I currently run a 2010 5 series which is a great car but only an adequate bike wagon so I’m considering getting something a little larger. I like my luxuries and I need an auto which makes finding a van I can afford quite difficult so I’ve been looking at the S-Max or Galaxy 2010-on. Does anyone have any experience of either for bike lugging duties?
I’m hoping to be able to drop the rear row of seats and the middle seat from the centre row and get the bike in upright with the front wheel out using a fork axle clamp.

I’ll try and post back in a few days as we’ve literally just made the change and there’s a cheap and a little rough round the edges 2011 s max just arrived in my life.

Mine’s a manual and I gather the powershift box in fords can be a little needy maintenance wise. For an auto I’d be looking towards the Sharan/Alhambra.

We also drove a couple of Galaxy’s but the Smax is a heap cheaper for similar age and condition. I’m just hoping it has enough space to swallow all the camping gear. 😬😬😬

This is an experiment for us and if it doesn’t work we will shift it on quick.

Good points so far:
– it drives ok (but not even remotely exciting)
– it has loads of space and the kids love the view from high up
– the high and forward driving position is the mutts at roundabouts where the constantly creeping range rover to your right would block the view from an estate
– how many storage pockets!😁

Negatives
– well it makes a front wheel drive diesel estate feel exciting.
– it’s definitely going to be harder on the diesel
– the rear seats don’t fold quite as low into the floor as would be ideal.

We are literally two days into ownership. If I don’t post back feel free to PM me in a few days.

I think that would work. Lengthwise it’ll be fine. The s-max drops at the back noticeably and there’s a hump in the ceiling for the seatbelt, so you may have to tilt the bike to get the saddle in. Galaxy will be easier. I never managed to find a way to mount the fork clamp itself sufficiently rigidly but I didn’t try very hard – if we’re not going far we just stick the bikes in complete on their sides. For trips to the Alps we take the front wheels off and bungee them to the driver’s side.

– it’s definitely going to be harder on the diesel

Roughly 45mpg from the 2l diesel.

– the high and forward driving position is the mutts at roundabouts

But beware the blind spots from the A pillars, you will have to move about.

I have a 7 seater Totyota Ipsum, I think in the UK it’s called an ‘Avensis’ Chain driven 2.4l petrol loads of power when you need it and it’s basically a ute with a canopy when the seats are down for moving anything that you’re into. Unlike an SUV the roof is just about low enough to make reaching a roof box or bike carrier straightforward if you’re 5’11 or taller easier still from the kerb. I’d love to replace mine with a newer version but I don’t think Toyota do them any more

You’ll definitely achieve the bike like that in a Galaxy.
It’s a bit fiddlier with 2 bikes, I then found it better to drop each outer seat of the middle row and rest them against the upright middle one so I didn’t have to worry about padding in between.
I just got sick of having a car that was almost as big as a van but still needed wheels taking off, plus I rarely carry more than one passenger hence getting rid of mine for a van.

@ajaj – thanks for the tips. I’d spotted the pillar issue. I always “fidget” at junctions so hoping it isn’t too big a problem.

I’m on my second S-Max and have had them for the last 7 years.

I’m hoping to be able to drop the rear row of seats and the middle seat from the centre row and get the bike in upright with the front wheel out using a fork axle clamp.

Not going to happen I’m afraid. The roof is quite low at the back as already mentioned above.

You can do with the centre seat down and both wheels off if you put the bike in upside down and backwards, but then the oily bits are right in the middle of the car.

We had Galaxy for 4 years, took it from 70k to 158k with no major issues. Brilliant car for loading with kids and kit.

It’s not as sizeable vertically as you might think. The fold into the floor seats reduce height by about 10-15cm. You will need front wheel off.

I’ve also been surprised that the V70 has a wider boot, although significantly smaller every other dimension.

A Peugeot/Citroen Expert or Traveller is much better vertically, or the classic Partner/Berlingo for just bikes.

If you need 5 of you, 5 bikes, two 17′ canoes and a fortnight of kit to Southern France for holidays, the Galaxy is teh shizzles.

https://singletrackworld.com/forum/topic/ford-galaxy-fitting-bikes-inside/

Thanks for the comments.

Front wheel out is no problem but it seem the S-Max is too low to keep the bike upright. I’ll have to go and look at a Galaxy.

That must have been on the bump stops with all that lot + passengers !

No love for Renault Espace?

I thought it was the most useful of the people carriers I’ve had. The seats come right out for when you want more space, and it’s more useful than a small van.

Nowhere to store the seats so I need one where the seats fold into the floor.

I had an SMax for about 6 years and it did well for bike duties. You can fit two or three burly MTB’s in the back with front wheels off and droppers down (medium sized bikes). I got an internal rack system for mine which was great but was hard to source. For week in week out duties I used a roof rack and Thule bike carriers, which was a bit of a PITA for a 5’9″ person like me so only had two racks on the edges, but if you’re a 6 footer you’ll be fine. And for more than two bikes like for family outings, I used a tow bar mounted bike rack.

Pretty practical really for 99% of what you want to do.

You might have more space on a grand tourneo connect, but theres fewer toys

I’m on a my fifth Galaxy, they’re great for carrying bikes.

Bikes go in upright with the front wheel off (29ers). Two bikes is easy, three is OK, with four you start running of space for people.

I did look at an SMax when buying this one but it looked too small.

I also tried a Grand Tourneo Connect, which had enough toys, but the engine was woefully underpowered. I’m not a boy racer or anything, but there are times it’s useful to go quickly, and the Galaxy can, but the Tourneo can’t (at least not the one I tried, 1.6l).

45mpg.

With this one I bought I giant rubber mat that goes in the back, which paid for itself the day one of our dogs sicked up a load of seaweed and salt water all over it.

A-beam visibility is a bit of a problem; as above, move your head around. Other than that they’re great.

Only reliability problem I had was a failed aircon a few years ago. I neglected to get it serviced, and so eventually there was only air in there rather than coolant, after which the internals all shredded themselves. Now I get it serviced. The first one I had (Y-reg) had problems with the CV joints (???) failing but they seem to have fixed that a decade ago.

That must have been on the bump stops with all that lot + passengers !

No it wasn’t, amazingly! It did have fresh new rear springs in when it got to 100k and we found one broken though.

Have a similar want to the OP. What’s the interior space like of the galaxy compared to a vw caddy maxi life? Looking to put two bikes inside and carry two passengers on the second row of seats. Which is going to be easier? I hadn’t really thought of the galaxy before.

Galaxy is lower roof line so feels a bit more cramped  when you fill it with bikes and people.
That lower roof makes it a bit fiddlier to get bikes in though. It’s easier if they aren’t massive long fs bikes in large sizes.
I found my Galaxy a much nicer place to be as a driver than my bosses Maxi Life though.

I would echo mattbee – more car like, a nicer place to be than any van derived car, at the compromise of some practicality.

Fold all the seats down and it is an ace sleeping place – perfectly flat and carpeted.

I also have a JDM import, worth looking at if you want something more “van like” with an autobox (they all seem to be), huge floor to ceiling height, flexible seat arrangments but without driving a rattly builders van. The Japanese make and buy these brilliant things but don’t sell them to the rest of the world.

Ours is a Honda Stepwagon, RG shape (so 2005-2009ish), so has twin sliding doors, huge tailgate to stand under, technically 8 seater but some would have to be very small – it did seat 6 in comfort and have room for a weeks holiday stuff though. Same engine as CRV of same era, most of the running gear is shared with Accord, CRV or Civic around that time.

How practical is a Stepwagon?

I had a s-max for years and had the same issue.

I sacked it off and went for a ford tourneo custom 8 seater short wheel base. Yes its massive, but for a big vehicle it drivers really nicely.

I don’t really use it as a daily driver ( work from home ) but i love the fact i can just PUT anything in the boot as i only leave it as a 5 seater with the 3 rear most seats removed.

The only pain is not fitting in mutli storey carparks – the VW are slightly lower.

Tempted to get it lowered…

For trips to the Alps we take the front wheels off and bungee them to the driver’s side

That cannot be safe, how do they move their arm???

Very tempted to sell my NV200 for a people carrier, the Grand Voyager keeps tempting me even though I’m sure it will be absolutely awful but it is huge! The ability to use it for more than two people would be nice but can’t help but think the positives of the van (bike out of view, rear section doesn’t have to be clean, smell of filthy kit doesn’t come through bulkhead, etc) will be missed very quickly. I miss my Transit crew cab 🙁

Thanks mattbee and matt_outandabout. What made you change for a V70?

The other downside to the Grand Tourneo Connect we spotted is it’s meagre towbar nose weight. A mere 75kg. A four bike rack will put it over.

The new 1.6 is 120hp so it’s a little better than the old 105hp one. Given it’s lighter unladen than the s max and galaxy I’d guess it’s probably a bit better.

The Caddy maxi life doesn’t exactly have a sparkly fire breathing engine either.

The new 1.6 is 120hp so it’s a little better than the old 105hp one. Given it’s lighter unladen than the s max and galaxy I’d guess it’s probably a bit better.

That’s the one I tried. Compared to the 165hp Galaxy, it feels quite sluggish.

I suspect Ford don’t want to put in a bigger engine, as then people would take it over the Galaxy.

Our Tourneo Connect is the 150 hp 1.6 Ecoboost auto. Its quite nippy but not a bit economical.