Faults:

Never buy a car with beige cloth interior, especially if you have kids. Remarkably the velour trim is not that bad considering the colour, and comes up clean every time the upholstery cleaner is used.

I have had no faults with the car mechanically; however the only problem I can report is the compartment lid in the rear of the car. The hinges have broken after being used by the kids, & the cost of a replacement is £35, as the storage box and lid is one piece. However, I found Velcro works well holding for the lid in place when going over speed bumps.

General Comments:

The car is not fast, but then again that is not what it is for. My wife has a 2007 Ford Fiesta 1.25 Style, and the Galaxy is nippier off the mark.

I do most driving around town & achieve 34 mpg, however once I get on to motorways, this increases. The engine averages between 53 and 55 mpg when doing 70 mph in 6th gear, and in cruise control. I recently drove from Dover to Liverpool, and the average mileage was 49.9 mpg. The air con does not affect the mpg, & if it does, I haven't noticed. It is on all summer, and I get the same mpg as I do in the winter, when the heating is on.

Tyre sizes are 205/16, and I am on my 2nd set of tyres on the front axle. However, I still have the original tyres on the rear axle after 25,000 miles.

My previous car was a 2.0Tdi 130bhp Mondeo (2004), and the ride and feel is not too different.

The rear DVD Multimedia system was expensive, however I got a great deal on the car at the time, & it was take it or leave it. The kids play on their Playstation on it on long journeys, and you do forget they are there at times. When in Paris, FIFA07 had to be paused when parked at the foot of the Eiffel Tower so they could look. They don't remember much of Paris strangely enough?

If you are thinking of a people carrier, you cannot go wrong with the Galaxy. I have driven people carriers in the United States, and they are like being in a space hopper bouncing around. The Sedona and Voyager do not drive the same as the Galaxy, and I can understand why its features are car like.

Faults:

I have a 2005 Ford Galaxy 1.9 TDi Ghia with twin air conditioning (separate air con unit in the left hand rear of the car).

I am suffering with a horrible smell generated from the vents at the base of this unit in the back, which is worse when heat is selected from it, and tends to be musty and sickly, bordering on hot plastic smell.

I have run 2 or 3 aircon de-odouriser treatments through this, but to no avail. I am aware of the bacteria that builds up, but this is different. It is spoiling the car and embarrassing when I have friends on board.

My last Galaxy was a 2003 LX version with manual single aircon - no problems there, but this latest system is electronically operated on the dash with overhead ducting in the roof lining too. Great for cooling the interior rapidly, but please, can someone out there tell me what is the likely cause of this, it is clearly something to do with the additional aircon system in the boot, but what?

General Comments:

Very roomy, perfect for passengers.

Poor boot space unless you lose a seat or two (big muscles required to do this).

1.9 TDi, 130 bhp engine is very economical, but very responsive.

Inherited irritating "knock" noise from the drivers seat recently which "talks" to me when I pull away.

Parking sensors front and rear are a great idea, especially as it's a big car and needs to be slotted tightly into certain parking spaces.

Handles overall very well, considering the bulk of it.