Ford Mondeo Estate (2015 – 2021) Review

Once upon a time, all an estate needed to be considered worthy was a vast load bay. Then the Ford Mondeo changed all that and successive generations improved on the formula. The 2015 Ford Mondeo Estate is one of the best of the breed in the used market thanks to its excellent driving dynamics, quality cabin, comfort, equipment and, of course, that big boot. Read on for our full Ford Mondeo Estate review.

In terms of size, the Ford Mondeo Estate offers 525 litres of space with the rear seats in place and 1630 litres with them folded. Ironically, the hatchback has more space with the rear seats up, but in reality, the estate is much more practical due to its boot shape, with a larger opening making it better for carrying bulky items.

The Volkswagen Passat Estate is a little more practical than the Ford Mondeo Estate and it offers even more high-tech features. A Mazda 6 Tourer delivers a keen drive, but is not as refined as the Ford Mondeo Estate, while the Vauxhall Insignia Sports Tourer can’t match it for all-round appeal.

Only the Skoda Superb Estate edges ahead of the Ford Mondeo Estate in every area that matters. With low running costs, competitive prices, a spacious load area and excellent driving dynamics, the latest Ford Mondeo Estate is a terrific choice.

As with the hatchback, it offers a great blend of enjoyable handling and comfort. The Ford Mondeo Estate rides quietly and smoothly, even over rougher road surfaces, yet offers a good level of engagement and precision through twists and turns. That said, the ride quality is upset by the fitment of larger optional alloy wheels.

The engine range is broad, with two petrol options and three diesels. The petrol range initially kicked off with a 1.5-litre 160PS Ecoboost, while there was also a 240PS 2.0-litre, which was joined by a 1.0-litre Ecoboost in April 2015.

Diesel options comprise a 1.6-litre with 115PS and a 2.0 TDCi with either 150PS or 180PS. Ford also offered the Hybrid engine with the estate body towards the end of the car’s production life.

The 1.6-litre diesel manages a low CO2 figure of 99g/km, making it free to tax. The more powerful diesel options aren’t much more expensive to run, however – and they offer far more useful performance, especially on the motorway.

The Ford Mondeo Estate has up-to-date safety and convenience technology, including adaptive cruise control, lane assistance, automated parking and the latest SYNC 2 infotainment system. This is far easier to use than previous Ford infotainment systems, with intuitive controls and a clear display.

Fancy a second opinion? Read heycar's Ford Mondeo Estate review.

Ford is well known for producing fine-handling yet comfortable cars, and the Ford Mondeo Estate doesn’t change the formula.

It offers a composed, quiet driving experience even over poor-quality roads, but it also manages to perform fantastically through corners, with precise steering and great body control. Enthusiastic drivers will appreciate the smooth steering and gentle feedback through the steering wheel and suspension.

Despite being good to drive, long-distance travel is effortless thanks to impressive refinement, comfortable seats and adaptive cruise control.

Having said that, there are a few caveats – the steering, while impressive, doesn’t offer quite the same amount of feedback as was the case with the previous Ford Mondeo Estate.

Additionally, the 19-inch alloy wheels have an impact on road noise and comfort levels, so are best avoided. 

Initially, the Ford Mondeo Estate was available with two petrol engines and three diesels.

The petrol options are 1.5-litre or 2.0-litre units, with power outputs of 160PS and 240PS respectively. These might suit a lower mileage private buyer or a more enthusiastic driver, but for most a diesel will make a more sensible choice.

The entry-level diesel is a 1.6 TDCi with 115PS. This is the most frugal option, with official economy of 74.3mpg and emissions of 99g/km. Despite a fairly modest power output, it is a respectable motorway performer, but it lacks the punchiness of the larger 2.0-litre TDCi engines, available with either 150PS or 180PS.

One of these would be our choice, since they aren’t significantly poorer in terms of economy and emissions, with the 150PS Econetic coming at 109g/km and 67.3mpg.

They’re more versatile, though. Both are smooth and quiet, plus they have impressive in-gear performance thanks to healthy peak torque outputs – 350Nm for the 150PS engine and 400Nm for the 180PS version.

Automatic drivers have plenty of engines to choose from. The 240PS petrol comes with an automatic transmission as standard, while the 160PS petrol is offered with it as an option.

Those who want a diesel can specify a smooth twin-clutch PowerShift automatic with either the 150PS or 180PS 2.0-litre engine.

From April 2015, there was also the option of a 1.0-litre Ecoboost, a low-emission petrol alternative to the 1.6-litre diesel. The 1.6 diesel itself was replaced by a 1.5-litre diesel producing 120PS.

When it was tested by Euro NCAP in 2014, this generation of Ford Mondeo scored a well deserved five-star rating. All of the usual airbags, Isofix, ESP and ABS systems were present.

There was the option of a lane keep assist and departure warning set-up, and Ford also offered automatic emergency braking as another optional extra.

The Ford Mondeo was retested in 2019 when lane keep and departure assist had become standard, along with automatic emergency braking. As a result, the Ford retained its five-star score, and you can be assured it is a very safe place to carry your family and friends.

This Ford Mondeo was also used to introduce inflatable rear seatbelts, which act as another airbag in the event of a collision. The only slight downside is these make fitting non-Isofix child seats impossible.

The Ford Mondeo Estate can pull an unbraked trailer with a weight of up to 750kg. Hitch up to a braked trailer and it’s good for up to 2000kg, although this is dependent on the model you choose.

The Ford Mondeo Estate gets all the basics spot on with a great driving position, plenty of adjustment in the seat and steering column, plus a nice weight to the gearshift and clutch pedal.

The multifunction steering wheel is a little button-heavy – which makes it tricky to operate without looking down – but the addition of an electric parking brake as standard means more room is freed up on the centre console, which has two cupholders and a useful cubby integrated into it, with an armrest on top.

Storage is excellent with a two-level glovebox, large door pockets and extra stowage behind the swooping central stack.

What really stands out in the Ford Mondeo Estate, though, is the sheer space. Up front, there’s acres of room and you can put your seat so far back, even six-footers will be able to stretch their legs out.

Yet this doesn’t come at the expense of rear passenger space. It remains incredibly generous, even with the front seats adjusted all the way back. Only the Skoda Superb can match the Ford Mondeo Estate for rear room.

The boot is equally impressive. There’s 550 litres of luggage room and the tailgate lifts up to reveal a wide opening with a low load lip. Even with a full-size spare fitted as opposed to a tyre repair kit, there is still 458 litres of load space.

Another neat feature that made its debut on the Ford Mondeo Estate are inflatable rear seat belts. These see a small airbag integrated into the seatbelt strap, expanding in just 40 milliseconds in the event of an accident. It’s designed to disperse the force of an impact across a body five times greater than a standard seatbelt.

Improving the refinement of the Ford Mondeo Estate was a priority, and that’s immediately obvious when you get behind the wheel: there is very little engine or road noise and the majority of the engines are quiet, with only the most powerful TDCi diesels disrupting the tranquillity of the cabin. 

There’s a quality present throughout the Ford Mondeo Estate interior that’s above anything Ford had produced before. All the materials have a substantial feel to them, with soft-touch plastics and padding on the dash and door tops. Ford kept to a simple design with few buttons and an uncluttered look.

There are instrument dials which remain analogue, but have a digital display on the inside – including the needles that indicate speed and revs – giving it a modern edge.

We’re not so keen on the Sony infotainment design. It looks a little dated already, but the Ford SYNC2 system works well and the large touchscreen in the middle of the dash is easy to use and has a high-resolution display.

An eight-year-old Ford Mondeo Estate in good overall condition with average miles for the year will cost you from around £9000. That bags a lower-trim Zetec model. If you want a Titanium version with more kit, reckon on spending another £1000.

A three-year-old Ford Mondeo Estate in ST-Line trim with the hybrid engine with low mileage will cost £25,000. This secures a very modern estate with low emissions and matching running costs.

Owning a Ford Mondeo Estate should not be too taxing on your family budget, thanks to insurance that sits between groups 17 and 29.

This is also an easy car to service, as there are Ford dealers all over the country and independent garages that can do an equally good job at keen prices.

Fuelling a Ford Mondeo Estate is also not too costly, with the 1.5 TDCi Econetic model, for example, offering a claimed 74.3mpg.

The 2.0-litre turbodiesel motor with 150PS is a better all-rounder for most needs, yet still also comes up with 67.3mpg.

Should you want a petrol engine in your Ford, the 1.0-litre Ecoboost feels a little underpowered, so we’d look to the 1.5 that delivers a combined consumption of 47.1mpg according to official figures. Look at our Real MPG data and that comes out at a more realistic 36mpg.

The Hybrid manages a claimed 58.9mpg, but there’s not enough information to provide a Real MPG number.

On the upside, the Hybrid can offer carbon dioxide emissions as low as 99g/km in Zetec trim, so examples registered up to 31 March 2017 qualify for free road tax.

Those registered after this date will pay £180 per year, which is the same as for the rest of the Ford Mondeo Estate range.

The Ford Mondeo Estate Style comes with 16-inch alloy wheels, DAB, Thatcham category 1 alarm, dual-zone climate control, cruise control, Ford SYNC2 with an eight-inch colour touchscreen, electric front windows, Isofix in the rear seats, hill start assist, LED rear lights and an electric parking brake.

Move up to the Ford Mondeo Estate Zetec and you get body-coloured bumpers and side mouldings, chrome window surrounds, a Quickclear heated front windscreen and electric rear windows. You can also expect front foglights, cruise control with speed limiter, height and lumbar adjust on the passenger seat and a rear seat hatch.

Ford Mondeo Estate Titanium models have 17-inch alloy wheels, an engine start button, sports seats, DAB navigation system, automatic headights, rain-sensing wipers, traffic sign recognition and lane keeping aid. They also enjoy an auto-dimming rear view mirror, ambient lighting and TFT instrument cluster display.

Ford Mondeo Estate Titanium X is the top-spec model and it gets dynamic LED headlights, leather seats, 10-way power front seats, heated front seats, keyless entry and privacy glass.

The Ford Mondeo Estate ST-Line added a sporty element to the Mondeo’s appeal with larger 19-inch alloy wheels and a sporty body kit, plus sports front seats.

On the other hand, the Ford Mondeo Estate Vignale went in the direction of pure luxury with its unique exterior grille and details, all-round parking sensors and rear-view camera. Inside, it features full leather upholstery and heated front seats.