► Ford Galaxy prices from £26,445
► Four-wheel drive available for first time
► CO2 from 129g/km
Ford is making the new 2015 Galaxy people carrier available with four-wheel drive for the first time, the Blue Oval announced today.
Priced from £26,445, the new seven-seater is one of a growing number of Fords available with 4wd, joining the new Mondeo and S-Max, plus more obvious contenders such as the Kuga and Edge crossovers.
Don’t consider this a ploy to attract off-roaders, of course; rather, Ford is reacting to demand from colder climes where superior traction is a major buying concern. And since One Ford means the hardware must be engineered in, we get the choice in the UK too.
Inside the Ford Galaxy 4wd system
Dubbed Intelligent All Wheel Drive, the Ford system can shuffle 100% of torque output to the front or rear axle, responding to inputs from wheel sensors every 16 milliseconds.
The system is ‘always on’ and doesn’t require any driver inputs. The 4wd system is available with the 2.0 TDCI in 148bhp and 178bhp trims.
‘Intelligent AWD activates when it is needed, so it can help Galaxy drivers find grip in wintery conditions and enhance the signature car-like driving dynamics with minimal impact on fuel-efficiency and without affecting refinement,’ said Ulrich Koesters, vehicle line director at Ford of Europe. ‘With Intelligent AWD, Galaxy drivers also can tow up to 2000kg.’
Engine specs in new 2015 Ford Galaxy
Other diesel engines available include a lower-powered 118bhp version of the 2.0-litre TDCi engine and Ford’s new 207bhp 2.0-litre TDCi bi-turbo diesel.
Petrol Galaxys come with the 158bhp 1.5-litre EcoBoost or full-fat 237bhp 2.0-litre EcoBoost four-cylinders.