Ford tweaks the Galaxy and S-Max

Ford has given its big people carriers, the roomy Galaxy and the sportier S-Max, a series of mid-life improvements. The revamped sister models are getting their first outing at the Brussels Motor Show.

External changes are few – strips of chrome, new LED rear lights and a bit of subtle recontouring here and there – but there are more interesting changes under the skin. The range of diesel engines is expanded to include 115, 140 and 163 horsepower versions but the big news is the new 2.0 litre petrol engine, the first of Ford's so-called EcoBoost power units to be offered in Europe. EcoBoost, as the name suggests, involves the use of turbo-charging to offer improved performance combined with lower emissions and fuel economy, and it's likely that Ford will offer more EcoBoost engines here; they are already widely used in Ford's North American cars. Compared with the 2.3 litre petrol engine used previously, the EcoBoost unit used in the Galaxy and S-Max, has 203 as opposed to 161 horsepower, but delivers better fuel consumption and emits 19% less CO2 in official government tests.