Used Ford Galaxy MPV 2006 -2015 review

The Ford Galaxy lives up to its name; there is vast amounts of space inside. Here we have a seven-seat used MPV, one best known for its amazing practicality and impressive driving dynamics, too.

• Looking for an older Ford Galaxy? Read our 1995-2006 Ford Galaxy used buying guide

We will say it isn't quite as good to drive as the smaller 2006-2015 Ford S-Max, but that's mainly down to its softer suspension and increased bulk. That doesn't mean it drives badly, though, because it's decently refined with whatever engine you pick out from its wide range, petrol or diesel, and it's composed over bumps and handles corners well. It's a large car but it never really feels it, shrinking around you on the road, thanks to its precise steering and eager handling. There's some wind noise at speed, but road noise isn't really noticeable.

There's plenty of leg and head room for all passengers - even those using the two rearmost seats. In the rear middle row, there's decent room for three adults and the width of the cabin comes in handy if you're trying, for example, to fit three child seats back there. The Galaxy's designers have certainly made good use of the space available, the six inches of height this car gains over its S-Max stablemate being put to good use. All five rear seats also fold flat into the floor when not needed, creating a van-rivalling 2325-litre space to transport bulky items. With all seats in place, the boot is big enough for a few reasonably sized bags.

The driving position and dashboard ergonomics are hard to fault. The driver has an upright seating position that allows clear all-round visibility. Ford resculpted the centre console to incorporate an integrated armrest and even more storage space than most families could find use for.

The Galaxy was facelifted in 2010, with a revised exterior design, upgraded interior materials and features, a range of more efficient powertrains and a host of driver-focused technologies aimed at improving safety and comfort. At the same time trim levels and standard equipment lists were also updated.

Most Galaxy customers chose a diesel engine to power their cars, and these TDCi variants are all 2.0-litres in size, with the base-level 115 engine struggling a bit to shift a fully loaded car uphill. Those who prefer a bit of shove would be better to seek out the 140 or 163 models. The 2010 facelift introduced the all-new 1.6T 160 and 2.0-litre 203 EcoBoost petrol engines to the range, both smooth performers but not as economical, and ultimately therefore not as popular in terms of sales, as the diesels.

It is possible to buy a Galaxy for around £2000, at the time of writing, but this is likely to be a high-mileage affair bought from a trader. Better to up the wedge to between £3000 and £4000 and get one of the earlier cars with an average mileage for the year and some history. Spending between £5000 and £7000 will find you good, clean examples of the facelifted 2010 car, while £8000 to £10,000 will see good average mileage 2011/12 cars from traders and independent dealers.

When it comes to emissions and fuel consumption, the petrol models let themselves down. All petrol models are in the higher bands for CO2 emissions, compared with the diesel variants, with the early 2.3-litre in the top band, and even the later 2.0 Ecoboost version not faring so well. This will lead to fairly high road tax bills.

The diesels do better, with the 2.0 TDCi models in the middling road tax bands, and average claimed economy fuel consumption figures of between 42.2mpg and 45.6mpg.

Fords are rarely expensive to maintain or repair. Ford does a number of servicing plans and packs for the newer cars, with easy payments by direct debit covering the cost of the forthcoming two services. Shop around for scheduled servicing work, though, because dealer prices can vary, and past a certain age it's probably worth taking your vehicle to a good independent specialist rather than to a Ford Main dealer. Petrol models are usually slightly cheaper to service than the diesels.

Despite the cars' size, insurance is not excessive; most sit in groups 10 or 11, with only the more punchy diesels stretching into group 12.

Your choice of engine may well depend on your annual mileage. The petrol-engined models can be acceptable if you're mileages are lower, but diesel-engined cars are the norm in the Galaxy, and we'd go for the 138bhp 2.0-litre TDCi version. Having said that, you might get fewer miles per gallon with a petrol model, but it will cost less to buy on the used market, and will cost you a fraction less each time you fill up.

As with the rest of the Ford family, Zetec models combine a good specification at a realistic price. Earlier models had trim levels that ran LX, Zetec and Ghia, with LX soon replaced by Edge. However, post-facelift cars adopted the monikers Zetec, Titanium and Titanium X. All entry-level Galaxys had air-con, electric front windows and a heated windscreen, but Zetecs usually added alloys, rear electric windows, and climate control.

The Volkswagen Sharan is incredibly roomy and practical, and, like the Galaxy, is good to drive. It comes with a wide range of engines, petrol or diesel, all shared with many other cars in the VW Group, so known for their dependability, and used examples are excellent value for money.

The Citroen Grand C4 Picasso has always had a spacious and practical seven-seat interior. It's not quite as classy inside as the Volkswagen Sharan, but it is cheaper to buy used and its looks are still quite striking. Shop carefully because its build quality can be fragile.