A brief history of the modern Ford family MPV
Henry Ford founded the Ford Motor Company in 1903 and pioneered the mass market assembly line and remains an incredibly popular car brand 120 years later - Ford paint codes for modern and classics are one of our most popular searches!
The first car to come off the assembly line was the Model T in 1908, which was produced until 1927. It’s hardly the kind of car you can chauffeur the family around in! Many modern Fords are big enough for family cars, but let’s take a look at the era of MPVs - multiple person vehicles - and their place in the Ford stable.
Ford MPVs took to the roads
Worldwide, Ford is the 4th best selling car manufacturer (Statista, 2021) after Toyota, Volkswagen and Honda. The latest data (Statista, 2021) show that Ford was the 4th best-selling car brand in the UK after Volkswagen, Audi and BMW.
Several Ford models are large enough to cater for larger families. In this article, with 7 seats a piece including Isofix points for child seats, we’re going to look at the Galaxy and the S-MAX.
The Ford Galaxy: 7 seats and plenty of room
There have been 3 generations of Ford Galaxy’s since 1995 so far. For the petrolheads among you, yes - its platform architecture is the same as the Mondeo. And, in fact, the 1st generation Mondeo was a collaborative project between Ford and the Volkswagen Group (VAG).
When it launched, the Galaxy was one of a set of triplets - the VW Sharan and the SEAT Alhambra were, under the bonnet, the same vehicle. However, the 2nd generation (2006) Galaxy was entirely Ford’s design and build.
In 2015, the Galaxy’s 3rd generation was unveiled. Available initially with petrol and diesel engines, the only model now available has a self-charging hybrid engine, a nod to Ford’s commitment to sustainable motoring.
No mistaking - this is a grown-up family car with grown-up styling, both practical and smart looking. And the Galaxy MPV has always been popular with British drivers. While there aren’t many families with 7 members occupying all seven seats, it possibly inspired people to get out and about with extended family and friends.
Despite having 7 seats, it also has plenty of room for shopping and luggage. In the current Galaxy, even with all 7 seats in use, there’s a generous 300 litres of boot space. The modern Ford Galaxy has push-button foldaway rear seating, which increases storage space to 1301 litres.
Do second hand Galaxys keep their value?
Some models might keep their value over time, though they will likely be in the higher specification range (a Ghia or above) with low mileage and as many extras as possible.
We found a pretty impressive Ford Galaxy 2009 (2nd gen)Ghia with 47,000 miles on the clock (way lower than average) was on sale for around £5,000. In Moondust Silver, the bodywork looked absolutely spotless - though it’s difficult to see in a photo. Still. Nothing that touch up car paint or Scratch and Scuff polishing compound can’t handle.
A comparative Ghia model in Solid Black with similar bodywork condition and with twice as much mileage was only priced at a few hundred pounds less.
S-Max: sporty, sleek, but still a family MPV
Where the Galaxy has a subtle style about it, the S-MAX is loud and proud. It’s the favourite for a family that likes to get out and about. It looks sporty and ready for an adventure. Launched in 2006, a decade into the Galaxy’s reign, the S-Max was the first of Ford’s vehicles to be styled using Kinetic Design.
Kinetic Design is Ford’s aesthetic philosophy - creating the sense of a vehicle ready to move, or in motion even when stationary. It’s applied to the majority of their vehicles. It has the Isofix points but Ford clearly advertises the S-MAX as a car for the active family: “a flexible seating system means accommodation for everyone and everything that goes with them — from suitcases to surf boards”.
If you buy an MPV like the S-MAX with activity and adventure in mind, it’s going to be subjected to more rough and tumble than the average family car. Regular car paint touch-ups will keep on top of scuffs and scratches on the bodywork. A polishing compound like our Scratch & Scuff Remover takes care of minor wear and tear - also available in a kit with cloths, and a kit with a drill polishing pad.
Do second hand S-Maxs keep their value?
We found a 2008 Ford S-MAX 1.8 TDCi Titanium in Burgundy Red with 100,000 miles on the clock (which is 22,000 under the average for a car its age) for £4,995.
Titanium is the highest Ford spec (i.e. higher than the Galaxy Ghias above). This MPV has comparable mileage to the Galaxys and is around the same price - so, good value for the buyer, if you’re looking. This one did have a couple of minor dents in the bodywork however, and if it’s been well used and full of children, probably has many small and more noticeable scratches. This shouldn’t necessarily put you off - a polishing compound like our Scratch & Scuff Remover is a miracle cure for this kind of minor damage.
Ford car touch up paint colours
Both the Galaxy and the S-MAX are available from new in the following colours.
- Blazer Blue
- Chrome Blue
- Blue Panther
- Frozen White
- Moondust Silver
- Agate Black
- Magnetic
- Lucid Red
PaintNuts can mix all these colours for colour match touch up car paint, available as a high precision pen, bottle and brush or car spray paint/aerosol. In fact, 9 out of 10 of our Top 10 best selling paint is for Ford!
We can colour-match absolutely any other Ford car paint colour too! Just look up your colour code using your car reg, and off you go.