Espace or Galaxy

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Sun 16 Sep 2001 21:07
Espace or Galaxy - Jon

I'm about to order a MPV and have narrowed the choice down to the Galaxy Zetec 1.9 TDi (£17,000) and the Espace 2.2 dCi Expression (£19,500).

Can anyone particularly recommend or ward against either of these two choices. Is the Espace worth the extra £2,500?

If you have experience of the Espace, what is your opinion on the digital dash?

Any advice on reliability and dealer costs would also be appreciated.

thanks,

Jon
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Mon 17 Sep 2001 08:54
Re: Espace or Galaxy - Andrew Bairsto
One thing the Espace will not rust but smell for a while of plastic(fibreglass).I had a grand espace on hire for a while and found it to be excellent with plenty of stowage places had good performance petrol version ,The ford is made in what i call the Spanish van factory where they make different vehicles for different car makers ie. VW sharen and have always in my mind been of dubious build quality and are not as versatile as the Espace. But which ever you buy do not forget the AC or you will fry in summer.
regards Andy Bairsto
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Mon 17 Sep 2001 19:03
Re: Espace or Galaxy - Andrew Moorey (Tune-Up Ltd.)
I have had a 2.2 Turbodiesel for 3 years. Prior to buying it I tried a Seat Alhambra 1.9 Turbodiesel and was really disappointed. The engine was harsh and horrible and really gutless. Interior fitting were good but the seats aren't as versatile as the Espace. The Renault blew the Seat into the weeds performancewise. I didn't notice the Glassfibre smell, presumably because the new Espace isn't glassfibre but moulded plastic which resists minor contacts well. The only downside I have experienced is that routine maintenance is a real pain, the cabin filters for example taking 1.5 hours to change. The only fault we have had in 36000 miles is that the clutch master cylinder failed which cost around £150 in parts and around 4 hours to fit. The digital dash is fine but biased for LHD inasmuch as the clock adjustment cannot be reached from the drivers seat. The ventilation system works very well (A/C) and the vehicle in my opinion looks far better than Henrys' effort.
One word of warning, I changed the cambelt at 36000 miles, approx 1/2 distance of Renaults recommendation and the teeth were already cracking at the roots and would certainly have failed within a short distance.
This was my choice three years ago with the range available then and as regards the Fordy the performance etc may well have improved.
Regards
Andrew.
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Mon 17 Sep 2001 21:53
Thanks - Jon
Thank you both for your help.
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