coming and fades out particular sections to avoid dazzling the oncomer, but still keeps the clear section of the road illuminated to an optimum. Further technologies include a Blind Spot Information System, Traffic Sign Recognition, Lane Keeping Alert, Lane Keeping Aid and Driver Alert.

The Hands-Free Liftgate, as seen in the Kuga, opens and closes the boot lid with a kicking motion beneath the rear bumper. How cool is that?!

At the front, the trapezoidal grille, known to you and I as "that Aston Martin grille", and slim headlights help make the car look more mature. The rear windscreen and taillamps have been merged to give us the impression of a larger glass area too.

You don't have to worry about parking the Galaxy anymore. It's a brilliant first car, despite its giant footprint. No, I haven't gone mad. I'll tell you who has though. Ford, with the amount of parking aid the Galaxy can be spec'd with.

A Front Split View Camera comprises of a 180-degree view and an 8-inch colour touchscreen. Its aim? To make pulling out of junctions and bay parking spaces easier. Cross Traffic Alert serves a similar purpose, but for reversing out of a bay parking space. It warns the driver of oncoming vehicles that will be crossing behind them. Side Parking Aid gives audible alerts and on-screen distance indicators of obstacles - parking sensors to you an I. Next, the Park-Out Assist gets you out of a parallel parking situation where those morons who can't drive have blocked you in! But you would've parked there in the first place,probably using the Active Park Assist system. Lastly, the Perpendicular Parking puts you into a bay space.

Now, that segment-first? It's a control panel in the boot which allows you to fold down the 2nd- and 3rd-row seats flat, and raise the 3rd-row (only) at the push of a button. Or many buttons. With the rear 5 seats folded, a flat load bay responds to a longer-than-expected IKEA trip with a throw-it-at-me attitude. It's a cavern!! There's even a 20-litre hidden compartment beneath the boot floor, called the Cargo Management System.

The door bins'll accommodate 1.5-litre bottles, and even the 3rd-row occupants have their own armres storage bins and cup-holders! Every single seat in the car will individually slide and recline too. Now that's fancy. Headroom has been maximised, and access to the 3rd-row is easier thanks to the 2nd-row outermost-seats which told and slide forward in one swift movement, and a recessed floor design. Ford has chosen to keep its traditional doors over sliding doors (to be seen in its younger brothers, the B-Max and Grand C-Max, or its rivals, the Seat Alhambra and Volkswagen Sharan), which saves space for the rearmost passengers.

Solar-tinted glass blocks out harmful UV rays from the sun as well as prevent the cabin from becoming too stuffy. To further flood the cabin with light, the optional full-length panoramic glass roof is a great addition.

Ford SYNC 2 has Voice Control, where natural commands like "I'm hungry" will bring up nearby restaurants and cafés using the sat Nav. You can also administer the climate control.

Safety inside is exceptional too, with driver and front-passenger, driver's knees, first-, second- and third-row curtain airbags. But a new addition is the second-row seat side airbag system.

Gone is the traditional instrument cluster, and here is the 10-inch digital screen with an animated analogue-style speedometer and rev-counter. Well, we haven't quite lost the traditional instruments, the 10-inch screen is an optional upgrade. Nevertheless, a very appealing, upmarket one.

Diesel engines are 120 PS, 150 PS and 180 PS variants of the 2.0-litre TDCi unit. A 160 PS 1.5-litre EcoBoost unit and a 240 PS 2.0-litre EcoBoost unit provide petrol options too.