The original Autocar road test of the Mondeo was a bit lukewarm: they seem to have changed their minds.
I was thinking the same -- I seem to remember the standalone road test said that the new car wasn't a significant improvement over the outgoing model, and that the new Passat was far superior in terms of ride/handling and quality.
Still, you pays your money ...
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I have owned a Passat and BMW and hired a number of Mondeo's. I must say the BMW did 150K with no issues the Passat brokedown day 1 and had a number of other issues. Mondeo i can't compare as hired.
The BMW will be the cheapest to run IMHO as really do around 60mpg. The ED versions seam only to have a differant gear ratio better for UK motorway speeds.
The Mondeo will carry loads of stuff very easly and the BMW is the smallest and sometimes a bit too small.
The BMW drives by far the best unless it snows. Only question is , do you really want a car in this class?
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Why did they test a Golf/Focus sized car the A3 against cars equivalent in size to the A4 or even A6? The BMW 3 series is also a fair bit smaller than the Passat and Mondeo so a 5 series would be closer. I suppose that would put Audi and BMW at a £10k or more price disadvantage.
My current car will be up for replacement next year so that gives Ford time to iron out any bugs on the new Mondeo and for the Ford meaty discounts to kick once the "new model = no discount" is history.
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Why did they test a Golf/Focus sized car the A3 against cars equivalent in size to the A4 or even A6? The BMW 3 series is also a fair bit smaller than the Passat and Mondeo so a 5 series would be closer. I suppose that would put Audi and BMW at a £10k or more price disadvantage.
My current car will be up for replacement next year so that gives Ford time to iron out any bugs on the new Mondeo and for the Ford meaty discounts to kick once the "new model = no discount" is history.
Because many people choose their cars based on price (private) or lease cost (company) rather than size.
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The BMW drives by far the best unless it snows. Only question is , do you really want a car in this class?
Seems to depend whether or not it is the ED BMW or not.
Matt Saunders - Autocar.
Next to that, the Ford’s superiority is absolutely plain; it rides better, handles better, grips harder, communicates better, is more refined and is quicker above urban speeds.The truth is that if this particular BMW had been thrown into the group test that you’ve just read, it would have rated in the bottom half. A normal 320d would probably have triumphed.
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Phoned my local Ford dealer, New car salesman said there is 200 pounds off the new model across the range, this car 'won't be discounted by more than '200 quid'he said.
I'll give it 6 months and enquire again
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Phoned my local Ford dealer, New car salesman said there is 200 pounds off the new model across the range, this car 'won't be discounted by more than '200 quid'he said.
I'll give it 6 months and enquire again
Just checked on Carfile.net. They have between £2500 and £3500 off the Mondeo depending on the model.
At £18500 a 1.5 Ecoboost (petrol) Zetec estate looks quite interesting.
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Ford's business model will always be "pile em high sell em at a discount".
However the ever growing proportions of the Mondeo mean its not the seller it used to be - Focus is now large enought for most and an MPV makes more sense for a family.
It wasn't in the top 20 for 2013 and I doubt this changed last year.
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You're right, Davey. People have fallen out of love with the Mondeo sector - the D sector I think it's called.
You can see why: junior execs can be offered a 3-series, an A3 or A4, or if they've got a family, a Passat estate like my son-in-law's. These all hold their value well, so leasing deals should be as good as a Mondeo's or Insignnia's if not better.
Private buyers with family have many more MPVs or crossovers to choose from (I'm never convinced that there's a huge difference between these, and there's definitely an overlap). The one thing they lack is the fun factor, but they can find that in some version (hatch or estate) of a Golf, Octavia or Focus without needing anything as big as a Mondeo.
There wasn't this choice in the days of the Mondeo's ancestor, the Cortina (and of course the original Cortina was about the size of a current Focus).
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There wasn't this choice in the days of the Mondeo's ancestor, the Cortina
Thinking back to domestic UK cars there was the Vauxhall Victor (and later the Cavalier), the Hilman Minx/Hunter (and other clones), the Morris Marina and the BMC 1800 Land Crab (if you wanted something bigger) in the mass market sector.
The rarely seen imports were the Renault 16, Peugeot 404, Ford Taunus, Opel Ascona, Fiat 124 and possibly the Volvo 124 (Amazon) and Saab 96.
(and of course the original Cortina was about the size of a current Focus).
The Mk 1 Cortina was 4.26 m long, 1.6 m wide and 1.43 m high. The Mk2 Focus was 4.34 long, 1.84 m wide (a majority of the extra width is internal door bars for crash protection) and 1.50 m high. The current Focus is probably bigger still.
Edited by skidpan on 03/02/2015 at 16:12
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Would be interesting to see the new mondeo compared to the Mazda 6.
Previously they were a very similar car, but since Ford sold their Mazda shares I imagine they will be two very different cars now.
Are there any known issues with the ecoboost, besides the poor fuel economy?
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Indeed, skidpan.
When Ford stopped production of the Granada/Scorpio they said there was no longer a market for that size of Ford. Seems like they were correct. Mondeo is even bigger. It is inevitable replacement models will grow in size, until manufacturers see the error of their ways.
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I meant that there wasn't the choice between saloons, hatchbacks, MPVs and crossovers. It was just a choice of saloon or estate, apart from the Renault 16 that you mention, and later the Austin Maxi. but as you say there was quite a wide choice of four-door 'family saloons'.
I think Renault were the first to produce a 5-door hatchback (the 4 in the early 60s, followed by the 16). There was the Austin A40 Countryman before that (1959 I think) - I hesitate to say that was the first-ever hatchback as someone will think of something earlier. Any suggestions?
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My first car was an Austin A40 countryman, £60 at auction, which i fitted with a £30 Motorola
8 track playing the supremes and beatles, the car came complete with a starting handle.
I followed that with a MK1 1200cc engine, into which i fitted a servo a 90bhp Mk2 cortina engine, and 2000E close ratio gearbox, and also changed all the suspension.
I kept that car 7 year until it 12 birthday, a 1966 model.
Auto express have tested the mondeo, which i think looks ugly, it came last being beaten by the Passat followed by the Mazda 6. The new mondeo is now set up more for comfort.
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Avant, taken from wikipedia.
In 1938, Citroën introduced the Citroën Traction Avant in a "Commerciale" version with a tailgate, [12] initially with a two-piece tailgate, of which the upper piece hinged upwards, cutting well into the roof, and after 1954 with a one-piece top-hinged hatchback.
In 1946, DeSoto marketed the Suburban as a station wagon, but was an extended sedan with a trunk lid that was hinged below the rear window. The model was promoted as offering station wagon utility with the passenger and luggage compartments in one large section with an 8-foot (2,438 mm) reasonably flat floor and equipped with folding rear seats to provide flexibity similar to hatchbacks. [13]
In 1949, Kaiser-Frazer introduced the Vagabond and Traveler hatchbacks. Although these were styled much like the typical 1940s sedan, they incorporated an innovative split rear tailgate, folding rear seats, and no separate trunk. [14] The design was fully a sedan nor station wagon, but the folding rear seat provided for a large, 8-foot (2.4 m) long interior cargo area. [15] These Kaiser-Frazer models have been described as "America’s First Hatchback." [16]
In 1953, Aston Martin marketed the DB2 with a top-hinged rear tailgate, manufacturing 700 examples. Its successor, the 1958 DB Mark III also offered a folding rear seat. The 1954 AC Aceca and later Aceca-Bristol from AC Cars had a similar hatch tailgate, though only 320 were built.
The British Motor Corporation launched a 'Countryman' version of the Austin A40 Farina compact car in 1959, which incorporated a horizontal-split two-piece tailgate and a more vertical rear panel in comparison to the standard saloon version. This was close to the enduring concept of the hatchback: A small car with a large rear door apeture providing a versatile combination of rear passenger space and easy loading for cargo, although with a two-piece rear door it was not quite a true hatch.
Edited by Trilogy on 04/02/2015 at 09:40
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It's difficult to get a definition that truly separates hatchback from estate - some estates slope more than some hatchbacks - and similarly some hatchbacks have a longer load floor than some estates.
Equally, anyone who remembers the Rover P5 and P5B will recall the similarility between the (4-door) Coupe and Saloon versions!
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Thank you so much for that, Trilogy. I did wonder if something art-deco-ish from the 30s might emerge: prehaps one should have guessed it would be a Citroen.
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