Just a quick question is the same engine used in the Zetec and Titanium? As far as I am aware and I may be completely wrong the Zetec and Titanium's are just the trim level i.e. the extras you get on the car 

Correct, same engine.

Titanium comes with auto lights, auto wipers & auto dimming mirror.  Plus multispoke alloys (17s on the 1.8), nicer seats, centre arm rest, premium Sony audio and a Titanium effect dash trim. 

Zetec comes with stiffer sports suspension and 5 spoke alloys.

Both get heated windscreen as standard.  (The main reason for buying a Ford!)

Cruise control, climate control, powerfold mirrors, Xenons, privacy glass, Keyless and 6CD changer/DAB/Nav were all optional on the Mk2.5 at release.  Around 2010 some of those became standard on Titanium.

I did read on here that the 2.0 Petrol is a better choice.

The opinion was that the 1.8 doesn't seem any quicker than the 1.6, but uses as much fuel as the 2.0.

If I remember correctly, the tax is also the same on the 1.8 and 2.0, around £330 per year if I remember right.

I was considering trading my 1.6 Mk2 pre-facelift petrol in for a 2.0 a while back, and did find that there are not that many 2.0s about.

Both the 1.8 and 2.0 are Mazda L engines, and a completely different design to the 1.4/1.6 Duratec. One major difference is that they have timing chains, while the 1.4 and 1.6 have belts.

48 minutes ago, AntonovAN12 said:

If I remember correctly, the tax is also the same on the 1.8 and 2.0, around £330 per year if I remember right.

They are both the same.  But £330 is the automatic tax bracket.  Manuals are £265.

3 hours ago, AntonovAN12 said:

I did read on here that the 2.0 Petrol is a better choice.

The opinion was that the 1.8 doesn't seem any quicker than the 1.6, but uses as much fuel as the 2.0.

Yeah I have read that on other posts on this site, I think the main issue is the MPG I find my 1.8 petrol quite punchy when I put my foot down If anyone has watched superfast I love this quote and it seems fitting:

"It's not the car you drive. It's the driver who's driving the car, that's doing the driving." 

In terms of MPG I get around 36.9mpg.

Does the 2.0 have a 6 speed gear box? As that is the only thing I can think of that will make the MPG as bad as it is. At 70mph I think the engine is at 3200rpm and could really use an extra gear which would help with the MPG.

2 hours ago, stevejwalford said:

At 70mph I think the engine is at 3200rpm and could really use an extra gear which would help with the MPG.

I agree. I always feel our 1.8 could do with a higher top gear ratio. It really seems to be revving at 70. It can actually pick up cleanly from 30 in top gear which does suggest it's under-geared IMHO. However, a higher gear wouldn't necessarily improve the mpg much, if at all, because the engine would need to produce more power to maintain the speed.

17 hours ago, stevejwalford said:

Does the 2.0 have a 6 speed gear box? As that is the only thing I can think of that will make the MPG as bad as it is. At 70mph I think the engine is at 3200rpm and could really use an extra gear which would help with the MPG.

No, the 2.0 Duratec HE has a 5-speed manual transmission.

The 1.8 Duratec HE has the 5-speed IB5 transmission combined with a solid flywheel. This is the same transmission that is also used for the 1.4/1.6 Duratec (including the TI-VCT).

The 2.0 Duratec HE has the 5-speed MTX75 transmission combined with a dual mass flywheel. Apart from the gear ratio's this is the same transmission that is also used for the 1.6 and 1.8 Duratorq TDCI.

Apart from the different transmissions the gear ratio's are also different. This is mainly the reason why the 2.0 Duratec has almost the same fuel economy as the 1.8 Duratec HE.

4 hours ago, JW1982 said:

No, the 2.0 Duratec HE has a 5-speed manual transmission.

The 1.8 Duratec HE has the 5-speed IB5 transmission combined with a solid flywheel. This is the same transmission that is also used for the 1.4/1.6 Duratec (including the TI-VCT).

The 1.8 Duratec HE has the 5-speed MTX75 transmission combined with a dual mass flywheel. Apart from the gear ratio's this is the same transmission that is also used for the 1.6 and 1.8 Duratorq TDCI.

Sorry am I missing something here? You said The 1.8 Duratec HE has the 5-speed IB5 transmission combined with a solid flywheel. then "The 1.8 Duratec HE has the 5-speed MTX75 transmission combined with a dual mass flywheel."

Does the Duratec have the 5-speed IB5 transmission combined with a solid flywheel or the 5-speed MTX75 transmission combined with a dual mass flywheel?

 

Sorry, I made a mistake (bad copy and paste).

The 1.8 Duratec HE has the 5-speed IB5 transmission combined with a solid flywheel. This is the same transmission that is also used for the 1.4/1.6 Duratec (including the TI-VCT).

The 2.0 Duratec HE has the 5-speed MTX75 transmission combined with a dual mass flywheel. Apart from the gear ratio's this is the same transmission that is also used for the 1.6 and 1.8 Duratorq TDCI.