Ford Mondeo Estate (2015) Review

Ford Mondeo Estate (2015) At A Glance

Excellent blend of enjoyable driving and comfort. Spacious load area. Practical and well finished cabin. Well priced.

Volkswagen Passat Estate offers more technology and a better load area. 19-inch wheels impair ride quality.

Real MPG average for a Ford Mondeo Estate (2015)

Real MPG was created following thousands of readers telling us that their cars could not match the official figures.

Real MPG gives real world data from drivers like you to show how much fuel a vehicle really uses.

Diesel or petrol? If you're unsure whether to go for a petrol or diesel (or even an electric model if it's available), then you need our Petrol or Diesel? calculator. It does the maths on petrols, diesels and electric cars to show which is best suited to you.

Satisfaction Index

Reviews for Ford Mondeo Estate (2015)'s top 3 rivals

Skoda Superb

Near perfect as a practical family estate car. Great value for money. Comfortable and quiet on the move....

Ford Mondeo

Impressive quality and refinement initially made it stand out from the competition. Rides well with keen...

Vauxhall Insignia

Represents good value for money. Big boot and generous amount of rear legroom. Diesels are very economical.

Ask Honest John

Best estate car for a taxi business?

"I am considering buying a three or four-year-old Ford Mondeo or Skoda Superb estate for my taxi business. Are there any issues with the auto gearboxes, on either of these cars?"

Yes - the Powershift automatic gearbox used in the Mondeo can be troublesome. DSG gearboxes uses in Skodas can be problematic, but we've not had many issues reported with diesel Superbs. If you want the ultimate in reliability, I'd look for a Toyota Avensis.

Answered by Andrew Brady

What's the best petrol estate for £10,000?

"I am keen to buy a mid to large petrol estate, good to drive, room for four adults and gear. I do 5k to 8k miles a year - mixed town and country and want something with a perky modern and economical engine. Would a Mondeo 1.5T EcoBoost do? Or something else to consider? I can spend around £10k."

A Mondeo sounds like a reasonable choice if you can find a petrol one. Our money would go on a Mazda 6 but test drive one first - its 2.0-litre petrol engine might not appeal if you're after a small, turbocharged unit. Also consider a Honda Civic Estate - it's smaller but very practical and should be reliable.

Answered by Andrew Brady

Is the Ford Powershift automatic gearbox reliable?

"I've got about £8k to spend on a big auto estate - so naturally the Ford Mondeo is an option. However, I've heard bad things about Ford's double clutch Powershift gearbox - tales of it failing at low mileages and needing existing repairs. In your view am I taking back risk buying a car with this box?"

The six-speed wet clutch Powershift in a Mondeo can be okay as long as the fluid and filter are changed every three years or every 38,000 miles. But most owners refuse to go to that expense (£200 +) and that's why the wet clutch Powershifts fail and gain a bad reputation. Dry clutch Powershifts (in Fiesta, etc) do not require a fluid change, but the dry clutch packs in them fail anyway and they deserve their poor reputation. Ford has now ditched Powershifts in favour of six-speed and eight-speed torque converter autos in everything.

Answered by Honest John

What's the best used petrol estate for £10k?

"I need an estate for my family and dog but driving short journeys probably means petrol. I'm looking for advice with roughly £10-11k to spend. There are very few available but I found a Ford Mondeo 1.5 litre and Mazda 6. Any other options you would recommend or any advice on either of the above option would be greatly appreciated. "

You're right to search for a petrol for short journeys but, as you're finding, most buyers of new cars of this size are high-mileage company car drivers, so there aren't many second-hand petrol examples on the market. A Mazda 6 is a good option, as is the Mondeo. I'd also look at the Honda Civic - it's smaller than the Ford and Mazda, but it has a bigger boot. There are more about, too, and it will be very reliable.

Answered by Andrew Brady

On the inside of an Ford Mondeo Estate (2015)

• Boot space is 500–1605 litres
• Euro NCAP rating of five stars

On paper the difference in load capacity between the Mondeo hatchback and estate isn’t all that significant – in fact, the measurements from the boot floor to the load cover give the estate a slightly lower volume at 525 litres versus 550 for the hatch – but the estate load area is a more useful shape and offers extra flexibility.

With the load cover out of the way there’s space to easily stack things to the ceiling, while folding the rear seats down frees up a huge 1630 litres of volume. That will be more than enough for most, but it is a little behind the Volkswagen Passat Estate which has 650 litres with the rear seats up and maximum 1780. The Passat has a slightly more user-friendly load area too, with more accessible mechanisms for folding the seat backs and a two-level floor.

The Mondeo offers plenty of space for passengers, with room in the rear row for adults to sit comfortably – though taller occupants may find their head brushing on the roof lining. There are no such concerns up front, though, where the Mondeo is fantastically comfortable and user-friendly.

There’s plenty of adjustment for the driver to get into a comfortable positon, though visibility could be a little better over the long bonnet. The instruments are clear and most functions can be controlled from the steering wheel, though the functions of the various buttons can take a little getting used to.

The typical clutter found on Ford centre stacks is gone, replaced with a much more user-friendly arrangement. Infotainment is taken care of by the new, standard-fit Sync 2 system, which has a slick, easy-to-use touchscreen and responds to a huge number of voice commands.

Ford is offering plenty of technology on the new Mondeo including adaptive cruise control, lane keep assistance and automatic emergency braking, plus an automatic parking system that can get you in or out of a bay or parallel parking space – though the latter is only offered as an optional extra.

Two small black marks against the Mondeo estate are no 'Karakuri' type rear seat latches allowing the seatbacks to be dropped after opening the hatch. You have to unfasten them in the normal way. And the load cover cannister is particularly difficult to remove. 

Standard equipment:

Style is the base model and comes with an 8-inch SYNC 2 touchscreen system, 16-inch alloy wheels, DAB radio, EasyFuel misfuelling prevention, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, electric front windows, two Isofix rear mounting points, electric parking brake, hill start assist, LED tail lights, chrome rood rails and a tonneau cover.

Zetec models gain additional body colour bumper mouldings, chrome window trims, Quickclear heated windscreen, electric rear windows, speed limiter, front fog lights and a ski hatch.

Titanium trim adds 17-inch alloy wheels, starter button, sports seats, navigation system, automatic and autodipping headlights, automatic wipers, traffic sign recognition, lane assist, auto-dimming rear-view mirror, ambient lighting and TFT instrument binnacle.

Titanium X pack adds dynamic full-LED headlights, leather seat trim, 10-way electrically adjustable and heated front seats, keyless entry and privacy glass. 

Child seats that fit a Ford Mondeo Estate (2015)

Our unique Car Seat Chooser shows you which child car seats will fit this car and which seat positions that they will fit, so that you don't have to check every car seat manufacturer's website for compatibility.

Which car seat will suit you?

Driving Ford Mondeo Estate (2015)

• Engines range from 1.0T EcoBoost 125 to 2.0T EcoBoost 240 Automatic
• Readers report Real MPG to be between 27–60 mpg

Ford is well known for producing fine-handling yet comfortable cars and the Mondeo Estate doesn’t change the formula. It offers a comfortable, quiet driving experience even over poor quality roads – but it also manages to perform fantastically through corners, with precise steering and great body control.

Enthusiastic drivers will appreciate the smooth steering and gentle feedback through the steering wheel and suspension, letting you feel the road surface. Despite being a good drive, long distance travel is effortless thanks to impressive refinement, comfortable seats and technology like adaptive cruise control.

Having said that there are a few caveats - the steering, while impressive, doesn't offer quite the same amount of feedback as the previous Mondeo. Additionally, the 19-inch alloy wheels have an impact on the amount of road noise and the comfort levels, so are best avoided. 

Initially the Mondeo Estate is available two petrol choices and three diesels. The petrol options are 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre, with power outputs of 160PS and 240PS, respectively. These might suit a lower mileage private buyer or a more enthusiastic driver, but for most a diesel will make a more sensible choice, particularly for a company car.

The entry-level diesel is a 1.6 TDCi with 115PS. This is the most frugal choice, with official economy of 74.3mpg and emissions of 99g/km, meaning free VED and a low company car BIK rate. Despite a fairly modest power output it is a respectable motorway performer, but it lacks the punchiness of the larger 2.0-litre TDCi engines, available in either 150PS or 180PS outputs.

These would be our choice, since they aren’t significantly poorer in the economy and emissions stakes, with the 150PS Econetic coming at 109g/km and 67.3mpg. They’re more versatile, though – both are smooth and quiet, plus they have impressive in-gear performance thanks to healthy peak torque outputs - 350Nm for the 150PS engine and 400Nm for the 180PS version.

Automatic drivers have plenty of engines to choose from. The 240PS petrol comes with an automatic transmission as standard, while the 160PS petrol is offered with it as an option. Those who want a diesel can specify a smooth twin-clutch PowerShift automatic with either the 150PS or 180PS 2.0-litre engine.

From April 2015 buyers can choose the 1.0-litre EcoBoost petrol, which offers a low-emission alternative to the 1.6-litre diesel. The 1.6 diesel itself will be complemented by a 1.5-litre diesel producing 120PS, before eventually being phased out. 

Ford Mondeo Estate (2015) Models and Specs

Currently on sale

On sale until August 2020

On sale until June 2019

On sale until October 2018

On sale until July 2018

On sale until April 2017

On sale until November 2015

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What to watch out for

Recalls

Model History

• September 2012: Ford debuted the all-new global Mondeo
• October 2018: Mondeo Estate Hybrid announced
• June 2019