Proud New Mondeo Zetec Owner (Plus Mini Review!)

[Sutton Stourmead]

Hey everyone!

Took delivery of a new Mondeo right at the end of November and the last month has been a joy, and although I can be objective and admit there's a few quirks and a couple of niggles, I am loving this car, so thiught I'd share on the forum!

It's a 1.6TDCi Zetec econetic so comes with the following which didnt surprise me...

Dual zone a/c (My wife L O V E S this)

bluetooth phone over the radio

Nice 16" alloys

Sports Suspension

Midnight Sky paint (aka grey to purply to blacky depends on cloud cover and what time of day :) )

Hatchback with Boot spoiler

And these extras which DID surprise me

Front LED running lights ... NOT the black plastic strips telling me I didnt buy/couldnt afford a titanium.

Ford Converse + trip computer (how did that upgrade slip through QC un-noticed?)

Voice recognition dialling (gimmicky, prefer to use the 'last out' function on the Converse +)

First impressions?

It looks like an undercover motorway cop-car! NICE!!

I came to this car straight off the back of a 12 year old 1.9 TDi Octavia which was solid and the engine happy to do anything I told it to.. Slow but fair, if you know what i mean... I called it the tank for obvious reasons.

In comparison the Mondeo feeels a little uptight (proobably because it's still new), less tanky but way more sophisticated in both manner and appearance..

It has 6 gears for a good reason - the engine doesnt have the strength / tourque spread to pull it out of roundabouts in a higher gear, or even up a hill at 50mph in 6th. Turbo lag is more like Turbo aint gonna happen unless you drop down.

But in the right gear and this car actually feels nippy about town - I'm in London so drag racing off the lights is pointless , for instance this new years day I drove from Enfield to Bethnal Green and an AMG C350 CDI was doing it's rocket ship thing - we got into the city at the same time - Traffic lights are the greatest of equalisers!

The 6th gear is perfect for anything 50mph cruise though, so the North Circular and M25 offer me some very relaxed driving - the car just gets on with it quietly and fuss free.

The driving postion for me at 6'2" is interesting, i like to have the chair set back but a bit high, so i get good thigh support - I've noticed that the door arch and roof arent 'that' far away from my forehead, but thats just because I sit funny lol.

The Steering is really nice - perfect ford feedback.

The ride quality?

Woah - now this took me back - it's so FIRM. In a not 100% good way.

this car sticks to the road, yes, and provides great feedback, but the sports suspension (to reduce the cars overall height and drag) seems to make the ride a little harsh and overly bobbly over our rubbish London potholes.. And speed bumps are really transmitted into the cabin, especially for the rear passengers... Wham up and down - at anything above about 8mph...I was hoping for something a little more compliant but it's more an observation than a real gripe. My wife also comments on the motorway that it really picks up the road seams and small imperfections. It is really far away from a standard Mondeo suspension. It's out of character with the rest of the car which is all about slow smooth driving.

Saying that, it feels like ford's design team have created a really great town based sporty feeling large car, and I enjoy driving it as well as just going from a to b, if you know what i mean ;) .

on the motorway? it's all sit back and relax - the cruise control doesnt see much action but the speed limiter is always finding itself being switched on (rush hour driving!) - I also like how a full depression of the gas overrides it temporarily, rather than faff about with buttons in an urgent overtake situation.

It's eco mode petals have helped me drive more smooothly and safely, and the engine quirks I guess are the stick to the ecomode display carrot... woe betide me if I dont get the right gear!

So - modified my driving style, having to think ahead even more to anticipate what the car will be doing in 100 meters time (accellerating, cruising or braking).

Low and behold i now get five petals on the anticipation flower , it's true that Ford Eco Mode + this engine = great way to improve driving style!

it is WIDE - it needs a 5 point turn almost every time in my narrow streeted neighbourhood, but this translates into OODLES of space inside - two baby seats plus an adult comfortable in the back driving up and down from Birmingham - it's got impeccable taste with the interior decor.

the FIRST thing i noticed about it on the first night we had it, was HOW BRIGHT the LEDs light up the interior - it's really space age with the running lights and the bright interior glow, with it's stealth mode paint moodily reflecting the orange streetlamp glow! lovely!!

The way the boot properly pops up when you double hit the release key on the fob is great too - perfect when struggling with bags of shopping - mostly use the spoiler as a huge grab bar to open the boot up!

aside from the DREADFUL position of the driver door handle right cross the electric window controls, everything inside seems perfectly laid out. Sorry Ford, that handle is stupid design.

So if my biggest winges are the suspension and the handle, then it cant be all bad!

MPG's so far (1st month) comes to 40mpg over a mixed 1500 miles, mostly with lights , heaters and AC switched on using Shell Vpower Diesel - I dont want to think how supermarket cetane will kill the power delivery on this baby engine. I am hoping the mpg's will improve as we head into spring with drier weather and lighter evenings, and as the engine runs in.

I'm really happy to join the forum - so see you around - any questions about my motor, please ask away! :)

[Steve]

Hey welcome tot he club and thaks for sharing your review!

Stick around and join in when you can mate!

[Stoney871]

Welcome to the forum.

If you get the chance please post up some photos so we can all have a good gander at your car. Photobucket is usually the preferred method.