Ford Mondeo
The Mondeo estate adds a vast load bay to the many qualities of the hatch.



On the road price: £16,245 - £24,195
For: Commodious rear, refinement, driver involvement, affordable to run
Against: Weight blunts performance, mean standard spec in places

Driving

The big Mondeo estate offers a wide variety of engines, both diesel and petrol. However, it’s not a light car, so if you’re intending to do some serious load-lugging, we’d recommend you go for one of the torquey oil-burners. Mind you, even with the most-powerful 2.0-litre TDCi, the Mondeo is not a punchy car. However, even if you load it with more than 600kg of kit, as we did, the powerplant won’t lose its composure. It delivers go very progressively and, with a 340Nm overboost facility, provides plenty of pull. This is aided by a slick gearchange and the fact that it feels so light and easy to drive. A responsive brake pedal, superb sound suppression and great motorway manners all help make it reassuring, too. But it’s the suspension’s ability to soak up punishment that’s most impressive. Even though our car didn’t have the optional IVDC electronic dampers – the ride was a fraction less refined as a result – it still proved extremely comfortable. And the chassis’ relaxed, poised and agile feel that remains unfazed by anything, plus light and accurate steering, adds the final polish to the class’s best driver’s car.

Marketplace

There’s no pretentious name for the Mondeo estate. Ford simply wants it to be seen as an honest, straightforward family car – although the firm hopes you’ll find it stylish and desirable, too. We reckon it’s really well proportioned. The tail is neatly integrated and curvy, and it doesn’t have any hint of the ungainly stretched look of rivals. A long wheelbase helps disguise its size – this is a large car. Estate car sales are on the rise and Ford expects the estate to account for a quarter of all Mondeo sales. But it’s not the only kid on the block; arch-rival Vauxhall offers the massive Vectra estate (it offers more load capacity than a Volvo V70!), while Honda’s Accord Touring and the Volkswagen Passat estate are also formidable alternatives. Ford retails a comprehensive range of Mondeo estates – Edge, Zetec, Ghia, Titanium and Titanium X – plus a wide range of engines, including a brace of diesels and a high-performance 2.5-litre turbo five-pot shared with the Focus ST.

Owning

The Mondeo estate’s vast size is great for when you want to pack it full of gear. Open the tailgate and you’re greeted with a huge 554-litre load area complete with plenty of useful nooks and crannies, as well as a removable boot floor to make it a breeze to keep clean. The trouble is, the finish isn’t that special – the underfloor compartment comprises moulded polystyrene, and the seat folding mechanism is poorly designed. A sliding load floor that can carry up to 400kg is clever, although it’s a £200 option. We’re also surprised to see roof rails are a £100 option, and we also think reverse parking sensors should be standard; while rear visibility is great, the back of the car is so distant that warning beeps would make manoeuvres easier. Still, the 1,745-litre capacity shouldn’t be sniffed at, while the rear seats impressed us, too; they’re trimmed in soft upholstery and provide plenty of space. However, be careful with seat choice. The pews in a Titanium X, for example, are supportive and comfortable, yet the chairs in a Ghia lack side support. Ghia variants also come with nasty wood-look trim; other models thankfully ditch this for smarter silver-effect trims. The dash is well laid out, although it could be clearer in places. Sadly, retained values are only average, though the Ford does counter this with decent fuel economy and extremely low servicing costs.