VW Sharan or Ford S-max?

GavinMagnus

GavinMagnus

GavinMagnus

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Hi guys. Looking for some input on the above. Basically, we are about to buy an MPV and are torn between these two. We like the looks of the Ford and the toys it comes with (titanium trim level) but having owned a VW Passat (the legendary AWX 1.9 TDI) I wonder how the Ford diesel compares to the VW diesel. We sold the Passat with 200,000 miles on the clock. Can the Ford do the same? Would really appreciate some input. Thanks.
 
The Ford has a spaceship handbrake. The only way the VW could top that is pop up headlights but it doesn't have them so meh.
 
you be lucky to find any 7 seater car with a big boot when all seats in use, they are not designed to carry luggage of quantity, they more about the transportation of several people, we dont have american cars after all, sounds like you need a mini bus
 
The S-Max isn't the same size as the Sharan. It's a Touran sized motor. The Ford Galaxy is the Sharan equivalent.

I have a Seat Alhambra (with the 2.0 TDI), which is the same again. Mine is a 2007 model, with a current 155k on the clock, and is running sweet, just now. Although I have had to spend some money on it in the last 30k, including head gasket, timing belt, clutch and flywheel, and some suspension refresh. BUT, with that out the way, it does drive well, and should easily go another 50-100k I would think. It may need more bits and pieces along the way though, but it is a high mile, older motor.

Depending on what age of motor you are looking at, The Galaxy, Sharan and Alhambra are all basically the same (from around 1998-2007). Only the Ford changed around 2007, then the Sharan and Alhambra were updated closer to 2010. But they did see updates from the 1.9 TDI to the 2.0 TDI at some stage.

None of them will really have much, if any, boot space with 7 seats up. My Alhambra certainly doesn't. MASSIVE boot space if you only use 5 seats though. They really are designed to comfortably take 7 adults. NOT 7 adults plus luggage though.

I agree with ExoMale here, you don't need a MPV if you need to take 7 people plus luggage. You need a van / minibus.

A great option here, depending on budget, would be a T5 or T6 VW Transporter. You will get 7-8 seats, plus luggage capacity. They are great at holding their value too. So wont depreciate like the MPV's will. But you will need considerably more budget for a vehicle of a similar age as a result.

If moving 7 people, plus luggage is a must, then you're looking at the wrong vehicles.
 
Thanks guys, appreciated. Although I don't necessarily agree with the s-max being a touran sized vehicle given the ford is a good 25cm longer and a cm wider than the touran. This could mean the difference in luggage space (and leg space...). Granted, I never owned any of them before so have no idea how this difference translates to reality.

I don't need to transport 7 people all the time but the kids come with a certain stuff and we often have visitors. It would be nice to be able to leave the foldable double buggy, etc. in the car when out and about with them. Or to put in the weekly shopping with all seven seats up. Things like that.

I thought about the galaxy, sure. But for reasons beyond me they seem to be way more expensive than the s-maxes of the same age.
 
The S-Max might be a little bigger than the Touran, but it is aimed against it none the less. The Touran is it's competition. It is not a "full-size" 7 seater like the Galaxy and Sharan, it's more of a 5+2, meaning the 2 rearmost seats are not as big, and wouldn't be as comfortable for adults for any substantial length of time. Would likely be fine for the kids though. The Touran and S-Max are more like big estates, rather than the mini-van like nature of the Galaxy and Sharan.

I have my Alhambra for pretty much the exact reasons you are talking about. You will properly struggle to keep a double buggy in the back with all the seats up. It might be possible, if it folds reasonably flat, and you get someone in the last row to hold it in place while you close the hatch. That MIGHT work. If you only need 6 seats, you still have a reasonable amount of luggage space though.

I'd also suggest you try not to go shopping 7 up. Why would you take visitors on your weekly shop? Leave them at home, looking after the kids, and you'll get the shopping done a lot quicker, without needing to have a van to do it. If you don't need 7 seats on a daily basis (i.e. you don't have 5 kids), then the Sharan sized motor should be workable.

The Galaxy and S-Max are roughly the same cost when new. I think the Galaxy is a touch more expensive, but not much. It probably doesn't depreciate as hard though, as they are not the sort of cars bought on a typical 3 year PCP cycle. People who buy Galaxy's and the like generally NEED the extra space they offer. There is not exactly a huge choice of options in this segment, for full sized MPV's, and they are hardly exciting either. So it makes more sense to buy the one you prefer, and keep it as long as possible. Meaning there is probably a smaller second hand market on them anyway, so they fare better with residual values. Certainly I could have gotten a much nicer S-Max for my money, than the Alhambra I bought, but I wanted the space, otherwise why bother with such a motor in the first place? The S-Max is probably the best fit if you really would prefer a "car" with only occasional need for 7 seats. The Galaxy sized motor is better if you actually need the extra space on a more regular basis. But you will bay a premium for it most likely.
 
Point well made. My personal preference is the Sharan due to extra space and the good experience with the tdi engine (won't go for 2.0 pd tdi though :)). This is up against the wife's preference of the s-max due to good looks and flat folding rear seats (the ford is generally a nicer place to be, can't argue with that). Food for thought I guess. But it is always good to have the opinion of people who actually own these cars.

Thanks guys.
 
xs2man said:
The S-Max isn't the same size as the Sharan. It's a Touran sized motor. The Ford Galaxy is the Sharan equivalent.
Click to expand...
Since the original Galaxy / Sharan / Alhambra was a joint venture and pretty much the same vehicle with different trim & badges, it's highly likely that you're correct and the current models are pitched directly against each other.
 
Other option is to check out is the Mazda5.

We needed a bigger car and had a look at the C-Max, S-Max etc. While we would have preferred the S-Max with a budget of £12k the Mazda5 won the day easily, we would have needed to lower the spec and go for a lot older if we wanted the S-Max. The biggest issue we had to sacrifice was they only came in manual and would have preferred an auto, but it wasn't a massive issue as the cars only a local run about or a take a distance if space is needed, otherwise the Leaf get's used the majority of the time.
 
If space is the issue what about something like the Renault Trafic Passenger?

Lots round here being used as taxis which tends to tick the people plus luggage box.
 
The Smax isnt as big as the Galaxy, but its a nicer car to drive, its a touch bigger than the Touran as its based on the Mondeo Platform, and Touran is a VW platform.

I'd also have a look at the Toyota Verso and the Citroen Picasso, both excellent as 5+2 MPV's. Biggest proper 7 seater is the Toyota Previa ime, but thats a proper bus, but the imports (estima) are a little more funky than the equivalent Euro MPV's.
 
Both the S-Max and the Galaxy are on the Mondeo platform. Not sure why it's been said a few times in this thread that they don't share the same platform..

The different is that the Galaxy is clearly a boxy van, whereas the S-Max has more car-like driving dynamics and a sloping rear roofline, giving less room for the réarmer passengers.

The Sharan has sliding doors, which is helpful.
 
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