After 2 very pleasant periods of Mondeo ownership I foolishly thought I?d try something smaller as like most people I spend most of my time on my own in the car. So I bought s Focus ? a 2.0ltr petrol 2 door Zetec.
Well I know these cars get a good write up but I just don?t like it.
So now I?m going back to a Mondeo ? but this time I think it will be a diesel. People like Ford?s of Winsford have TDCi 130 Ghias for £11.5k which seems like a good deal.
Which at last leads me to my question ? my reading tells me that there is a big mpg difference between the Euro III and Euro IV models and that I want a Euro III ? so when you a standing in a car park full of Mondeos how do you tell the difference?
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A very good question, and one I asked myself when I bought my TDCi 130! I think (and I'm sure someone out there will tell me I'm wrong) that the IV has a particulate trap fitted - which costs a small fortune to replace at some stage, whereas the III comes without it. I wasn't aware though of any great difference with the mpg - the brochure shows them to be very close, and mine produces either side of 50. However, back to your question - if you can get hold of the 'logbook' it does show which version it is - and I expect there is a marking somewhere under the bonnet as well. Great cars, the best I have ever owned. No doubt at all that I will replace it with another when this one has to go.
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I have a Euro IV Mondeo TDCi (company vehicle so choose for the lower taxation). Anyway I can't see anything under the bonnet that says Euro IV but happy to look if someone has some pointers.
What I do know of the Euro IV TDCi in the Mondeo:
- Slightly higher CO2 emmisions than Euro III
- Therefore slightyly higher fuel consumption than Euro III
All to do with burning fuel differently to remove the NOx gasses and particulates. There is also NO particulate trap on the Mondeo TDCI Euro IV engines.
There is one on the Focus/C-MAX because it uses a different engine (joint development with PSA) but it is still labelled TDCi. Note the Mondeo has a 130PS engine and the Focus/C-Max 136PS.. but the Mondeo has more torque.
Down the line with PSA and Vauxhall engines using Particulate traps for Euro IV compliance.... the Mondeo will be the better second hand choice. And soon Euro III engines are no more.
Rob
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so when you a standing ina car park full of Mondeos how do you tell the difference?
This may be complete codswallop, but i thought that diesels had downward pointing exhaust, but Euro IV's didn't need this.
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The Mondeo TDCi does not need a particulate trap for Euro IV compliance - its all done via the ECU.
The only physical difference I am aware of is the the EuroIV cars use a electronic geometry controller on the turbo and the III's use vacuum.
If you look towards the rear of the engine bay at the turbo - almost dead centre - on the right of the turbo there will be a brass coloured cylinder with a rubber tube coming out of a recess in the centre if its a III, and black plastic box if its IV.
Most of second hand ones are III's because the IV's were dearer and will have gone out longer leases to company car drivers.
In any case it makes little difference but the III's are marginally better on fuel than the IV's but you're talking 1 or 2 MPG - its because the Euro IV's use fuel to heat the catalyst up when they are first run as one of the stipulations of EU4 is that the cat has to be up to temperature inside a certain time.
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To add to the above at FoW you can get the keys to any car you like and have a good look round, start it up, look under the bonnet etc in your own time, so you'll be able to check the engine out.
I got my Mondeo TDCi after coming from a Focus which I really didn't like. You won't be disappointed. The Mondeo still has fantastic handling but with a better interior, proper sized boot, comfortable seats, a far smoother and quieter ride and better refinement all round. My TDCi 130 also uses 35% less fuel than my 1.8 Focus ever did.
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Thanks for the responses.
My concern for the mpg was based on the road test on the fleet news web site which stated that when introduced the Euro IV would only return 39mpg.
Cheers
MPZ
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I regularly get 47mpg or so from my Euro IV 130 diesel estate
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I get more than 39mpg for my Euro IV TDCi 130 for sure. Tend not to work it out and it varies with the type of driving, as you'd expect. Once I did work it out for a relaxed cruise on relatively clear A-roads, and it was approaching 60mpg.
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Following Quinny's guidance I'm pretty sure I've got a Euro IV Mondy, and the only time I've got worse than 40 mpg was when the exhaust recirc valve stuck and I was making smoke clouds (there's a thread in tech matters on this)
45mpg on mixed driving is normal, 50+ on long dual carriageway/motorway runs.
It'll do 55 if you drive like there's an egg under your foot (thats me this week eeking out a tank of diesel till the panic is over)
Dan
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Thanks Quinny and Rob - glad I was proved wrong and that my IV does not have a (costly) particulate trap! While we are on mpg, my figures for the TDCi (130) for the last 14 fills (brim to brim) produced an average of 51.46. The best was 55.5 and the worst 45. (The computer would have me believe it's around 57-58. Now that would be good!)
CG
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