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I'm after a new car 03 or04 plate and the two i have in mind are a Golf GTTDI 130 or a Mondeo TDCI 130 probably a Ghia X any opinions on which one is the better car .Driven both and both are very impressive and very nice but would like to have a bit of feedback before i go out and get one. Cheers
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Well the Mondy is cheaper, so you get a later model probably with less miles for your money. The ghia x comes with a lot of toys. Question is they are two very different sized cars, do you need the extra space (and hence bulk) of the mondy?
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TourVanMan TM < Ex RF >
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Despite its size the Mondeo handles better than any any MkIV Golf and is more refined.
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I may well change my Mondeo TDCI 130 for a Seat Leon TDI at the weekend.
The only reason I'm doing this is that the Seat is a yard shorter than the Mondeo. Will make parking a lot easier not that I can't park, its just frustrating to end up not being able to find a parking space due to the size of the Mondeo.
The Mondeo is definitely the cheaper car and being larger I expect it to be a little more refined on the motorway but otherwise not that much difference between the two.
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I read often, only post occasionally
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IMO the Mondeo beats the Golf at the important things, much more space, smoother engine, more useable rev band, better ride refinement, much better handling, on the Ghia X, masses of equipment and low cost easy to find independent servicing. The Golf might hold its value a bit better, will seem like its more sporty due to engine characteristics and firmer ride and will probably return a good bit better mpg. To some people the Golf (not too many on this site!) has a more upmmarket image.
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Shouldn't Golf be more reliable than Mondeo though?
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Mondeo.
Reliable in my experience of those I know who have owned them, more spacious and with more toys as commented, and importantly, much more refined; the Golf 130 is a noisy, unrefined, bucket of bolts. Truly, I was aghast taking a ride in a friend's just how unrefined a car VAG had signed off for production. Taking a ride in my neighbour's much newer 56 plater mk V 105 did nothing to change this belief.
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IMO the Mondeo beats the Golf at the important things, much more space,>>
Hardly surprising as it's an upper medium class vehicle rather than the Golf's "Escort/Focus" level.
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PS
I have a VW Bora and my best mate a Mondeo Ghia - the room in the front is not all that much different although, of course, in the rear it's a different story.
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Agree with Stuart that you're comparing apples and oranges, but for me the Mark IV would lose out to the Mondeo, primarily on account of how much better the Mondeo handles.
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There is very little to recommend a MKIV Golf other than image and perceived build quality. They are terrible to drive, have an unrefined engine and cost a fortune to buy.
I'd go for the Mondeo as a much better all round car.
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There is very little to recommend a MKIV Golf other than image and perceived build quality. They are terrible to drive have an unrefined engine and cost a fortune to buy. I'd go for the Mondeo as a much better all round car.
Despite being a massive VW/Audi fan I have to agree on the whole.
If I had a set budget to buy a car in the way that the poster has, you will get a lot younger Mondeo for the same money, and guess what, the Mondeo is actually a great car. I wouldn't say the Mk4 Golf is 'terrible' to drive, though it is just 'nothing special' to drive.
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If you don't need the size and space of a Mondeo, and Golf is big enough, think about a Focus. As with the Mondeo, you can get a newer one for your budget than you can a VW.
There are so many Fords around that they depreciate faster and make great secondhand buys. New Fords are best left to fleet buyers.
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Wouldn't an 04 Golf be a MkV though? Or did the model change at 54?
The mark V Golf is a brilliant car and a vast improvement on the Mark IV... which is irrelevant if you're looking at a Mark IV.
Even I, as a Golf driver and VW lover can see that if it's a Mark IV Golf, the Mondeo offers more toys for less money... but... it's a Mondeo! Surely you should be comparing Mondeo/Bora/Passat, rather than Mondeo/Golf?
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The mark V Golf is a brilliant car
Competent may be, but in diesel form at least, still a noisy, unrefined bucket of bolts.
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"Wouldn't an 04 Golf be a MkV though? Or did the model change at 54?"
OP mentions a Golf GTI Diesel 130PS which is a MKIV I think. Diesel in a Golf MK V is a 138PS and for the GT it would be a 170PS.
"Surely you should be comparing Mondeo/Bora/Passat, rather than Mondeo/Golf? "
I'd say a booted Golf (i.e. the old Bora or new Jetta) is not comparable to a Mondeo. How about leg room in the back? I remember the Vento had a massive boot but was still a Golf with new headlights and a massive boot behind the wheels, i.e. no extra legroom.
I had a Golf MK IV albeit a 1.8 turbo GTi. I enjoyed it for all the 6 months I had it before knicked but my opinion:
- Ride could be a little firm (not so for the GT TDI?)
- Not reliable - new gearbox needed upon delivery!
- Replacement in the end was the barge like Passat 1.8T Sport which did not handle as well but a lot more comfortable.
- Current car is a Mondeo TDCi 130 and I like it but had EGR/Bush/clutch issues. Good handling and far better ride than the Golf GTi Turbo 1.8T and more toys as standard.
As for the previous model Focus instead... great to drive but I hate the interior.
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>>'d say a booted Golf (i.e. the old Bora or new Jetta) is not comparable to a Mondeo>>
Which is precisely the reason for pointing out that one is "Escort" class and the other upper medium class level.
The Mondeo is a wonderful driver's car and has been since its original 1993 launch. I well remember going on the 1993 Mondeo launch that year and all of us, to a man (and woman) declared it a million leagues ahead of Ford's other models at the time.
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I would almost certainly pick the Mondeo over the Golf. They're similar performing, the Mondeo is bigger, typically considered to be more reliable, and is far more fun to drive. That said, I would (personally) consider trying to find a mk II Focus 2.0 TDCi Ghia/Titanium with all toys. Far more spacious than the Golf, as well-built and reliable as the Mondeo, and bit more fun to drive than either. Test drive them all, and see then, I think the Focus might win you over, and if it doesn't the Mondeo ought to...
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I've been told by a pal who works on various Ford models that there have been many problems with the blue badge's diesel units...
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The Mondeo is a wonderful driver's car and has been since its original 1993 launch.
I would agree with that. It's obvious within a mile of driving a Mondeo that a lot of attention was paid to getting the weight and feel of the controls "just so". The brake servo isn't overdone, the steering weighting changes depending on grip levels, and the handling is downright superb. Even the ABS isn't intrusive. I personally thought the steering lost a little something in the transition to the mk3, but we're nitpicking here. They're all good to drive.
Sir Jackie Stewart played a big part in the Mondeo's chassis development.
Cheers
DP
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I'd probably agree that modern Fords are better to drive, better built, more reliable, and much better value for money than the equivalent VAG models (the MKV Golf is meant to be special however, but I haven't driven it yet, and there have been reliability issues). However, it all depends on how much money you want to lose on the depreciation. The Mondeo will lose far more than the Golf ("lower class" make, larger car - small cars hold their value far better). Also, the Mondeo is a huge car and will be more difficult to park than the Golf. Also, good as the Mondeo is, there have been comments on this site about rust issues with Mondeos - how long are you intending to keep the car?
Have you considered another alternative (assuming that diesel is a must) - what about the current Honda Accord diesel? It'll be more reliable than the Mondeo or the Golf, have a better engine, and it's meant to be excellent to drive (and smaller than the Mondeo).
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>>the Mondeo is a huge car>>
A Mondeo is 186ins long and 71ins wide and a Golf MKVI 165ins long and 69ins wide (excluding door mirrors in both cases).
So the Ford is only one foot, nine inches longer and fractionally wider...:-)
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Have a Mondeo 130 TDCi Titanium X hire car sitting on the drive at the moment, standing in for my Vectra 150 TDCi SRi whilst it is being repaired.
In my view where the Mondeo wins is in refinement at speed and suspension ability. it is quiet, smooth, the engine is much more refined then the vectra and other VAG diesels driven. It soaks up bumps and potholes with no fuss whatsoever (unlike the Vec) and goes round corners excellently.
It has less power than the Vec (as the V also has a tuning box pushing BHP up to 190 and torque 300+) so the Mondeo is slower in the higher gears. it is better starting off however, and seems to rev more freely.
Very impressed .....
Steve
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I used to have a Mk IV Golf GT TDI 110 and was very pleased with it. It ran faultlessly for four years and 45K miles (I had it from 6 months and 6K), but it wasn't a brilliant drive. Mine was V reg, but I understand later models had sharper chassis set-ups. Still not a Mondeo beater drive-wise, though.
But a Mondeo and a Glf are rather different-sized cars. If, OP, you're seriously considering a Glf IV, how about a Seat Leon?
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