Ford Galaxy
Much of mainstream America will not have heard of a Ford Galaxy. The Galaxy is a mini-van jointly produced by both Ford and Volkswagen, and is manufactured at the AutoEuropa plant in Portugal. There appears to be no American equivalent to the Galaxy, with the closest parallel vehicle being either Ford’s E-Series, or the Transit Connect. The Galaxy was first produced in 1995, and has since entered it’s third generation. It was co-engineered by the Ford Motor Company and Volkswagen Group to compete against the popular Renault Espace.
The first generation of the Galaxy used many mechanisms from the Volkswagen Group, including not only their 2.8L V6, but also the 1.9L turbocharged diesel engines. Ford also opted two engines for this model, however only a 2.0L in-line four cylinder engine was offered until later a 2.3 V6 model was put on the menu. All engines, even Volkswagen supplied, wore the Ford emblem. Automatic transmissions were supplied by Volkswagen, while a version of Ford’s manual five-speed transmission were used for manual vehicles. Many parts were supplied by both Ford and Volkswagen, with the design inspired by the Ford Mondeo.
2000 served as the beginning of the second generation of the Ford Galaxy. The car went through a complete redesign, and shifted more towards the American Ford-inspired aesthetics over Volkswagen traits. The face-lift came with some underlying power upgrades, as well. New engines were offered across the board, with a new 24-valve V6, as well as a new line of Volkswagen fuel-injected diesel engines. As if that weren’t enough, the manual transmissions undergone a morphing as well. Automatic transmissions now come with a four-speed manual sequential shift option next to the five speed automatic originally offered. The manual transmission went from a five speed to a six-speed.
The present generation of Galaxy’s come out of a Ford Motor Plant from Belgium. In 2006, Ford introduced the new Galaxy, and displayed its all new, all-Ford design, and enlarged it’s dimensions all around. Also, only Ford’s engines are used, employing their Duratorq diesel engines in 1.8, and 2.0L, as well as 2.0, and 2.3L gas engines. The Ford Galaxy surely Americanized with the newest generation, having not only increased its size, but even ridding the spare tire and replacing it with an aerosol sealant. Ford also offers several different trims, giving the buyer an option not only on the trim, but also the engine, allowing some personalization and luxury when purchasing a new Galaxy.
