Sharagalaxihambra as a bike haulin' motor?

Northwind

Getting a little tired of my Focus, it still does the job well but it's reached senility a bit, every time I fix one little thing another goes wrong. Not really a problem but new job means I can get shot of it now and trade up to something newer. And, probably, bigger. I use it for commuting but the main reason I own a car is to haul bikes after all.

So. Mondeo is probably the sensible choice, but I keep being drawn to people carriers- most likely a 2004-or-thereabouts Alhambra/Galaxy/Sharan

Now I know from the Focus and from checking out Mondeos that they're incredibly well packaged in the back- with the back seats down the boot space is flat and immense. And that strikes me as a drawback of the Galaxy etc, since obviously the seats don't fold flush. Seems like the back 2 would have to come straight out but I'd need to leave at least one back seat left in, and that takes up a fair bit of floor it seems?

Do the rear seats come out individually? (ie can I have 3 seats in the car and a big L-shaped boot?

The Rookie

A mate had one, and as I recall the rear seats came out individually.

They are whoefully slow, the 110bhp TDi 0-60 is north of 16seconds, and feels even slower, they are also relatively thirsty due to teh weight and drag, won't handle anything like the Focus either!

Zafira has fold flat rear seats, and while dull to drive is a lot nippier and economical and the load space with all rear seats down isn't much smaller.

Simon

Northwind

Hmm, need to take another look at the Zafira then... Oh genius! THere's a GSI model! Love it.

But does it not give away an awful lot of space? I mean, it's a fair bit smaller externally and then, if the seats are folding into the floor does that not give it a pretty high floor too?

Need to get inside one I think- cheers!

The Rookie

The Zafira isn't as big inside, but it's a lot closer than you would think, have a look at one!

Yes the GSi is always an option!

Simon

Northwind

Cool, thanks, will need to check it out. I think the bench middle seat's a bit offputting but still.

My Focus is a 90-horse, saggy shocked oilboiler so isn't exactly the last word in speed and handling... I had a wee go in a TD Galaxy last year and it was tolerable, performance-wise but the road to peebles from edinburgh is infested by 40mph drivers tailgating each other so a bit more oomph would be nice!

The other side of the coin is, after years on motorbikes there's not many cars in the world that seem fast and I can't afford any of 'em. So it's all relative. Ironically my Focus is absolutely hilarious to drive at moderate speed, as it wobbles and bounces and smokes its way around- my dad's got a much nicer, newer Focus hatch and it's pretty dull because it all works properly

delcol

we got a peugeot partner escapade, fits 2 bikes in without have to remove anything, had 3 bike 3 people in it by removing the front wheels.. 2ltr hdi engine aint to bad on fuel.. perfomance is ok , it wont win you any races but it more than adequate , we had ours just over 4 year it's the ideal car/van for family duties and bike duties and everyday needs..

lostboysaint

I had a 51 plate Galaxy LX 115TDI from new and it was the bollocks. Forget the bullshit 0-60 time above, it was more than quick enough, averaged 42 mpg (including on an autoroute trip to the south of France with 3 windsurf boards and a mast/sail quiver bag on the roof), all the seats are removable and can be reconfigured to any layout you like. Best way to take bikes was either fold them all flat and just lay it on (too easy!) or take out the rear and middle row seats on one side and then feed the bike straight in (they even did an accessory that bolted into the seat mountings that was a rail to stand the bike in!).

I went from that to a Chrysler Grand Voyager, pure snobbery and I wish I'd never bothered.

Keep looking at the Galaxy, top, top cars.

bg13

i got the vw version, its more than quick enough/economical enough, its the 1.9tdi. agree with lostboysaint, fold em flat or remove em all on one side, bags of space for anything/everything, brilliant for loading up.

Stevo_666

If you get an early model S-Max they will be pretty cheap and the seats fold completely flat. With all the rear seats down it is like a small room in there - 2 cubic metres according to the Ford figures. They also drive like a car rather than the van shaped lump that they are.

Rushmore

I drive a veriety of people carriers at work, including a touran, sharan, galaxy, some piece of junk Kia and a few others..

By far the best I have driven is the VW Sharan by a country mile... Best handling, fastest and biggest.. In 2nd would come the Touran but the seats do my head in and it's small for a ppl carrier. And 3rd would be a galaxy.. Relatively quick for such a big car, but handles like a turd and I hate the clunky gearbox..

Northwind

Had a go at a Zafira, too small as I thought (actually seems to be less long in the back than my Focus, because of the front bench, no use) Alhambra still top of the list purely because I like how it looks more than the others

The Spiderman

Used to have an 04 Galaxy.Surpisingly fun to drive despite the body roll but mine was a 2.3 petrol so thirsty as hell (circa 23mpg average),and expensive to service/repair.Rear row of seats are heavy and bulky to remove but it was the next best thing to a removal van for hauling.

GF has a Totota Verso.Much better propostion in terms of reliability/servicing/running costs and brilliant packaging if a little dull to drive.

If you can afford it go for a S Max otherwise go for the Mondeo etate.

Zafira is ok if a bit dull,Touran isn`t as reliable as its VW badge would lead you to believe,same with the Mazda 5.All MPVs are a little compromised in one area or other,you generally need to prioritise,on driving ability over packaging or vice versa but S Max get the closest to the ideal MPV.

Northwind

Cheers! Aren't the Verso and Smax both a bit smaller? The only reason I'd look at an MPV over a conventional estate is for gigantic size, not just for packing but for moving around in the back, car camping occasionally, so I'm not sure if those would cover it but I've never been in the back of either...

The Spiderman

Northwind wrote:

Cheers! Aren't the Verso and Smax both a bit smaller? The only reason I'd look at an MPV over a conventional estate is for gigantic size, not just for packing but for moving around in the back, car camping occasionally, so I'm not sure if those would cover it but I've never been in the back of either...

Verso is hardly any longer than my Focus and shorter than my GF`s old Mondeo estate but is tardis like inside and brilliantly packaged for its realtive size but significantly smaller than the S Max,particularly with rear seats removed.

As a bike carrier I reckonyou`d be better off with a Mondeo estate though the luggage area is longer but not as high as the Verso.Best bet would be an S Max would be a new or old Glaxy,SHran or Alhambra.

simowill

I use to have a galaxy great for loading stuff in back of once the 2 rear seats are out. They use to just sit in the garage all the time. Got a focus now and am looking for something bigger again. I have a Renault traffic for a works van and quite fancy a crewcab version for home: drive like a car, comfy and bags of space in the back.

Just my thoughts.

Simon

pilch

I bought an old galaxy as an in between motor whilst I was waiting for my van, It cost me £125, I had it for 6 months and it was a brilliant car for biking, loads of room, practically a van with the rears seats out. At a push you could get 4 people + bikes + kit in it (with a bit of creative packing) or 2-3 bikes with the wheels on.

If you wanted to do the odd night stop over, you could still kip in it with your bike safe inside too, the only downside was that it was a 2 ltr petrol and was a bit on the thirsty side, but to be fair it was a tired N reg, i'm sure the newer ones are much better... I sold it for scrap after 6 months for £150!