Photo: SB-Medien
After our carparazzi spied a prototype of the all-new Galaxy early last year in Michigan, Ford’s popular minivan has been confirmed to debut this year in Europe. Ford of Europe chief executive officer Jim Farley also disclosed that the Vignale upmarket trim level will follow this year as well.
Speaking to AutomotiveNews, FoMoCo’s CEO in Europe told the publication that the large MPV is going to be the bigger, seven-seater sibling of the 2015 Ford S-Max. Underpinned by the same CD4 vehicle platform as the S-Max and 2015 Mondeo, the next-gen Ford Galaxy minivan is expected to hit US dealerships as a 2016 model year vehicle.
We already know that the 2015 Ford Mustang is going on sale in Europe on January 20th, while the Vignale trim line is nothing more than a posh way of saying “too expensive for a Ford product,” reasons why I suggest to focus on the upcoming Galaxy more. At the end of December, the Blue Oval closed its Genk Body & Assembly plant in Belgium, which translates to an S-Max / Galaxy production shift to Valencia, Spain, the manufacturing complex that also makes the 2015 Ford Mondeo.
According to spy photos, sliding doors for the rear passengers aren’t in the cards, which is a little disappointing from the young family man’s point of view. It’s hardly a surprise the VW Sharan was the best-selling large people carrier through November 2014 in Europe (31,179 units), while the very old, current-gen Ford Galaxy managed to move just 18,085 examples. That's quite the difference, innit?
In terms of powertrain options and kit, expect the same selection of four-cylinder turbo powerplants of the 2015 Ford S-Max, as well as the possibility to get the all-new Galaxy with the Ford Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system. The pick of the suck-squeeze-bang-blow bunch will be a 240 PS 2-liter EcoBoost.
As for the ever-important seating modularity, do expect the 2015 Ford Galaxy to top the 2015 Ford S-Max’s 32 seating and load-space combinations. SYNC Gen III infotainment, Dynamic LED Headlamps, as well as the Kuga’s Hands-Free Tailgate are certain to enhance the all-new Galaxy experience as well.
We already know that the 2015 Ford Mustang is going on sale in Europe on January 20th, while the Vignale trim line is nothing more than a posh way of saying “too expensive for a Ford product,” reasons why I suggest to focus on the upcoming Galaxy more. At the end of December, the Blue Oval closed its Genk Body & Assembly plant in Belgium, which translates to an S-Max / Galaxy production shift to Valencia, Spain, the manufacturing complex that also makes the 2015 Ford Mondeo.
According to spy photos, sliding doors for the rear passengers aren’t in the cards, which is a little disappointing from the young family man’s point of view. It’s hardly a surprise the VW Sharan was the best-selling large people carrier through November 2014 in Europe (31,179 units), while the very old, current-gen Ford Galaxy managed to move just 18,085 examples. That's quite the difference, innit?
In terms of powertrain options and kit, expect the same selection of four-cylinder turbo powerplants of the 2015 Ford S-Max, as well as the possibility to get the all-new Galaxy with the Ford Intelligent All-Wheel Drive system. The pick of the suck-squeeze-bang-blow bunch will be a 240 PS 2-liter EcoBoost.
As for the ever-important seating modularity, do expect the 2015 Ford Galaxy to top the 2015 Ford S-Max’s 32 seating and load-space combinations. SYNC Gen III infotainment, Dynamic LED Headlamps, as well as the Kuga’s Hands-Free Tailgate are certain to enhance the all-new Galaxy experience as well.
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