Ford Mondeo Diesel Review

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By Alborz Fallah | August 16th, 2009

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Price: $13,680 to $23,400

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Performance, Ride & Handling	4
Comfort and Interior	4
Quality & Design	3
Value & Features	4
Safety	5
Green	3.5

2009 Ford MB Mondeo range – First Steer

Can a four-cylinder wagon with more carrying capacity really knock the Holden Commodore Sportwagon of its current sales perch? Ford seems to think so.

By David Twomey

At the launch yesterday of the updated and revised MB model Mondeo range the Blue Oval executives were soundly touting the greater capacity of the Mondeo wagon as a serious challenger to the six-cylinder Sportwagon.

Ford Vice President of Sales and Marketing, Beth Donovan, made much to CarAdvice of the space inside the Mondeo, which sells in the medium car segment, stating that with the seats folded down there was 163 litres more space in the Mondeo wagon than in the Holden Sportwagon.

Does she think it’s a serious competitor for the Holden? “ Most definitely and you will see in our advertising that we are directly target those who currently buy the Sportwagon,” she told us.

It should also be said that Ford is targeting other wagons in the market including the Mazda6 and VW Passat.

Load carrying space of the new wagon 1005 litres with the rear passenger seats in the upright position, increasing to 2163 litres with the rear passenger seats folded flat.

Biggest question in most people’s minds will be how can a 2.3-litre, four-cylinder powered vehicle seriously tackle a V6 equipped one, although from next month the engine capacity difference will have narrowed to just 700 cubic centimetres.

The question many will ponder is just how good the 2.3-litre, producing 118kW and 208Nm will be with a load on board, and that’s a question we will answer for your in the near future, when we have more time with the entire new Mondeo range.

The real answer will come early next year when Ms Donovan will have the 2.0-litre TDCi diesel engine in the wagon range, providing 320Nm of smooth torque and 103Kw of power, coupled to a six-speed automatic transmission.

That engine is good, and how do we know, well we drove it on the launch in the hatch range of the new MB Mondeo.

For the moment the wagon is only available with a petrol engine due to supply demand for the diesel variant in other markets.

Ms Donovan explained to CarAdvice that Ford had the option of delaying the whole MB range launch until the diesel wagon was available or getting the vehicles to market now and adding the diesel as soon as it became available.

“Diesel is very much a part of our story, but we decided the Mondeo was too good a thing to remain our ‘best kept secret’ and we wanted to get it onto the market as soon as possible,” she said.

Fuel efficiency will be a major story for Ford with the Mondeo, the hatch and petrol wagons currently offer an very good 9.5 litres per 100 kilometres, while the diesel hatch turns in a claimed 6.5L/100km, and we saw exactly that on the trip computer during a drive over varied country roads and freeway on the launch drive.

Also new to the Mondeo range is the Titanium model, which is available only as a hatch, but offers both the petrol and diesel engines.

The Titanium is essentially the XR5 sports model with a slightly softer suspension set up and the ability to choose an engine other than the 2.5-litre, five-cylinder turbocharged unit.

Ms Donovan says this had been a repeated request from buyers, who liked the XR5 level of equipment and style, but couldn’t justify or didn’t want the sports engine.

She expects a lot of Titanium buyers to opt for the TDCi, which incidentally was a model in its own right in the MA Mondeo, but has now become an engine option across the range.

There’s currently no word of a Titanium wagon, but anything is possible, as just such a beast is offered in other markets.

Inside the Mondeo is a big car, despite its medium size classification, and it constantly begs the question amongst my colleagues of why this and the Falcon.

Ms Donovan defends the two different models as providing customer choice and also says some customers choose Falcon because of its greater towing capacity, although for our money we’d reckon most people would be happy with the 1200kg that the Mondeo can tow.

There’s also the question of, if the Mondeo Wagon is a Commodore Sportwagon competitor, then isn’t it also a competitor for Ford’s own Territory, which is also a Sportwagon competitor, and even the somewhat lacklustre Ford Falcon BF Mark III wagon.

Again Ms Donovan defends with the “customer will choose” argument, which does carry some water, but we think a lot more people are choosing to move back to the traditional wagons, especially from SUVs, and that could spell trouble for the already declining sales of the Ford Territory.

The MB Mondeo range certainly offers a lot more than its predecessor with the likes of Bluetooth and voice command being standard across the range, even on the base LX.

This is partly due to Ford chasing a different breed of business customer from the solid fleet buyers who currently keep the BF MkIII Falcon wagon alive.

These buyers want business use vehicles that offer such niceties as the aforementioned communication tools, both for easy of operation and because they see Occupational Health and Safety issues with not having them.

As well as seven airbags, there is ABS with EBD brakes, and Electronic Stability Control (ESC), Ford calls it DSC, across the range, and the Mondeo has a five-star safety rating from ANCAP.

The entire range also has cruise control and remote central locking, which means quite a lot of ‘fruit’ for the opening price of $31,990.

Top of the range models, such as the XR5, get adaptive cruise control, active driver assist, forward alert and collision mitigation technology, the stuff of much more expensive cars, until recently.

Certain to impress with the Mondeo range is the impressive driving dynamics, which also mean that the wagon feels no different to the hatch variants, the car feels remarkably agile, while the steering is well weighted and gives good feedback.

On the models with the optional sports suspension you’ll gain slightly sharper responses at the expense of some ride comfort, but the slightly softer settings in the Titanium make this barely noticeable.

There are automatic headlights on all models but the LX and the Titanium introduces Dynamic Headlights with swivelling low beam headlights and static cornering lights, while the XR5 gets bi-xenon headlights.

CarAdvice will bring you a complete appraisal of the new Mondeo range when we test the cars more extensive in the near future.
Pricing for the MB Mondeo range:
LX hatch, petrol, six-speed automatic, $31,990
LX wagon, petrol, six-speed automatic, $32,990
Zetec hatch, petrol, six-speed automatic, $36,990
Zetec wagon, petrol, six-speed automatic, $37,990
Zetec hatch, diesel, six-speed automatic, $39,990
Titanium hatch, petrol, six-speed automatic, $42,990
Titanium hatch, diesel, six speed automatic, $45,990
XR5 hatch, petrol turbo, six-speed manual, $44,990
This is the manufacturer’s list price for the vehicle only.

Reader reviews of the FORD MONDEO

January 17th, 2012

By: Cedar

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As the owner of an XR5 Mondeo I was tempted by its numerous features, exterior appeal and large size. Although... Read more

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January 17th, 2012

By: Cedar

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Purchased the XR5 Mondeo because of its equipment levels, size and quality build. The car although classed as a... Read more

o

good work ford. good car at a good price
Jake02

I’m glad the Diesel Wagon is coming in – it’ll be a good car. Although I’d still like an XR5 Wagon…with roofrails and why the hell don’t they have sat-nav, a proper amount of accessories (you can’t even get roof-racks, on a wagon???) and a manual-tranny for non-XR5 models.

The value offered by the Mondeo here in Australia (it really seems we get a great deal here, not in engines/trannys but in equipment levels – they’re bloody high) is only matched by a few other cars, and thats why it suprises me why they don’t sell in more numbers (but its a Euro car, so maybe thats why…), especially in a car-class that is bloody boring (Camry, Epica, Accord, Sebring) its apparent the Mondeo adds some sunlight.

And getting rid of the sedan – fantastic move by Ford, it was ugly! Boot was waay too long! Liftbacks are a much better option than a sedan, mainly because the opening of the boot is bigger and therefore makes the boot so much more accessible, and I would know, owning a Liftback Skoda and all…
OMG

Not as pretty as Sportwagon, and Commodore 3L will get approx same fuel consumption as petrol 4 cyl Mondeo.

Wonder if the Ford fanboys will claim the consumption as being high for a 4 cyl given that the Commodore 3L copped a bashing in here for (theoretical) high fuel consumption…should be interesting to see, yeah?

The Ford’s advantage is with the diesel variant, which isn’t sold here yet, but neither is the Sportwagon diesel (yet).
Shak

the only really impressive things about this update are the new tech on the XR5 and the glossy black interior in the second last photo. I mean 31K for the base model is very costly. The new maxima can offer you much higher equipment levels for 33K. Ie xenons, leather, driver/passenger electric adjust, and it comes with a more powerful V6 and less weight to lug around. it may not drive as well, but as Ford said their clientel is mainly bussiness people who rarely venture past 5/10′s of the potential of a car.
Simon

Those tail lamps (wagon) look very Mazda.
It also really needs roof rails.

Ford need to steal the new Mazda 2.2L diesel and find a smooth 6 speed auto to compliment it.
At least make this an upgrade option.
Only then could it be a serious Passat competitor.
Myke

Excellent value for money for a European car, also considering it is one of the best mid-sizers around.
SamR

Ford should dump their current cars and build the Mondeo and Focus locally heavily modified for local conditions,

Apparently building FWD cars is beyond them and they cannot do it profitably here so were are stuck with RWD dinosaurs.
Joe Blog

Simon,
If you read the story you will see they already have an excellent 2.0-litre diesel engine and a very smooth six-speed auto.
Jake02

That was the other thing (the thing I forgot in my previous post) is that I saw a Mondeo Zetec Wagon on the road above Wollongong and I seriously did think it was a Mazda 6 estate – thats how similar the taillights/overall shape is. If I were choosing between the two, I would get the Mazda as the diesel comes with a Manual tranny (but I wouldn’t, I’d get an Octavia Estate and I don’t care that its smaller – the boot is just as useable, it’s a big friggin box! – and the engines are more powerful/use less fuel as well as the Octavia being cheaper…) and it also has roof-rails which add purpose to it’s wagon bodystyle.
Mazdaman

Hey Simon, ford will get the new Mazda diesel motor – in 6 or 7 years time when it is the old Mazda diesel.
Thats how it worked with the 2.3 petrol, Mazda has the new improved and more fuel efficient 2.5 and the modeo has the old mazda 2.3 from 2002.

While no one will care when the mondeo wagon kills the ancient falcon wagon, it would be a shame for the teritory to loose any more sales and become another unviable model for ford. I just don’t see the sense of a 4cyc wagon that will be thirstier than the 6 cyc commodore.
And I hope the new model mondeo is more attractive in the flesh than the ugly pig that was the old model.

But drive a mondeo, then drive the Mazda6 and then do what I and everyone else does BUY THE MAZDA!
Jake02

Joe Blogg,
I agree with your comment but I’d like to say that the diesel wagon isn’t here yet, but coming early next year…
Andrew

On looks alone, this thing will never out sell the Sportwagon.

Yes the Mondeo has some very ‘cool’ technology, but im my opinion the only car that looks good is the XR5, the entire range has aged very quicly though.

Interesting how people say that Commodore is kept alive by fleets, but take the 3-500 BFmkIII sales away and Falcon sales against that of Commodores look even less impressive, for a near all new platform compared to something that is nearly 4 years old now . . .
dlunn64

When they first showed off this wagon at one of the motor shows they were touting it with the 2.2l turbo diesel with over 135kw and 400nm and 6 speed auto. This is the motor that they should be offering with the extra weight of the wagon and the extra punch required.
I’m a Ford man but where are the right decisions and quick acting needed to fix many of the product gaps in the range.
2l falcon in 2011? too late!!
2.7l td territory now put back to 2011? Way too late!!! should be 3.0l td in 2010.
1.4l auto in fiesta? come on this is australia should be at least 1.6 and 6 speed auto.
Focus now not being australian made? who cares but please bring us the mst up to date car with 6 speed auto and upgrade the motor across the range.
Changing the falcon back to straight 6? fine but we will miss out on some fantastic technology now available with the new v6′s.
Come on Ford lift your game.
Turbo diesel Territory should have been engineered years ago and because they dragged their feet with the introduction we are seeing the death of the Territory – Facelift? what facelift!!!
David
Jazrod

i noticed this the second i saw it in dad’s showroom… on the titanium and XR5 models, part of the grill has been un-seemlessly blocked out for the ACC. look at the pictures, it looks terrible. i couldnt believe it when i saw it!
http://Caradvice.com.au Baddass

Looks way better than it should in base model form: I would definitely buy it if I had the hard-earned.
crouchy

Jazrod! I didnt even spot that??? What is that all about???

On the car as a whole.. i love it. The interior is still a let down as it still looks a lot older than the car but OVERALL its a great looking vehicle.
Iz

The Mondeo comes with a 2.2L diesel engine in the UK, and its the PSA unit that the larger PSA cars use if I’m not mistaken.

I actually don’t mind the look of the car without roof rails; as it goes for me for many wagons of this type. But it needs a dark color and the big wheels to pull off its look I think.

I also think its a shame we don’t actually get the full complement of Mondeo models that the UK get; namely the before mentioned 2.2L diesel and 2.5L turbo petrol that are available in the Mondeo Estate as well.

Pity Aus is too small a market to justify the extra models within the range.
Frenchie

The advantage I see that Mondeo has over the Sportswagon is being a four cylinder the rego, insurance might be cheaper.
Still think it will be a slug to drive with its low power, diesel or not.

The car has huge side rear view mirrors, comparing them to other new cars. It looks strange!
People go on about the VE’s wide A pillars, have a look at Mondeos. They are just as wide!
MGH

Nice car. However claimed fuel consumption for the 2.3L four-cylinder petrol models is too high at 9.5L/100km. For comparison, the 4L falcon claims 10.1L.
SamR

From what I hear the Mondeo in the UK is a company Reps car. Normal people do not buy it as it is too big, they buy a Focus.
Andrew

In regards to VE’s A-pillars, they are huge, especialy when gettign from my VZ to mum’s VE but you get used to them.
Andrew

Plus,

Aside from the instrument cluster the VE’s interior s*&ts all of this, to many joins, and it looks oh sooooooooo old.
Tim

Jazrod, good eyes. That looks terrible! I wouldn’t buy the car for that alone.
CJ

I think the Mazda 6 wagon looks much better, has more power, and Japanese build quality. Can’t go wrong.
CJ

Oh and I forgot, better fuel economy!!
Haz

Ford are shooting themselves in the foot with a revitalised Mondeo range. This car will steal sales from the locally made Falcon and Territory. The money setting up the Mondeo for import into Australia including advertising, service training, spare parts inventory, etc. should have been spent on bringing out a new Falcon wagon (with added sports and hi-spec variants), and a diesel option into the Falcon range. Having two cars so similar in price and size in the same showroom just makes it harder for the Falcon to survive without an export market.
Pete

Its funny that Ford that are crowing about a few litres here and there in bigger luggage capacity with the Mondeo over the Holden, yet they could renew the Falcon wagon and blow the Holden out of the water with luggage capacity. Everyone I know (fleets and private buyers) who are getting out of large SUVs still want a large wagon with towing capacity and power yet Ford have decided not to bring out a new Falcon wagon. The Falcon wagon could potentially be the most relevant car in its lineup but they decided to give up on it, typical.
Pete

Holden are selling nearly 40% of Commodores as wagons and a lot of them are high profit V8s and Calais, yet Ford cant even get a business case for renewing the Falcon wagon?? Falcon could be the best selling car in the country especially with a new wagon variant which comes in fleet, XR and G6E versions, with petrol and LPG engines. the fact that Ford are using the Mondeo to chase the Mazda 6, Passat wagon market which is only 150-200 a month rather than using the falcon to chase the Holden wagon which sells 1700 a month, just goes to show that they dont get the market and they dont get buyers.
Sam

memo to ford: i would rather buy an Australian made rear-wheel drive wagon, over a front wheel drive euro wagon which will cost a fortune for parts. I would be pretty keen to replace my old Kluger with a new Falcon XR6 wagon if one came out.
Camcord

If your trying to win over Sportwagon buyers, why wouldnt you just bring out a new Falcon wagon?? the Holden doesnt have LPG engines and the luggage room of the Falcon. With more and more people buying station wagons, there has never been a better time for a new falcon wagon especially as people are used to the power, room and towing capacity of their large 4wds.
OrsonWelles

Coming from someone who owns a Calais V V8 sportwagon, the only ford that i would buy would be a Falcon G6E turbo wagon (if it existed). A front-wheel drive 4 cylinder Mondeo?? you have got to be kidding! although im sure fleets will love them.
Lucky7

Im in the market for a new wagon to replace my Pajero. No.1 on my list is a Holden SV6 sportwagon, is there a chance that there will be a new Falcon wagon? as I would prefer the Ford if it was bigger.
thenameless

You are kidding Andrew if you think VE interior is better!
The Mondeo is German built and is more Audi/ BMW like in the quality, with soft touch materials all the way down the centre console.
Andrew

Thenameless,
Yes the build materials and quality may be better, which im not dispuiting , but then again the Falcon doesn’t have soft touch all the way down, both Commodore and Falcon should.

What im saying is the actualy look of the console, it looks very old , IMO the Commodore looks nice, like a car . . . this looks like an old spacship . . . its hard to describe what im trying to say, but basically i really have come to enjoy the interior off Holdens, and the Falcon. This just isnt that.
Richard

I think Ford is getting caught up in its own Mondeo spin to justify the Falcon not getting a new wagon. I lease wagons through my work, I typically turn over the wagons every 18 months. Quite honestly the Mondeo does nothing for me, an engine with only 208nm of torque in a car that big is disgusting. I’l be replacing my BF mk11 Falcon wagon with a Holden this time round, ideally a new FG Falcon wagon would be exactly what I want especially a G6 version but Ford in their wisdom dosnt want anyone to buy Australian. Their loss.
Jeremy

Conversation of two Ford execs:
Exec no.1 “wow the Holden Sportwagon is outselling every SUV in the country”.

Exec no.2 “Yes, we should compete with that, its a great segment of the market that will only get bigger as more people are turned off by large 4wds especially as 4wd tracks are getting closed, petrol prices remain volitile and 4wds have a negative environmental stigma.”

Exec no.1 “well what attributes does the Holden have that people love??”

Exec no.2 “its very stylish, Australian made, its rear wheel drive, has a big 2.1 tonne tow capacity, it has powerful 6 and 8 cylinder engines and a range of models including sports and luxury. We should bring out a new Falcon wagon which follows that philosophy but added with Falcon’s superior range of engines including LPG and a bigger more practical boot and towing capacity, it would sell very well”

Exec No.1 “but we sell the Falcon wagon at the moment and that gets 400 sales a month, nothing near the holdens level”

Exec No.2 “thats because the Falcon wagon is 11 years old, has only one trim level and is aimed firmly at the tool of trade fleet market. Remember the Commodore only use to sell 400-600 wagons a month when it was fleet focused, now they have targeted mums and dads it sells 1700 a month, we could easily do the same!”

Exec No.1 “i have a better plan…. lets release the foreign-built front-wheel-drive Mondeo wagon with its unknown nameplate, gutless and thirsty 4 cylinder engine, and lame tow rating. Families and fleets will love it”

Exec no.2 “….I think we should start seeing other people..”
Simon

Joe Blogg, the current Ford 2.0L diesel is a slug.
My point about the Mazda diesel the 2.2L NOT the 2.0, is it is a performance engine and that they would need a good quality auto to match it considering it’s massive torque. Currently even Mazda doesn’t have a suitable auto.
But it’s much easier to assume I didn’t read the story right? It pays to understand what I am talking about before you make assumptions.
I’m confident many people would pay extra to have a performance diesel option. You then have good performance and excellent economy.
Helen

I would love to replace our 4 year old Falcon wagon with a new good looking falcon wagon like an XR6. I dont get why Ford would bring out a Mondeo wagon and not a new Falcon wagon. look at the sales of the Commodore wagon and look at the sales of the Mazda 6 wagon, dosnt Ford understand which one sells more.
Booby

“Ford will be targeting fleets with the new wagon..” Well they better not be getting government fleets, as I will be writing very strong letters if I see taxpayer money used to buy imported cars when Australia makes perfectly good alternatives!
Richard

I have had my Mondeo Zetec wagon for 3 weeks now, I have to say I love it so far.

For $37,990 it has so much more over the Sportswagon Omega priced at $41,290! The Holden only has 4 speed, only 16 inch alloys, no climate control, no bluetooth, no front park sensors, no ipod or voice control as standard and more gas guzzling 10.7 fuel economy.

The only thing you are paying for in a Sportswagon is the engine which I am no fussed about.

Also, the Zetec wagon does have some extra’s over the Mazda 6 wagon too. Yes, the 6 has better engine and diesel, sporty look, but the Mondeo is definate European quality look and feel.

I think with decent Ford marketing, there is no reason for people not to consider the Mondeo.
http://www.caradvice.com.au OSU811

new liberty/outback wagons due out next month will give the mondeo a hard time in the market place, being a proven product in oz already!!
CJ

OSU8II, we will have to wait to see how ugly the Subes are in the flesh……
Jen

Richard you listed the retail price for the fleet spec Omega.

For $35,990 DRIVEAWAY you could get the Holden Sportwagon International which has:
Leather trim
Bluetooth
foglights
18 inch alloys
rear parking sensors
Rear wheel drive
Auto trans
V6 engine
power windows
cruise
6 airbags
ABS, Traction control
Stability control
trip computer

Which is much better value than the Mondeo, in fact i cant think of many other 6 cylinder rear wheel drive wagons under $80,000 which has as many features.
Paul

$40,000 for a Mondeo wagon on the road and it only has 208nm of torque!! How the heck would that go with a few people on board or luggage? It must use a shipload of fuel!
Honestly what is Ford smoking? that engine belongs in 20grand Focus hatchback.
nesa

I need a manual make that a diesel manual.
will not drive an auto!!
http://Caradvice.com.au Baddass

Jazrod, can you explain the thing in more detail? I didn’t really understand.
Cheers.
RWD

Yes Jen but also the Sportwagon has the usuall GM standard equipment of poor driveline refinement, poor build quailty, poor fuel economy, outdated and ugly interior…………..oh yeah, and I dont wanna buy a car owned by the American Government!! No thanks….not at any cheap price.
Lampoon

Hahaha RWD, you have obviously never owned a European Ford before. They are basically throwaway after 100,000km, at least a Commodore will get to you 250,000km with not too much hassle as evidenced by the tens of thousands on the road which get no maintanence and still go strong. We find that the Commodores which come into our workshop are pretty bullet proof, we never seem to come across a lot of issues with them at all, the Euros on the other hand…. ouch we have written a few off just because the mechanical repairs are worth more than the car. Last euro Mondeo we had to fix, the alternator cost $1200!
DipStiK

Thenameless: Mondeo is not German, it is from Belgium and there is nothing wrong with that except that you are wrong. Also some BMW are built outside Germany, say South Africa and North America.

Mondeo is a great car in Diesel. Subaru Diesel is getting great reviews in Europe, we will have to wait to see how it goes over here.
jimmy

Love how the car photo in front of the graffiti wall supposedly enhances “street cred”.
http://caradvice onepoppa

There are some of us who have no interest in towing anything, and for whom a 3 litre or more V6 is a great big turn off.

Do people realise that in Europe – where people really drive fast – Italy has a 150km/hr speed limit – most large cars have engines of 2 litres, petrol or diesel, and mostly diesel – Audi A6, BMW 5 series and E Type Mercs are all smaller engine 4s in their volume sellers.

The only problem with the Mondeo wagon is that the diesel will not be here until next year.
Alex

Who would buy a Mondeo over a Sportwagon with the direct injection V6? No-one with any idea about cars, that’s who. 208nm? Love to see how fast it is when that big cargo area is full!
RWD

Lampoon……..you obviously havent worked on Commodores at all if you think they are reliable and well built. The only reason there are many still on the roads after high mileage is that the parts are so cheap because the wreckers are full of them.
Byron

I agree. Why didn’t Ford build a new Falcon. It’s common sense. Mondeo has a good interior but the exterior isn’t as good as Sportwagon. Plus, with the facelift for Commodore just around the corner, sales will rise even more. Engine-wise Mondeo can’t compete with Commodore, now with 6speed auto, whats not to love. Go HOLDEN!
Original Alex

Alex, it’s all about choice. I’d rather a Mondeo over a Sportwagon because it’s better quality, it handles better, it looks better (to me) and it’s generally a more desirable car. It’s not all about power. Not everybody needs a direct injection V6 and 208nm can get you a lot farther than you think.
Andrew

Richard,
You clearly havent heard of the updates, 6-speed standard across the Commodore range, and its not like the dealer wont throw in BlueTooth to get the sale.

And shout out if you agree, i would rather be able to stick anything in my car stereo than just an Ipod aye ?

The ford can only have an Ipod yea!
Shak

I second Andrew. The new(september update) will probably have some of the equipment from the international thrown in to boost sales b4 da new on e in 2010.
Tim

What Jazrod was referring to….look at the XR5′s grill, on the right. See the big blob. That is on all XR5 and Titanium models for some reason. I have seen the same thing in dealerships.
Richard

Andrew: Ford also has USB, AUX input and you can play songs through the Bluetooth…

Wow Holden have finally found 5th and 6th gear in 2009… hoorah!

I agree that the wagon with a big load may not be as powerful as a Holden… but my trip computer says my average speed so far is 28km/h… thats cause we live in a city, not a speedway.
Ben

I know, its a fuel effiecent car, but…. I much rather see a FPV enhanced mondeo!!! Something like awd, twin turbo blown 5 cylinder and around 260kw/550Nm. Thatd be heaps nice, but FPV dont have the facilaties to put awd in it, and ford wouldnt let them give it a blown twin turbo 5. But its good to dream…..
nesa

Byron,thats my problem all efing auto and no manual! the more i drive an auto the more i hate them. i wish that all car maker can offer a choice of 10% better fuel enconomy by offering a manual in all the range.
Now a 6 speed manual calais wagon would be nice.
JimJam

Im suprised people on this site would rather a front wheel drive mondeo with 208 nm of torque over a more powerful rear wheel drive Commodore which handles better and uses less fuel in real life. What would I know? ive actually driven both! But then again people nowadays are more interested in a car’s ipod dock rather than the drivetrain.
Richard

JimJam, not sure about your test conditions which lead to your conclusion that Commodore uses less fuel “in real life” than a Mondeo but anyway I’ll take your word.

I think its buyers choice if they want to buy a car with better technology and more gadgets over a powerful engine.

A lot of us live in the city in traffic, so for me there is no point in having more torque so I can burn it at the traffic lights to reach 60km/h first only to stop again in 100 metres at the next set of lights.
Don

Richard if you dont realise the importance of torque in fuel economy then your the type who would think that the Mazda CX7 real life fuel ecomony of 17L per 100km is acceptable. A low torque engine has to have its guts revved out to get moving which puts the engine in a high fuel consumption operation zone. 208nm in a mondeo wagon will require a lot of lead foot action to get the car moving, especially if there is a load on board. Its why a 13 litre Mack truck will use less fuel towing 20tonnes than a Landcruiser towing 20 tonnes. The Mack has more torque to get the load moving in its peak fuel effiecent rev zone.
phillip

JimJam, you could only be a petrol head or Holden fanatic to prefer the Commodore Sportswagon (with its ancient engine/hearbox combination) over the Mondeo. The Mondeo is so superior it’s barely borth comparing the two.
whatefa

JimJam, people on this site prefer the Mondeo because it is wearing a Ford badge and therefore is manna from heaven and above criticism.

Those who actually speak with through their wallet (and not through their &$$) seem to prefer the Sportwagon.
The Commodore is so superior it is barely worth comparing the two.
ozboy

Oh dear, discussion has degenerated in Ford Vs Holden again. Yawn…..
We are reading this review because we have some interest in the Mondeo, even as potential buyers. Pls leave the mud in the pond where it belongs.
Spanna72

Tim:

I think that “blob” on the right-hand side (looking straight onto it) on both the Titanium’s and XR5′s grille as identified by the egale-eyed Jazrod must be housing / shielding some component in respect of the Adaptive Cruise Control, Forward Collison Warning and/or Collision Mitigation systems.
Richard

Spanna72: Yes I think you’re right and it looks very ugly! When you see it upclose, it’s like you want to poke the things out of the grill with your finger because you think someone have left them in there by accident.

I still prefer the Zetec crome grill. Maybe a bit more bland but looks more classic.
anonymous

I’m not much of a Ford fan.

Having being on the car hunt for a well known & trusted brand, I found Hyundai. A Hyundai i20 to be specific, got a quote from their site (www.hyundai.co.za) & a free test drive from a nearby dealership.

With the global recession, buying a car is a luxury – being a 20 something female, climbing the corporate ladder – breaking the bank for a car is not really part of my plan.

My parents (mid 60′s), have also taken a liking in the Hyundai brand and yes, they’ve ventured into getting a free quote and are soon to be test driving their; light on petrol, easy on the eye, pension affordable & reliable Hyundai.

I on the other hand am loving my new i20 (first car), my new best friend indeed! It is comfortable, low on petrol (thank goodness), is very cheek & I must say I’m confident stopping next to that “oh so expensive” car!

Fun, fun and more fun is what it’s all about –yep, your new best friend Hyundai i20.

I just love it – i read more about it on http://www.hyundai.co.za
Alex

Anonymous, that’s all well and good and I’m glad you’re enjoying your Hyundai but what does any of that have to do with the Mondeo? You know, the car this story is about?
Richard

anonymous: Great job! You have obviously been employeed to target forums to promote Hyundai. You should probably check first, this is not a South African website…

However, its good to see you have test drives and quotes free of charge in South Africa. Don’t you just hate those car companies that charge you for a car quote these days!?!?
TTT

Problem with this Mondeo and every other in this country is you will have to wait for 3 or more months after ordering to take delivery. No good for most people to have to wait this long. Doesn’t matter who makes the car or how nice it travels/looks no one should have to wait this long for a new car. Ford need to get their act together really quick. Also there are none of these cars on the road. I am lucky if I see 1 in 500K trips around Sydney and if they are only selling 269 per month now…. Bloody hell!!!!
Jack

I agree with Haz, Pete, Camcord, OrsonWelles, Lucky7, Jeremy, Helen, and Byron. Completely.

Where is a FALCON wagon, with XR6, G Series; RWD, LPG, Turbo options, AUSSIE BUILT, Aussie drivetrain reliability, LOADSPACE, and *6 SEAT OPTION*? You have designed it, Ford. You could do very well with it.

A new Euro Mondeo is not the answer. A family member had one in the 1990s. Parts were a nightmare in rural areas as it aged. 100,000km was the limit, like Lampoon said. I wish all the city folk knew this about their Euro imports. This country destroys them. (Apart from 1970′s-1980s Mercs…)

So where for me? I am looking for an LPG wagon to supplement our AWD Territory. Mazda 6 wagon, diesel (best looking), Sportwagon (looks great but hate the loadspace and poor vision though) If I want Ford’s LPG I am stuck with an ex-fleet hack. So I troll for a privately owned low km-high spec LPG AUIII and keep my extra 30-35K. I know how tough they are, and there isn’t enough difference to warrant the BA-BF which are essentially the same…

Ford will realise this and release an XR6 wagon by, um, 2025…
Jack

Lastly, did you know the last Falcon wagon with anything resembling sportiness was the AUIII SR of 2002? Mags and *gasp* sports black trim!

That’s a long time Ford. Where is the XR6? Why have you neglected this market?
pm

Jack, you may be in the market for a high-spec Falcon wagon but you are one of the few. And a 6 seater? Don’t you think that Ford would have kept making them if they were selling? Would private buyers buy a style-focused wagon (ie. with compromised space like the Commodore) than Telstra who just want the load capacity?

From a business-case point of view Ford are already risking cross-shopping between Falcon and Mondeo so to spend money to develop a new Falcon wagon (that would also compete with Territory) would be ludicrous. Importing the Mondeo wagon (and promising the diesel as soon as supply is secured) is the wisest and most cost-effective move at this time. Although the 1990 models weren’t great the previous shape (which we didn’t get in oz but sold well in NZ) was the coming of age for the marque. Since then they have developed a reputation for being rock-solid.