Before PCPs allowed car buyers to realise their wildest dreams, motors such as the practical, spacious and good-to-drive Ford Mondeo were what families bought and fleet bosses leased.
The big Ford is still practical, spacious and good to drive, but times have moved on and it, and other large hatchbacks like it (it’s available in saloon and estate forms, too), are being left on the shelf.
That’s good news if you’re a used car buyer, because while other people are paying top dollar for an SUV, the bargain hunter has the pick of Mondeos at lower prices.
Click here to buy your next used Mondeo from Autocar
The model was launched here in 2014, two years after its US unveiling. In the interim, Ford of Europe had been tuning Henry’s world car for our tastes. The chassis might have lost a little engagement but its handling was as fluent as before and its ride and refinement stronger than ever. The cabin had lost none of its famed roominess, either.
And then there were the engines: 1.0, 1.5 and 2.0-litre Ecoboost petrols spanning outputs from 123bhp to 237bhp, and 1.5 and 2.0-litre TDCi diesels ranging from 113bhp to 207bhp. Over the years Ford has refined the line-up, among the casualties being the 112bhp 1.6 TDCi, which, in 2015, was replaced by the 118bhp, Euro 6-compliant 1.5 TDCi.
The pick of the crop? Depending on your requirements, it’s a toss-up between the 158bhp 1.5 Ecoboost petrol, the 148bhp 2.0 TDCi or a 118bhp 1.5 TDCi. Meanwhile, if you must have an automatic, the Powershift gearbox hurts economy but is a sweet-shifting thing.
Only in its interior finish and design does the Mondeo betray its workaday roots. On the upside, infotainment is provided by Ford’s Sync 3 multimedia set-up. It’s not the most responsive but it’s got full phone integration and a digital radio.
Every car has its orphan and in the Mondeo’s case it’s Style trim. Actually, it’s a big improvement on Edge, its equivalent in the previous-generation Mondeo, since it has alloy wheels, air-con and, crucially, colour-coded door handles, but the rear windows remain manual only.
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I had a Mondeo 1.8LX in 2001, it was an ideal Family car, huge back seat, three kids back there no problem,and a hatchback that could swallow all the luggage needed for a Holiday, it was a great drive when you wanted it to be, did about 42mpg , servicing was reasonable priced, I only had one problem with it, a spring broke at the front, today's Mondeo isn't thee car to have, and the rise of the SUV didn't help,and yes, 5series was a rival, but it only had a boot.
Big? My arse!
Only the most parochial and ill-informed Brits would describe the Mondeo as "big." Have you stood next to one recently? It's actually pretty modest in size. I have a 2008 Titanium estate and the front cabin certainly isn't spacious.
The BMW 5 saloon sets the benchmark at the lower end of the 'large car' sector, and the current model is 4936mm from bumper to bumper. The Ford is significantly shorter at 4871mm.
As you know, Ford never marketed its big saloon (the Taurus - 5154mm) in the UK, although it is available as a grey import.
Rollocks wrote:
Your 2008 isn't roomy. Really? I have a 2009 hatch and it seems massive inside. By comparison we have a Mk7 Golf and new Tiguan and the Mondeo seems bigger than both inside - Golf an obvious comment but the Tiguan is a bigger car. I can easily fit two 6 footers in the front and behind them and absolutely loads of space. When you look at the car from the outside it's really long and that's backed up by how much space it takes up in a regular supermarket parking space. It's great to drive but you do realise how big it is in certain situations, like parking in the aforementioned supermarket space.
Despite being put off Fords
Despite being put off Fords the Mondeo is one exception, any time I've been in one they've felt very high quality, comfortable and roomy. Remind me a bit of the old mk3 Granada.
Though being a long car with a fashionable high window line, I'm surprised you have to go up to Zetec spec to get parking sensors.
It was one of my options (which are getting fewer) before I plumped for the slightly smaller Octavia.
It looks like this will be the last hatchback/saloon Mondeo, if Autocar's reports are correct, next generation will be a Subaru Legacy Tourer style crossover estate only.