Mondeo 66 plate with Powershift

[Bwlmog]

Hi,

I’m hoping someone can help. I’m looking at buying a new shape Mondeo and have seen a 66 plate at a local Main Dealer. It’s the Titanium X model with 18,000 miles on the clock. 

It’s the 180bhp version with the Powershift transmission (wet version). I’ve read a lot of conflicting reports around this transmission and understand that the main issues were with smaller cars (Fiesta and Focus). However the doesn’t seem to be any real consensus on the transmission with newer Mondeo’s.

I know that the transmission requires an oil and filter change every 36,000 / 3 years, which isn’t an issue. What I’m trying to find out is whether the old problems still exist and what the car is like around town and with hill starts.

As a supplementary question. If the Powershift is plagued with issues, is there any real difference in performance between the 2.0l TDI 150bhp and 180bhp variants?

Any views and experiences would be welcomed as it’s a great deal but at the moment I’m nervous.

Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.

 

 

[FatHead1979]

12 hours ago, Bwlmog said:

Hi,

I’m hoping someone can help. I’m looking at buying a new shape Mondeo and have seen a 66 plate at a local Main Dealer. It’s the Titanium X model with 18,000 miles on the clock. 

It’s the 180bhp version with the Powershift transmission (wet version). I’ve read a lot of conflicting reports around this transmission and understand that the main issues were with smaller cars (Fiesta and Focus). However the doesn’t seem to be any real consensus on the transmission with newer Mondeo’s.

I know that the transmission requires an oil and filter change every 36,000 / 3 years, which isn’t an issue. What I’m trying to find out is whether the old problems still exist and what the car is like around town and with hill starts.

As a supplementary question. If the Powershift is plagued with issues, is there any real difference in performance between the 2.0l TDI 150bhp and 180bhp variants?

Any views and experiences would be welcomed as it’s a great deal but at the moment I’m nervous.

Thanks in advance and Happy New Year.

 

 

The well known issues with the "PowerShift" boxes were/are for the DCT250 box which was fitted to the lower output engines.  The DCT450 which is fitted to the higher output engines is considered to be reliable, just don't miss the servicing interval for the filter and box fluid as dual clutch boxes really don't like it/

I've driven both output versions of the MK5 2.0 TDCi and couldn't really tell much difference between the 2 levels of tune.  I'd probably choose the extra power if it wasn't going to cost me anymore to purchase but I found the difference to be small enough that you could be happy with the 150 BHP version.

[Bwlmog]

Hi 1979Damian, 

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I’ve heard so many horror stories about the Powershift it’s nice to hear that the gearbox on the Mondeo isn’t dogged with the same issues. 

I understand that servicing should be done every three years or 36,000 miles whichever comes first. For peace of mind I’d happily do it every two years ( or 20,000 miles for me).

I’ll book a test drive.

Thanks again.

[FatHead1979]

23 hours ago, Bwlmog said:

Hi 1979Damian, 

Thank you for taking the time to reply. I’ve heard so many horror stories about the Powershift it’s nice to hear that the gearbox on the Mondeo isn’t dogged with the same issues. 

I understand that servicing should be done every three years or 36,000 miles whichever comes first. For peace of mind I’d happily do it every two years ( or 20,000 miles for me).

I’ll book a test drive.

Thanks again.

No worries mate, the MK5 is a great motorway cruiser but caters a little bit more to American tastes in terms of handing i.e. it's no MK4 in the corners.

[Bwlmog]

Did the test and was surprised at how well the Powershift transmission worked and the pull in the 180bhp engine.

Unfortunately, the car wasn’t as advertised and it didn’t include the LED adaptive lights. As I understand it the standard headlights are next to useless which means I’m probably going to have to walk away. 

Hugely disappointing, otherwise very impressive.

[FatHead1979]

4 hours ago, Bwlmog said:

Did the test and was surprised at how well the Powershift transmission worked and the pull in the 180bhp engine.

Unfortunately, the car wasn’t as advertised and it didn’t include the LED adaptive lights. As I understand it the standard headlights are next to useless which means I’m probably going to have to walk away. 

Hugely disappointing, otherwise very impressive.

Shame but not having the LED headlights would 100% be a deal breaker for me, the halogen ones really are dog  plus I really wouldn't have to want to half remove the front bumper every time a bulb blows.

[Bwlmog]

Would you say that the Halogen lights are worse than those in other cars or is it simply that halogen aren’t great compared to LED and Xenon alternatives?

my previous car was a Vauxhall Insignia and it had halogen and whilst not brilliant, they were ok as most of my night driving is on main roads and motorways.

[FatHead1979]

1 hour ago, Bwlmog said:

Would you say that the Halogen lights are worse than those in other cars or is it simply that halogen aren’t great compared to LED and Xenon alternatives?

my previous car was a Vauxhall Insignia and it had halogen and whilst not brilliant, they were ok as most of my night driving is on main roads and motorways.

Halogen headlights can perform perfectly acceptable, after all years ago there was only that headlight type and people weren't crashing blindly into each other at night.

 

The halogen headlight units on the MK5 just don't throw out a lot of light, even with brighter bulbs so I guess it's just a poor design in terms of the reflective surfaces within the unit.

 

Although the MK4 halogen headlight units are obviously of a different design, they seem to perform perfectly acceptably.

[Bwlmog]

Thanks for the clarification.

changing subject slightly, in real world conditions is there a significant difference between the 150bhp and 180bhp variants in terms of general performance?

thanks in advance 

[FatHead1979]

6 hours ago, Bwlmog said:

Thanks for the clarification.

changing subject slightly, in real world conditions is there a significant difference between the 150bhp and 180bhp variants in terms of general performance?

thanks in advance 

I've driven both and the 108 BHP versions didn't feel THAT much faster than the 150 BHP version, even though the 0-62 times suggest there is almost a second between them.  I'd be happy with the 150 BHP version personally but if I had the chance to get the 180 BHP at minimal extra cost, well it's always nice to have a bit of extra poke in reserve!  (I didn't find much of a difference in MPG either)