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See also the Ford Galaxie full-size car of the 1950s and 1960s The Ford Galaxy is a Large MPV first introduced in 1995 . The second generation Galaxy will be sold alongside the shorter large MPV S-MAX in 2006 . In Argentina , the Ford Galaxy was a Rebadged version of the Volkswagen Santana , similar to the Ford Versailles in Brazil . FIRST GENERATION GALAXY (1995−2006)
The first Galaxy was designed and built by a joint venture between Ford and Volkswagen (VW), and also sold by VW as the Volkswagen Sharan and SEAT Alhambra . All three models were built in Autoeuropa , located in Palmela , Portugal . The Galaxy uses predominantly Volkswagen mechanicals, most notably the 2.8-litre VR6 petrol engine from the top versions of the VW Golf , as well as VW's 1.9-litre Turbodiesel unit. Initially only the 2.0-litre Straight-4 petrol version used a Ford powerplant - this is derived from the Pinto DOHC family. In later years this unit was supplemented by a 2.3-litre 16-valve version first seen in the facelifted Ford Scorpio . This engine was unique to the Ford Galaxy; similarly, this was the case with the 1.8-litre 20-valve Turbocharged petrol engine offered in the Volkswagen Sharan and SEAT Alhambra . Surprisingly, all the VW-sourced engines are supplied with "Ford" rocker covers, despite being of Volkswagen design. The transmissions are a mix of VW's and Fords VXT-75, 5 speed manual transmission . The original interior used a mix of both Ford and VW components, using a Golf-derived instrument pack, and most of the switchgear, while the curved fascia moulding was of Ford design, heavily reminiscent of that used in the Ford Mondeo . A major redesign in 2001 saw the Galaxy adopt the new Ford corporate front end, grille and headlamps. The interior, in particular the dashboard, was changed to Volkswagen designed items, and resembled those used in the Golf IV and Volkswagen Passat . Also new engines were available across the range, the newer 24v VR6 along with VW's Pumpe-Düse (pd) TDI engines available in 115, 130 and 150 BHP forms, these were matched to a 6 speed manual transmission, a 4 speed automatic transmission with manual sequential shift operation and a 5 speed automatic transmission (Auto boxes only available on 115ps variant due to the limitations of the torque converter) SECOND GENERATION GALAXY (2006 TO PRESENT)
The second generation Galaxy was introduced at the 2006 Geneva Motor Show and went on sale alongside the shorter and lower Ford S-MAX in June 2006. The new Galaxy is larger than its predecessor and is a four Pillar vehicle of entirely Ford design, with no Volkswagen content. No longer produced in Portugal , Europe's replacement Galaxy is assembled at a newly re-equipped plant alongside the Mondeo in Genk , Belgium . With the smaller S-MAX taking up the three seating rows- Compact MPV side of the market, Ford was able to expand the Galaxy in every dimension without losing sales in size-conscious Europe. The 2007 Galaxy is also entirely different from its predecessor, and is intended to be more mainstream than the sportier S-MAX. Ford's engines are used, all diesels being from the Duratorq family of engines in 100ps & 125ps 1.8 format and also 130ps & 140ps 2.0 TDCi versions. One Petrol engine is offered - the Duratec 2.0 145 ps variant This version is not sold in Latin America , but the old 1995-2006 Ford Galaxy is still available there, with 2.0, 2.3 and 2.8 petrol engines. (The VW sourced 1.9 TDi engine is no longer offered). One major selling point of the Galaxy and S-MAX is the "FoldFlatSystem". This design allows the second- and third-row seats to fold flat into the floor although this step forward in seating design lowers the load carrying capacity of the vehicle. In Europe the Galaxy is currently leading sales on its segment. SEE ALSO EXTERNAL LINKS
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