brickboy

Just completed 35,000 miles in 3 years in my company Mondeo 2.0 TDCI zetec estate (manual box). It's going soon, so I thought I'd do a review on it.


<b>The good stuff:</b>

HUGE amount of room for driver, all passengers and luggage. If carrying passengers is something you do a lot of, the space in the back is cavernous. Very comfy seats, fully adjustable driving position, plenty of space around pedals and a clutch footrest too.

Interior is a nice place to be and materials seem robust. The materials don't look as good as VW / Audi but nothing's got scruffy or fallen off.

Excellent ride, both taut and compliant, and brilliant road-noise suppression on standard 215 / 55 16" tyres. This and the quiet engine make it a superb M-way car, 400+ miles in a day is far less stressful / tiring than my previous B5.5 Passat. I've driven modern E-class Mercs and BMW 5-series, and I can honestly say the Mondy is just as quiet and relaxed when cruising.

Handling very good, very little body roll and quite neutral steering makes it fun to drive fast on bendy roads, although you're still aware that it's a big, heavy car to be chucking around. You can't cheat physics.

Engine is more punchy than the figures suggest and really does go well. It revs smoothly and is fairly quiet even when pushed hard. Gearing in 4th and 6th is a touch too long for my liking but that's a minor niggle.

After a week or so of driving it really doesn't feel as big as some road tests would have you believe.

It's averaged a genuine, measured 42 mpg (43 on the computer, which I have never reset), 70% driving in urban 30 / 40 limits and journeys under 10 miles, 30% motorway / A road trips. Considering the size & weight of car, I think this is pretty good.

I've had no DPF problems, regenerations are unobtrusive. The one sure sign of a regeneration is the engine cooling fan coming on. You can hear this, and the exhaust note does change a little, becoming more 'boomy'. If you're near your destination and you hear this, it's worth driving round the block until the fan cuts out to complete the regeneration, in my view.



<b>The indifferent stuff:</b>

Slapdash assembly-line work under the bonnet, with intercooler hoses and clips, and vac pipes not fitted accurately or securely . Correcting these cost me a few skinned knuckles but has paid dividends in better throttle response & driveability.

It really is worth checking these, otherwise an owner may never know how quick and economical this engine can be. If you have oil mist or weeps at any intercooler / hose joint, the hose needs positioning correctly and the clip needs tightening, simple as that. There are datum marks on the hoses to guide you, but whoever assembled my car took no notice of them ...

Annoying buzz in driver's door corrected by tightening trim screws which were a bit loose.

It's needed nothing apart from washer fluid, a brake light bulb, and annual services. Front tyres changed at just over 20K miles, still on original rears.

All in all, I've found it to be an excellent family barge / long distance workhorse, and a pretty good A-road charger too.

specialx

We have a 1.8 tdci zetec that we love ticks every box we needed it to and it was cheap!

Although I have had to put a clutch/flywheel and slave cylinder in it at £860 trade!


If it's good enough for James Bond is good enough for me!

austinwrx

got one too as the daily runabout.

hated fords for 25 yrs of driving now: but I finally think they make a good car.

always been a german fanbouy.

can't argue with it as value for money. paid £12700 for a 12 mth old 2.0 tdci titantium spec.

love all the toys- heated front screen was great in winter. DAB radio, etc masses of space.

looked at audis A6 and bmw 5's- fantastic cars, but it'd have been a much older car for the same money with big miles on. and I think less spec too. also I really need an estate or hatchback.

I love the fact I can get my mtb or race bike in the back with only taking one wheel off and dropping just one seat- leaving the baby seat strapped in and intact.


faults- well the DMF failing wasn't great but a warrenty job thank god.

I intend to keep this and put mega miles on it I think as its a family runabout.


couldn't care less really about internet and chatroom torque and power nonsense. end of the day you chug to work/nursery/shops etc. having said that its got some power when needed- like A roads and stuff

itching to swap wifes car for something much more interesting.

there is still the scooby for fun though.