Ford Galaxy (2006)

[McLareN]

Epitomising luxury, space and flexibility - the all-new Ford Galaxy

Previewed at the Frankfurt Motor Show this year is the all-new Ford Galaxy family vehicle. True to its concept and elegant in execution, this new Galaxy was designed to emphasise comfort and luxury while providing spacious accommodation for up to seven people.

This all-new vehicle blends Ford’s well-renowned characteristics of supreme driving quality with high levels of interior sophistication and technology. The new Ford Galaxy will sit alongside the production version of the SAV concept, which was seen at the Geneva Motor Show earlier this year.

The new Ford Galaxy on display at Frankfurt is a preview of the production vehicle and very little will change by the time the car appears in showrooms during the first half of next year. Even, the refined exterior colour of the show vehicle, known as white grape within Ford, will be available in production.

Designed for a specific customer

“We had a very specific customer in mind when we designed this vehicle: people who have already owned a Ford Galaxy and know what to expect from this type of vehicle,” said Martin Smith, Executive Design Director, Ford of Europe . “Our goal was to offer a true seven seat vehicle that offers the product values that this core customer group desires in their vehicles. All the elements are in place on the new Galaxy, from the refined exterior design to the unprecedented interior room and functionality required for a vehicle to excel in this segment.”

“The development of the new Galaxy, alongside the production version of the SAV concept, clearly demonstrates the expanded customer offering that can be delivered through Ford's shared technologies approach," said Martin Smith. "Our designers have leveraged this approach to create two completely different vehicles, aimed at two completely different sets of customer needs.”

The Galaxy is designed as a true seven seater that fulfils a very specific need in the market, something we refer to within Ford as 'first-class travel'. Ford designers have created a vehicle that emphasizes visually these key values of luxury, space and flexibility.

Side view emphasises space and luxury

Full exterior surface spanning taut dynamic lines are distinct elements of the new Ford design language. On the Galaxy the high roofline is incorporated into this form language to provide the interior headroom and excellent all-round visibility expected by Galaxy customers.

The Galaxy also employs Ford's typically pronounced wheelarches and strong shoulders to provide a balanced side view that sets off the generous, glassy appearance of the passenger cabin. The 18-inch production design wheels help to provide a solid stance of the vehicle viewed from the side.

Fresh new front end look

The front end of the new Galaxy has a, characteristic angled nose combined with a distinctive new Ford headlamp shape, to provide a fresh new Ford face. The headlamp units incorporate the Advanced Front Light System (AFLS), that features moving halogen lamps with 12 degrees of swivel that provide an enhanced view for the driver that is particularly useful when negotiating twisty country roads. It also provides directed lighting that assists with specific, low-speed cornering manoeuvers such as turning into driveways.

Another notable design feature at the front of the Galaxy is a split front grille. Panning the headlamps is a slim upper grilled, which is balanced by a deeper lower grille to provide a refined, luxurious appearance that entirely in keeping with the car's functional attributes.

Practical, attractive rear

The generous glass area flows through to the rear of the car with a panoramic rear screen complementing the excellent all-round visibility expected by Galaxy customers.

The rear lamps on the Galaxy are angled and with clear lenses to providing a jeweled effect. The wrap around rear tail lamps are sleek and elegant but still accommodate a, practical large tailgate opening offering a low load height to ensure that customers can extract the maximum benefit from the spacious Galaxy interior.

[McLareN]

Travelling in first class – the Galaxy interior

The interior of the Galaxy is appointed with luxurious leather seats with enhanced stitch lines. The infiniti blue seats, blending with the Pewter interior, offers a uniquely elegant color mix and real wood accents add to the luxury. The slim instrument panel section possesses a dynamic break in color between the dashboard and the rest of the vehicle environment, which enhances the perception of interior space.

A key feature of the interior is the high H-point seating that provides the Galaxy driver with the expected commanding driving position. There is a sweeping flow through the center console, which features an ergonomically positioned high-mounted shifter. Combined with a new LED instrument cluster, a next generation combined audio/information system (ICE) and a new steering wheel, there is an undeniable air of purposeful luxury to the interior.

“All of these luxurious features, along with a meticulous attention to interior décor elements and fabrics, will give our customers the ‘First-class Travel’ experience this vehicle is designed to offer,” says Smith.

Unique Fixed Glass Roof - Another distinctive and highly useful feature on the new Galaxy is the optional fixed glass roof and adjustable roof rack. The fixed glass roof extends to just above the backrest of the second row seat, giving the passengers an open feel for the road. “What customers in this segment demand is excellent visibility,” says Smith. “The large glass surfaces in the vehicle ensure full all-around view from the Galaxy.”

Galaxy also comes with a roof rack that is integrated into the roofline. The roof rack bars are designed to move to the rear of the vehicle and then can form a spoiler. The general advantage to this system is that the rear window remains somewhat clearer during wet driving conditions, due in part to the adjustment in airflow created by the spoiler.

Space and Flexibility - Utilizing the space for seven passengers, the Galaxy offers a substantial level of flexibility in a three-row configuration. A competitive advantage that the new Galaxy will have is fold flat seats. These seats will allow smart use of space behind the driver and passengers, or for business use. Though the fold flat seats provide a great deal of space flexibility, the key benefit is that the seats can always remain on board which means the configuration of the vehicle can be easily changed with one step operation with no need to remove the seats from the vehicle.

Unbeatable Powertrain Offerings - There will be a combination of three powertrains offered in the new Galaxy. Ford, long known for producing exceptional engines in terms of power, performance and fuel efficiency and emissions, will supply the new Galaxy MPV with a most impressive range of power.

2.0-litre Duratec HE petrol engine – This 16-valve, four-cylinder powerplant offers 145 PS and peak torque of 190 Nm. This powerful new I4 Duratec HE petrol engine is matched up with Ford’s proven MTX-75 5-speed manual transmission.

Duratorq TDCi 1.8-litre diesel engine – This tried and true variation of Ford’s Lynx diesel offers 125 PS and a peak torque of 285 Nm. Two proven transmissions will be available, the Durashift MTX75 5-speed manual or the Durashift MMT6 6-speed manual.

Duratorq DW 10 2.0-litre diesel engine – This high-performance diesel offers 143 PS and peak torque of 340 Nm. The 143 PS 2.0-litre Duratorq TDCi version comes with Ford’s Durashift 6-speed manual transmission as standard.

World-Class Suspension - Ford engineers took a best of both worlds approach to the suspension systems for the new Galaxy MPV. A wider isolated mount subframe was used for the MacPherson-type front suspension, similar to the current Ford Mondeo and a Tie-blade rear suspension, currently in use in the Focus and C-MAX. Forces were lowered on the suspension by placing bushings further apart. Also, a MacPherson front suspension system is used in the latest and refined version, allowing compromise for steering simplicity. This combination will give the new Galaxy extremely nice road manners often not equated with vehicles this size.

Galaxy is also one of two new vehicles to kick off of the new Continuous Damping Control system for Ford Motor Company. Continuous Damping Control essentially refers to adaptive damping which means that each damper will be adjusted every two tenths of a second to guarantee the best interaction between comfort and road contact. Heave, pitch and roll of the vehicle are controlled by the system, improving handling and stability of the Galaxy MPV.

Driver Protection - The new Galaxy MPV comes equipped with the latest state-of-the-art front airbags and a new driver knee airbag as well as a side mounted thorax airbag for the front seats plus first, second and third row curtain airbags. Combine those with 3-point seat belts, intelligent pre-tensioners and load limiters, anti-submarining seats and a horizontal stroking steering system and the occupant has a highly comprehensive safety system available.

Ford continues to take a leading edge approach to developing vehicles that are safer than the prior generation. When looking at safety and design improvements, the newly available driver knee airbag is a perfect example. Ford designers were able to offer the driver a roomier cockpit with more access comfort by opening up the area under the steering wheel. However, the airbag will fill the gap and protect the driver in event of an accident.

Galaxy Electric System - The electrical system design on the new Galaxy MPV was developed with the goal to increase to new levels the amount of Human Machine Interface (HMI) dialogue between driver and vehicle. With the Galaxy, a more structured approach was developed taking a multi-level approach.

Through this approach, drivers can substantially increase their level of functional control in the vehicle through use of a four-spoke toggle on each side of the steering wheel that can operate several vehicle functions . Through Human Machine Interface (HMI) Galaxy drivers can customize vehicle settings through a single point of contact.

Phone system and BlueTooth availability – The new Galaxy will offer three separate phone systems, two that are compatible with a BlueTooth mobile phone. The technology is highly noteworthy as it is usually only seen in more upscale models.

BlueTooth provides interaction with the audio and navigation system (if fitted), and the users mobile phone. The system allows the occupant to use the audio or navigations system to make and receive calls without having to use the mobile phone.

“With Galaxy we really think we hit the nail on the head in terms of design, flexibility and raising the bar for van-type vehicles,” said Martin Smith, Executive Design Director, Ford of Europe. “The combination of smooth and hard lines to achieve an elegant shape, unprecedented functionality with seating for seven and fold flat seats, makes the new Galaxy MPV like no other vehicle on the market.”

[Colin17]

Cologne, February 20 2006: The elegant all-new Ford Galaxy, which is being launched at the Geneva Motor Show 2006, takes the established and highly successful Galaxy concept further into the “Travel First Class” arena and is a worthy new flagship for the Ford of Europe product portfolio.
The new Galaxy is handsome, dynamic and purposeful, featuring elements of Ford's new 'kinetic design' form language.

New Galaxy Features:

A Bigger Galaxy: New Galaxy is slightly bigger than the model it replaces, with a wider track (+59mm front, + 81mm rear compared to the previous model). Overall length has increased by 179mm (4,820mm vs. 4,641mm), while vehicle width has increased by 60mm (1,854mm vs. 1,794mm). The overall height was reduced slightly by 14mm (1,676mm vs. 1,690mm).

The inside story:The new Ford Galaxy uses its increased exterior dimensions ingeniously to provide impressive interior space for up to seven adults and their luggage. With its deep glass area and high seating position, the Galaxy offers a "command bridge" feel for occupants. Its standard three-row seating configuration combined with the new Ford FoldFlatSystem (FFS) offers new levels of flexibility for the Ford Galaxy, while luggage volume is significantly increased by around one third (435 litres vs. 335 litres) – even when all 7 seats are taken. With the 2nd and 3rd row seats folded flat this luggage volume increases to a massive 2325 litres.

Ford FoldFlatSystem (FFS) for modularity and flexibility: The new Ford Galaxy is a full seven-seater and is equipped with the innovative new Ford FoldFlatSystem (FFS) for the five individual rear seats. FFS enables the 2nd and 3rd row seating areas to be easily transformed into a completely flat load space without having to remove and store the seats. The spacious second and third row seats offer premium comfort in an individually designed seat, plus an increase in seat adjustment of 50mm for the second row and 60mm for the third row versus the first-generation model.

Panorama Roof and Overhead Console: The optional Panorama Roof is a single piece of glass externally, but inside the vehicle is effectively separated into four sections – two over the front seats, and two over the rear seats, with the overhead centre console running along the centreline of the roof panel from front to rear. The new full-length overhead console includes a child watch mirror and up to five stowage boxes.

Room for Luggage plus 31 Stowage Solutions: The Galaxy's luggage capacity expands from 308 litres up to 2325 litres with all rear seats folded away. Even with all rear seats occupied, new Galaxy still offers up to 435 litres of luggage space. Its flat load floor stretches 2m in length by 1.15m in width. Galaxy offers up to 31 different stowage compartments, with a total capacity of up to 110 litres. Overhead consoles can be specified in short, medium or full length versions depending on model series. In full length form, the console stretches along the ceiling from the windscreen to second row.

Human Machine Interface (HMI): A new instrument cluster plus a leather-wrapped steering wheel including toggle switches for the Human Machine Interface (HMI) take Galaxy ergonomics to a new level. Two sets of sophisticated steering wheel-mounted toggle switches in combination with an easy to read instrument cluster centre display form the basis for Ford’s latest-generation HMI. This system – which is standard on all Ford Galaxy and S-MAX models – is astonishingly simple and intuitive to operate, utilising a newly developed chime system. This categorises each warning sound according to their purpose giving the driver greater control over the audio warnings that he receives.

Climate Control: Air conditioning is standard equipment on all new Galaxy models, and for maximum interior climate control, dual Electronic Automatic Temperature Control (EATC) is available. The EATC system features separate temperature controls for the driver, the front passenger and the second row passengers.

Audio and Communications: New Galaxy can be specified with a wide variety of high-quality audio and communications systems, and steering-wheel mounted toggle switches for the HMI system provide full driver control. Depending on market and on series, stereo radio/cassette or stereo radio/CD players can be selected, including a 6-CD autochanger. In addition, Galaxy can be specified with a DVD Multi-media system, which includes twin LCD screens built in to the back of the front seat headrests.

No-compromise on safety: A major part of the new Galaxy story revolves around the vehicle's active and passive safety systems. Ford's Intelligent Protection System has been enhanced for Galaxy, and now features a driver's knee airbag in addition to the usual complement of front and side airbags and air curtains.
A new Interactive Vehicle Dynamics Control (IVDC) active suspension system is also available, and is a major contributor to the Galaxy safety package as well as enhancing the vehicle's driving dynamics. It includes Continuously Controlled Damping (CCD) to improve suspension performance and comfort in all road conditions and interact with the vehicle’s ESP system for better dynamic vehicle behaviour. Other new safety and comfort features for the new Ford Galaxy are

* Hill-Launch-Assist (HLA), which allows the driver to release the brake pedal and to step on the accelerator pedal without the vehicle rolling backwards
* Ford’s new Tyre Pressure Monitoring System (TPMS)
* Adaptive Cruise Control (ACC) with Forward Alert (FA) and Collision Mitigation by Braking - driver aids based on radar distance control

Powertrains: New Galaxy features a comprehensive range of powertrains. The engine line up is:1.8 litre Duratorq TDCi 100 PS (74 kW), 1.8 litre Duratorq TDCi 125 PS (92 kW), 2.0 litre Duratorq TDCi 130 PS (96 kW) with DPF, 2.0 litre Duratorq TDCi 140 PS (103 kW) with or without DPF, and 2.0 litre Duratec TDCi 145 PS (107 kW).

Ford PrecisionDrive: The new Galaxy stands out in the MPV segment by offering Ford's acclaimed driving quality as standard. This is now represented under the Ford PrecisionDrive title. Despite its size, the new Galaxy features car-like driving dynamics with real driver appeal. Thanks to the acknowledged Ford expertise of bringing to market suspension systems with high levels of comfort, stability and handling precision for safe driving, new Galaxy drives and handles like a smaller car.

Ford Galaxy #1

[Matra et Alpine]

* Hill-Launch-Assist (HLA), which allows the driver to release the brake pedal and to step on the accelerator pedal without the vehicle rolling backwards


OMFG.... MORE things added for incompetent drivers

[Vaigra]

The fun is all in finding the biting point!

[90ft]

I don't get it.
Why don't they just put the traditional hand brake back in?
Who likes these stupid electical hand brakes?
They must weigh more and be more expensive!
Idiots!

[Clivey]

I would have thought that'd be for the auto transmissions though...if not, as Matra said...

[Matra et Alpine]

I would have thought that'd be for the auto transmissions though...if not, as Matra said...

In an Autocar article they said it was part of the stability control system

[Clivey]

In an Autocar article they said it was part of the stability control system

If they need to use it, they shouldn't be allowed to drive in the first place...Ford should invent a system whereby anyone using the device (unless they had a good reason such as a prosthetic leg) is disqualified from driving!

Unless they conjure up some wierd specification options whereby the stability control system only comes with auto gearboses and the "Hill Launch Assist" (Sounds very, very stupid...it's not a space shuttle!).

[Ferrer]

Ford Galaxy #4