While my X type was being reapired following my prang I had a Mondeo estate courtesy car.
Things I liked:
It's huge! Plenty of legroom in the rear and lots of boot space. Good left foot rest due to large footwell.
Being a Zetec it had 16 inch wheels with sensible profile tyres so it rides over road bumps very well.
For one of the cheaper models it is well appointed. Electric windows all round, cruise control, dual climate, heated screen, fuel computer, bluetooth, stereo controls on steering wheel, voice control for many functions, electric drivers seat height adjust.
Very good on the motorway. Definately its natural home.
A bright yellow dipstick - reading the oil level is easy.
Things I didn't like:
It's huge! Not the best turning circle and I missed parking sensors.
It's sluggish from a standing start. Lots of lag before it starts going.
Engine is very noisy when cold and it changed at about 3,000 revs before it warmed through and it sounded awful. Once warm if you want to press on the 3k changes remain and it is noisy with a top end diesel rattle.
Engine noise in cabin on tickover is intrusive.
Auto box hunts at around 30mph (3-4th change) and 40mph (4-5th change). Tiresome in urban traffic.
Seats were comfy, but too soft in the lumbar region even with adjustment. I couldn't adjust the seat to get the head restarint just behind my head.
Light for boot space is in the roof - this means the luggage cover has to be open for it to be any use.
Cruise control has to be turned on before you can use it and it turns off every time you stop the car.
Cruise buttons are on both sides of the steering wheel - 6 seems to be too many buttons.
Never learned how the stereo worked off the steering wheel as buttons didn't seem to do what they should. I could adjust volume, but changing channels or the radio band/cd proved impossible.
Bluetooth didn't automatically pair the phone every time it found it.
Not everything has been moved for RHD - in particular the heated screen and rear window buttons are a long way from the driver. In LHD they would be perfect. Handbrake is set for RHD and it wouldn't be much of an issue to swap the window heater switches wth the traction off switch which is the same, but nearer the driver.
Tiptronic is pull for up and push for down the box which isn't how the majority are - it's a Mondeo not a touring car!
Most of these could be lived with, but I don't think I'd ever be happy with a seat I couldn't sort out, the engine noise and the hunting gearbox.
Car had only done 2,500 when I took it. I did lmost thousand miles in three weeks.
Average for busy urban trips was 25mpg
On motorway trips it was doing around 40mpg.
The new Mondeo does what the Cortina and the Sierra did very well - plenty of accommodation for a sensible price, but corners have to be cut to achieve the price point - sound insulation being one obvious area.
It will be cheap to buy, service and fix. Exactly what a Ford should be.
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>>While my X type was being repaired following my prang I had a Mondeo estate courtesy car.
Did the 3rd party Ins Co cough up? or was it taken as 50/50 and you pay your excess +lose some NCB?
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