#02# With the 2007 Car of the Year, the Ford S-MAX taking all the headlines, it's easy to forget that Ford also makes a more conventional people-carrier, the Ford Galaxy. Where the S-MAX is low, sporty and stylish, the Galaxy is tall and conventional, an old-school MPV.

We tested the Ford Galaxy in 2.0 TDCi Ghia trim. The 2-litre diesel engine only produces 141bhp, but backs this up with 251lb.ft of torque. On the road, this engine feels punchy. Combined with a typically Ford slick six-speed gearbox, the Galaxy can be rowed along at quite a pace.

Ford's current advertising campaign for the Galaxy makes a big play on its seven-seat capacity, and indeed the Galaxy seems to be sufficiently spacious in all three rows (in 2-3-2 configuration) ensuring that none of the seven passengers feels too hard done by. The big problem is that seven passengers invariably means luggage for seven people; you just can't have it both ways. The boot space just simply isn't big enough if all seven seats are in use. Carry less passengers, and that all changes. All the rear seats can be folded individually and all fold completely flat, creating just about any combination of seating/luggage compromise imaginable. Got something long and slim? Simply fold down the single side of the 60/40 middle row and the same side rear seat and you can still seat five passengers.

Ford originally likened the Galaxy to air travel. The simile still works, certainly the full length roof storage reminds one of an aeroplane, even if it's not quite that capacious. Up front, the pilot and co-pilot have a commanding view even if the nose of the Galaxy completely drops out of sight; it's out there somewhere, but with the base of the windscreen already a long way out front, it's anyone's guess where the front bumper finishes. The tall shape of the Galaxy pays further dividends than the roof storage, as headroom is simply massive - good for passengers, good for access to the rear row of seats too, as you don't have to stoop so far to climb in. #p##01# Our Galaxy came rather stacked up with optional extras, raising the price from the Ghia's £23,995 to £30,995. But it did give off an ambience commensurate with that kind of spend. You want toys; our Galaxy sure came with toys. A seven-inch touch screen in the centre of the dashboard provided control for the audio (excellent), the Bluetooth telephone kit (perfect - you can even dial out using the touch screen) and the dual-zone climate control. Parents can also play DVDs on the screens mounted in the front seat headrests - visible from any of the five rear seats - the system also providing wireless headphones for two rear occupants. The touch screen also provides control for the satellite navigation system which is fairly easy to use, even if it seemed unnatural to me to enter the street name before the town, but it blotted its copybook when allegedly directing me to a hotel as it deposited us in the middle of a housing estate six miles away, proudly proclaiming "you have arrived at your destination". And then further compounded the sin by not including "Holiday Inn" in the list of nearby hotels such that we had to telephone (thank goodness for the Bluetooth kit) for directions.

If that's not enough to keep you amused, we also had voice control for the mobile phone, variable temperature for the heated (and cooled) front seats, headlights with static bending that can 'see' round corners, headlights and wipers that worked automatically; it's easier to list what wasn't present. There are even pull up blinds for the rear two rows of seats, which come up out of the door panels and rear quarter trims.

A night-time run soon showed that the Galaxy simply has the best headlights (optional alas, but the best £650 you'll ever spend) on any vehicle I've ever driven. On dipped beam they were amazing; they light up to the side when turning left or right and on full beam they really did turn night into day. Football clubs could save a fortune, ditch the floodlights and park four Galaxys behind the corner flags, with full beam on! In day time the commanding driving position coupled with deep windows give excellent visibility and for a change, the triangular panes between the front doors and windscreen pillars are actually big enough to be of some use. And if looking in the mirrors wasn't enough to keep you occupied, there is even a foldaway panoramic mirror to provide a view of the rear seat occupants so you can keep an eye on the kids.

So far, I've not mentioned very much about driving. The priority with the Ford Galaxy is space and practicality. But despite hedging bets with the S-MAX, Ford has not ignored driving dynamics for the Galaxy. It will cruise along motorways at 90mph in relative quiet, just enough wind noise to know you are travelling, but not enough to need to shout or turn the stereo volume up. It might be no sports car, but neither is it a chore to drive the Galaxy on twisty roads. The chassis behaves very well, keeping neutral until slight understeer sets in to tell the driver to slow down. For all its height, it doesn't roll too much, but the ride is fine - it goes completely unnoticed which is a huge compliment. #p##05# All in all, I was pleasantly surprised by the Galaxy. I am NOT MPV man, but my week with the Galaxy was a very pleasant experience and at no time did I wish I was driving something else instead. Better still, the Galaxy recorded an average of 40mpg for the week in a mixture of mostly economy punishing journeys - travelling too fast on motorways, or too slowly on hilly country lanes and traffic-bound towns. Even at 40mpg, the 70-litre tank should give a range in the order of 600 miles. Drive more carefully and I would expect even better economy, as befits the extra-urban figure of 51.4mpg, which is impressive for such a large vehicle.

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2006 Ford Galaxy UK range overview

- Ford Galaxy LX 2.0i Duratec 16V (145PS) 5-speed manual: £19,495
- Ford Galaxy LX 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (100PS) 5-speed manual: £19,495
- Ford Galaxy LX 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (125PS) 5-speed manual: £20,295
- Ford Galaxy LX 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (125PS) 6-speed manual: £20,495
- Ford Galaxy LX 2.0 Duratorq TDCi (140PS) 6-speed manual: £20,995
- Ford Galaxy Zetec 2.0i Duratec 16V (145PS) 5-speed manual: £21,495
- Ford Galaxy Zetec 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (125PS) 5-speed manual: £22,295
- Ford Galaxy Zetec 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (125PS) 6-speed manual: £22,495
- Ford Galaxy Zetec 2.0 Duratorq TDCi (140PS) 6-speed manual: £22,995
- Ford Galaxy Ghia 2.0i Duratec 16V (145PS) 5-speed manual: £22,495
- Ford Galaxy Ghia 1.8 Duratorq TDCi (125PS) 6-speed manual: £23,495
- Ford Galaxy Ghia 2.0 Duratorq TDCi (140PS) 6-speed manual: £23,995