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By
EWAN KENNEDY
7 February 2005
Ford’s
Mondeos are European sourced cars that are most pleasant to
drive and to ride in. Yet the car didn’t succeed on the
Australian market for several reasons which will be detailed
later in this report.
But first the good news. The Mondeo is well built and has
pleasant styling. Its big feature is the sort of excellent
roadholding and handling that you would expect from a Euro
car. This dynamic ability ensures the Ford appeals to the
family-car owner on a budget who really enjoys their
driving.
Mondeo is offered in all three body types: four-door sedan,
station wagon and five-door hatchback. This Ford is a little
smaller than some of its competitors. Front seat room is
fine and the rear can transport long-legged adults in
comfort only if those in front are willing to give up a bit
of space. Boot room is good in all body variants, with the
wagon having a usefully square styling. Being of European
origin means this Ford was one of the pioneers in using
lap-sash seat belts in the centre-rear seat. These first
appeared with the December 1996 facelift and may prove an
invaluable safety feature for family-car buyers.
Probably the biggest complaint about the Mondeo is that it
can be noisy on rough roads, with a fair bit of tyre noise
entering the cabin. This probably reflects inadequate
modification of the car to suit Australian road conditions.
It doesn't create a problem on all road surfaces and the
problem was (almost) overcome with the December 1996
facelift – look for Mondeos with bigger headlights and
tail-lights than the original imports.
In four-cylinder form it’s somewhat down on power due to a
rather half-hearted conversion to let the engine run on
low-octane Aussie fuel. As well as that, the engine is set
up as a high-speed cruising unit so isn’t ideally suited
to Australian stop-start suburban driving or the low speed
limits on our motorways. However, the 2.0-litre
four-cylinder engine provides sufficient get-up-and-go for
many drivers so take one for a decent test drive then make
up your own mind. A 2.5-litre V6 was offered as an option
from February 2000 but, strangely, was only sold with a
manual gearbox. It was sold in a semi-sporty version with
firmer suspension.
Transmission options are the usual five-speed manual and
four-speed automatic. The manual has a nice feel though it
can be a bit baulky on occasions. The automatic, only sold
with the four-cylinder engine, is nicely setup for the
engine’s characteristics.
Ford Mondeo is relatively simple for the home handyperson to
work on but some work is quite complex, particularly in the
area of electronics, so best left to professional
technicians. As Ford has one of the largest dealer networks
in Australia, getting parts and servicing is generally a
snack. Spare prices are usually OK.
Insurance generally falls into the lowest range and we
haven’t found a major company that differentiates between
the sporty six-cylinder models and the standard fours.
Mondeo was discontinued late in 2000 after the importers
were forced to admit it simply wasn’t working here. Some
of the last imports may not have been first registered until
early 2001. Keep in mind that a car depreciates from its
build date, not from the month it was first registered.
WHAT TO LOOK FOR
The engine should fire within a second or so of the key
being turned, and idle smoothly the moment it fires up.
Any unevenness in the engine under acceleration is a cause
for concern as it could mean the Mondeo is due for a major
overall, though it could just be a tuning problem.
Feel and listen for manual gearchanges that aren’t smooth
and quiet. Hard third-to-second changes are usually the
first to play up.
On an automatic the transmission shouldn’t hold onto a
lower gear for too long or hunt up and down unnecessarily
through the ratios.
Build quality isn't quite to Japanese standards so have a
good look over the interior to make sure everything fits
properly.
During the test drive listen for squeaks and rattle that may
mean the car has been used extensively on unmade roads.
Check for crash repairs, most easily spotted by panels which
don't quite fit or have a ripply finish. Also look for paint
colours that don't quite match or for tiny spots of paint on
unpainted surfaces.
CAR BUYING TIP
Heavy deposits of brake dust on the inside of the front
wheels and/or the brake callipers can indicate that a car
has been driven hard and fast.
© Copyright
Marque Publishing Company
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